its easy. A lot of everything is based on RL time. For instance, you pay off your first mortgage on your tent and airfare, you wait a day, wake up, and you have a new house with new things to do, more to craft, a new mortgage, and access to go to myserious islands or friends islands. Time gates are very common so you can play as little or as much as you want and it doesn't matter. Lots of fun shit to do for kids though. Teaches them they have to pay the man (Tom Nook) and work ethic (The grind) to get a new house (life advancement) and how to stave off vandalism (Stoping me from entering your island and placing rocks in dick pic formations on the grass).
All in all, kids will love it.
Got the game yesterday - paid off my tent, Nook built me a new house - and Blather's showed up who wants me to donate fish, bugs, and fossils so he can build a museum. Today I woke up, saw my new house, saw I owed Hitler Nook 98,000 bells (Paying that down in increments) and started with new tools to decorate my house, etc. Went to a island because Toom Nook wants to build a new store, so guess who does the work for him? Yep. Me. So waiting for a new day again tomorrow to be able to get the rest of the resources when rocks respawn and shit. Or, I could grind it out and fly to another island (Hvae to buy a Nook ticket first because Nook controls the entire world like a true Despot).
What would rock? on day 700 this game turns into advanced wars and I can kick Nooks ass with my own military.
(Its a very charming little gem of a game)