COVID-19: Video Gamers Nightmare or Dream?
We’ve all heard about it and I’m sure we’re all getting fed up of seeing and reading about it all over social media. But whether we like it or not coronavirus, or COVID-19, is impacting everyone’s lives in so many different ways.
2020 started off with a rough start for some, including myself, but the past week has been incredibly hard for everyone around the world with the widespread outbreak of COVID-19. I won’t be going into too much detail since most of us have seen the safety announcements and know what’s going, but in the interest of public safety just know that it is important that we self quarantine ourselves and it’s super important to wash your hands!!
Despite how scary the news is making everything sound somehow the video game community has turned a terrifying pandemic into something ALL gamers look forward to. Hard-working citizens who have long forgotten the shape of a controller/mouse now have been the given opportunity to catch up on their favorite games. Going to bed really late and waking up whenever they feel like, dressing comfortably and hearing the intro music to the game you are about to start or jump back into. Or just being excited about the simple joys of being allowed to play video games on a SCHOOL NIGHT!
As for others, it’s not just about playing video games as most of us are also stressed about our jobs as our governments are asking us to “self isolate” ourselves in order to ensure we do not get infected by the virus. A few companies are actually staying open and only offer employees a few days instead of the suggested 2 weeks, which is causing a lot of frustration for everyone who might have to continue work while they later return to family, kids and the elderly.
Some companies have suggested that their employees work from home during the self isolation period as they will not be taking any chances with the spread of the virus.
Even though you may be excited about having all this extra time to sit back and play more games there are still so many of us who are stressing out and thinking of our safety. A lot of gamers’ lives are placed on hold. I’ve seen many people say this is only the beginning of the outbreak and that we’re in it for the long haul. Despite this uncertainty I still see people on social media saying that as gamers we are living the dream, but for those who are in long-distance relationships this is quite literally their worst nightmare.
I’m sure we’ve all heard the romantic tales of gamers falling in love online through a video game. Someone you run off with to do dangerous quests that promise adventure, dragon-slaying and warm comfy campfire talks underneath the shining stars. I myself have had this experience and it completely changed my life for the better.
Long distance relationships are hard enough at the best of times because our partner (and not only that, they’re also our best friend) is on the opposite side of the world. Making schedules match up to chat, video call and play games together is tough. But when you get to see each other again it makes all the hard work worth it. So with the fear and uncertainty that comes with a global virus outbreak, it really multiplies the feelings and fear of not knowing when we will see them again. It really is terrifying not being able to be with them and know that they are safe every single second of the day.
On the day our President made the decision many of us feared I was already at the airport getting ready to load my boyfriend onto the next available flight back home to Ireland before travel bans were put into place. It was heartbreaking, we don’t get to see each other every day like most couples and having his trip cut short resulted in a lot of crying. Saying goodbye is never easy and with more than 6000 miles between us and the fear of not knowing when we will see each other broke both our hearts. However, we both knew that we had to think of everyone’s safety and that he could not stay here.
Not only that but also my friend recently had planned to go to Germany to see her fiance who she met on Overwatch. They’ve known each other for a few years and late last year he popped the question. They are planning on getting married next year in January and she was going to Germany to visit and attend his sister’s wedding and to begin planning her own. As you can imagine, things took a turn for the worst as we watched our President ban traveling due to the mass outbreak of the virus. A lot of hearts broke that day, including mine.
I’ve genuinely never seen a situation turn so bad so fast as the entire world is panicking. Countries are closing off their borders to protect their own people and as that happened many of us took our frustrations to social media. About how we fear we will not see our loved ones for a long time, or how many people had to cancel their dream wedding because of this. There are people fearing that they will lose their jobs or that they will be asked to still go to work and risk getting infected as the virus keeps spreading.
Although not every gamer seems to be panicking as we all know that self-quarantine allows us to play video games all day every day. And with a few new and exciting games coming out really really soon I can understand why so many of us are so excited.
I’ve even seen the trend of gamers making jokes about a zombie apocalypse and how they’ve been prepared for this kind of deadly outbreak! With all the jokes set aside, I think a lot of the gaming community is divided. Outside of the excitement of gaming all day we all have our own worries that we’re having to deal with. Whether it’s the stress of long-distance relationships, financial stress from losing things you’ve already paid for like plane tickets or wedding plans, or in the worst case scenario being laid off from work as your company is scaling back because of the virus. These fears and worries are things we could have never foreseen from an invisible enemy like the virus.
Regardless of if you’re super chilled about the outbreaks or very stressed over it all, I think it’s important for us all to understand that everyone has their own worries about what will happen tomorrow. We should all try and be considerate of others’ feelings, especially since I have seen some harsh remarks made by people about friends canceling flight tickets, weddings and social events. We all have to chip in and do our part for our own safety, as well as our loved ones, by self isolating and making sure we’re washing our hands as often as possible.
Remember, if you think you’re infected please go get tested and seek medical attention as soon as possible!
Stay safe out there.
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