Video games and COVID
More than ever, video games have been serving as more than just a hobby for me. During this weird new pandemic world we live in, they’ve been my primary way of staying connected with others.
My friends and I have always connected through video games, and for many of my friends, our shared passion for video games was already the reason we met and continued to hang out. But since the pandemic started, little things like weekly Civilization VI parties and Dragon Ball FighterZ rings with friends have meant more to me than ever. It has helped fill the void of seeing them in-person, and has helped give me structure in a time where it can be easy to lose yourself in the daily monotony of being at home in self-quarantine. I also feel like I’m able to better plan around and prioritize time for friends in a way that was more spontaneous before.
Beyond just my immediate friend group though, I’ve found a greater appreciation for the larger more-casual gaming community too. For example, I was caught off-guard by how mainstream and widespread Animal Crossing New Horizons was at launch. It quickly flooded my Twitter feed, and all of a sudden I felt connected to a huge amount of people, at least in the tiny way of us discovering what the game had to offer together. Something silly like waiting for Blathers to open in the early game became such a shared experience that it was a meme. Animal Crossing’s popularity even gave me more opportunities to connect with people I haven’t seen for months or years (even before March). Though the hype for Animal Crossing has died down quite a bit since then, it was a fresh reminder that something as unassuming as playing a video game can be a driving force of connection. And with new people coming into our fold every day, it makes me excited for the people I’ve yet to meet.