Moving the joystick towards gaming for quarantine pastime

Students at Independence have been turning to their beloved board games and video games to occupy themselves at home during distance learning. It has encouraged everyone to start to find methods of spending time with friends and family from the safety of their homes. This led to memorable gaming experiences that brought people together.

Sophomore Noah Camat claimed that he’s felt stress from the limitations of safety precautions, saying, “I’m used to being out with family a lot.” Both board games and video games shared an important role in indoor leisure activities. Not only did gaming help people keep in touch, but it also helped strengthen relationships. He plays Super Smash Bros and Mario Kart; when he was younger, he used to play Pokémon games with his little brother. “I don’t really play single-player games much anymore. I usually like playing video games because I can play with someone.” Over quarantine, he has played Among Us, a game that grew very popular over 2020, and Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which is a collection of older Super Mario games.

This was the case for many students: mostly familial bonds were nourished with quality gaming time. “I’d say games really helped strengthen my relationships, especially with my friends and my family,” said sophomore Christian Galvez. He and his sister were able to spend much time together during quarantine, playing board games and video games. “She was actually the one who had the initiative to ask me if I wanted to play with her.”

Camat was a member of the gaming club last year, and Galvez is a member this year. They both share an interest in gaming that reaches many aspects of their lives.

A large variety of both multiplayer and single-player video games, as well as board games, have received the attention of bored students. Camat enjoys “mainly fighting and racing games.” Among other reasons, Camat describes nostalgia as a factor in video game taste: “I like Pokémon Black and White, specifically because it was my first real video game.”

There are differing opinions as to what brought back gaming during quarantine. Galvez says that “it’s a really good time to play single-player RPG-style games.” Games that he suggests for gamers to try are Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, Fallout and Skyrim, which are all role-playing video games, or RPG games. In particular, he recommends an indie platformer game, Celeste, which is about a girl who climbs to the top of a mountain and has an adventure along the way.

Camat encourages gamers to play this single-player RPG-style game, “If it’s any single-player game I like playing, it’s [The Legend of Zelda].” He also enjoys the Pokémon DS and Gameboy Advance games such as Pokémon Black and White, Gold and Silver, Heartgold, Platinum, Diamond, Pearl, and Ruby and Sapphire. When he and his little brother were younger, they’d play Pokémon together, “We’d be like, ‘Let’s see who gets to the end first,’ and it was very fun.”  

Many nostalgic memories are connected to childhood video games for many families, so Independence students have had time to return to them during quarantine.

Lastly, Camat recommends the indie game, Undertale, which was released in 2015. “I know everyone and their mom has played this game but, Undertale. If you haven’t played it, and you haven’t been spoiled, it is a magical experience.”

Despite the slew of digital recommendations, Galvez prefers to play card games and board games every now and then to take a break from gaming electronically.“It gets tiring playing just video games; a board game every once in a while is good,” Galvez said. Especially since many have increased their technology use from distance learning, board games have been a satisfying retreat. “My family and I have been playing a lot more board games. We just got into Monopoly, and it’s very, very fun,” said Camat. 

Gaming raised opportunities for those who were restricted in options as to how to safely spend time with their friends and family without going outside. The gaming community at Independence became more active with the spare time in quarantine and the rising popularity of certain games such as Among Us. With games stepping in for pastime, distancing has become a little more bearable for students.