While people adjust to staying home during the pandemic, students and staff are turning to video games as a way to keep busy.

Trevor McGrath, adviser of Video Game Club, said he plays video games with his family and friends as a way to socialize, but it’s also good for a distraction. He said, “I use video games as a way to take my mind off things, and that can be really nice during a potentially depressing and stressful time like this. Also, video games are just fun,” McGrath said.

Junior Paul Zito thinks that playing video games is “an escape,” which is an important option for people during the pandemic. He said, “[Video games] allow me to forget about everything I’ve lost as a result of this pandemic and be in a different world for a while.”

McGrath admits that the voice-chat option in games is one aspect he particularly enjoys. He said, “You can communicate via voice with the people in your game, so that has helped me stay social with some people.”

Junior Alexis Ochi also plays video games and says she uses Facetime as a way to talk to friends during the game. Ochi said, “Playing multiplayer games like ‘Super Smash Bros Ultimate’ and ‘Jackbox’ over Facetime especially helps me interact with and talk to my friends even though I can’t be physically with them.”

Zito thinks a lack of physical activity is a concern, though, from playing too many video games.
“Video games are not particularly physical, so I have to make sure I’m staying fit and not just sitting playing ‘Legend of Zelda’ all day.”

McGrath agrees that people should still remain physically active even when stuck at home. McGrath said, “Sitting around playing games all day isn’t the best idea for your body, exercise-wise.”

But in the end, McGrath admits that this has been a stressful and unprecedented time. He said, “There’s really nowhere else to go, so why not sit around and play games a little bit, you know?”

Adviser’s note, May 20

The following email was received from David Linden, the Communications Coordinator at All Connect, on May 7 as a follow-up to this story:

In the United States alone, we’ve seen an upwards of 75% increase in video game usage during peak hours since states began mandating homebound orders. Turns out, all of the video gaming has actually been deemed a healthy way to stay connected to others during this period.

We have a resource covering the World Health Organization’s recommendations, as well as, speed test recommendations to ensure your internet is up to par with other gamers.

WHO recommends gaming during social distancing:
https://www.allconnect.com/blog/who-recommends-gaming-during-social-distancing