By Gregory Marzano and Miranda Lin
In the new normal brought by the coronavirus pandemic, meetings take place virtually. People quarantine at home and socially distance in an attempt to stop or slow the spread of COVID-19. With more time on their hands, people have turned to the virtual world for entertainment. One notable example of this is the rising popularity of video games. For example, games such as Minecraft and Among Us have significantly risen in player count.
Despite Minecraft’s age, its popularity has been increasing over the last several years. Minecraft offers endless opportunities with a variety of game modes. Many people play Minecraft with a competitive game sense, in player versus player battles on high capacity multiplayer servers. On the other hand, others may enjoy a more leisurely experience such as building with friends or surviving in an open world.
Artwork by Sabeena Ramdarie, @jammin_with_jelly
When this red background appears, an astronaut is on the brink of death in the new video game Among Us.
Among Us, a newer multiplayer game, has also boomed in popularity over the past few months. Up to ten players are placed in a space-themed map and are assigned one of two roles — crewmate or impostor — with the majority being crewmates. Crewmates need to complete an assortment of tasks while avoiding being killed by the impostors. Once a body is found, players need to consolidate evidence to vote and figure out who the impostor is. They can also win by completing all of the assigned tasks or successfully voting out the impostors. In addition, impostors can win by killing the crewmates or convincing the crewmates to turn on each other.
While people cannot be together during this time, gaming has been one way for people to connect with each other.
“Video games have become an important part of how I have stayed in touch with my friends. Not seeing them in person has been really isolating, so being able to get in touch with them and interacting even through a screen has kept me sane. Games like Among Us have made keeping in touch easy since it got popular quickly, was relatively cheap, and playing with friends made it so much more fun,” said junior Ella Tam.
These video games have been a great way to stay connected throughout the pandemic, for friends can talk about them even though they are not meeting up in real life anymore.