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friends were playing. I saw all their islands, and the game looked fun to me, so I decided to get it,” Castro said. As time went on, he realized the connection he made with the game was much more profound than a mere tool to help him pass the time. “It’s been great having it because my friends and I can go to each other’s islands and hang out when we can’t phys-
ically be together,” Castro said. Like many teens, Castro utilized the team-based concept of Animal Crossing to help him cope with the lack of human interaction quarantine imposed on him. There are still a plethora of other options available for those who aren’t interested in designing towns. Part of Nikita Yentus’s weekly routine was meeting up with his friends to play basketball. They’d play a few games while discussing the current events of the week. When the quarantine order was Games that involve imposed on San Mateo County, Yentus strategy and thinking struggled to find ways to recreate his stimulate the Prefrontal weekly routine. Cortex. When you play NBA 2K20 came to the rescue. Fortnite, for example, this “Although it isn’t the same as face to region works to help you face, the game helped me stay in contact formulate a plan of action with my friends,” Yentus said. “My daily routine became doing online school and then hopping on to talk to my friends and virtually play the sport I love. It helped me stay sane, even though every
thing was pretty crazy.” Granic agrees that competitive games are incredibly helpful. “It’s a sort of background playground for them to socialize while they happen to have a joystick in their hands. Competitive games have mental health benefits for young people, just as we’ve known for offline sports as well,” Granic said. As the pandemic shows no sign of ending anytime soon, companies continue to push out new games. All over the world, kids continue to use them to connect with their friends as the world remains in uncertainty.
JANUARY 2021 HIGHLANDER 39
