The Positive Impact of Video Games in a Year of Isolation
Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the newest installment in what was already one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises exploded in popularity due to releasing in the early weeks of the pandemic. The game received mainstream attention as it provided an avenue for friends and family to safely connect, communicate, and provide an escape in a year defined by social isolation. // Image: Nintendo
In June 2020, the United States’ Food and Drug Administration approved EndeavorRx, the first video game experience to be approved for therapeutic use. EndeavorRx is a game made to be played on an iOS device that provides therapy to children diagnosed with ADHD. While the game is by no means a substitute for medication, EndeavorRx provides a new method for children to cope with the challenges of ADHD by providing them with a physical task that requires focus, all while providing an enjoyable experience unique to the medium of video games.
The interactive experience exclusive to the medium of video games is one that could still easily be enjoyed by countless people around the world despite the prevalence of the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted everyone’s lives throughout 2020. While movie theaters were shut down, inherently putting most major film releases on an indefinite halt; while museums, galleries, and concerts were closed throughout most of the year in most countries due to safety concerns, video games remained to be a creative medium that people could still actively engage with. While there were certainly many delays to games that undoubtedly had their development schedules pushed back due to COVID-19, 2020 still saw the release of many video game experiences that brought people together throughout the year, perhaps when bringing people together mattered more than any other point in the medium’s history.
No pandemic has impacted the entire world on the scale of COVID-19 in over a century. In what can be considered no less than an absolute blessing, developments in technology have allowed us to to stay connected with one another in the face of being advised to socially distance from one another. Social media has allowed us to stay in contact with our friends. Platforms like Zoom, Skype, and Discord have given us the opportunity to have a chance to still meaningfully interact with those that we care about, in addition to allowing many people to work from home instead of the high-risk alternative of continuing to work alongside other people in a populated office building. Perhaps most crucially, though, video games have provided us with a great way to cope with the social isolation that defined reality throughout most of the year.
Whether it was through going on single-player adventures in games like DOOM Eternal, Final Fantasy VII Remake, or Ghost of Tsushima or connecting with others in games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Among Us, video games offered something that only video games could provide in this year of isolation and solitude for so many. Just as EndeavorRx provided on opportunity for children with ADHD to cope with their condition while having a fun experience to do so with, video games provided everyone with an opportunity to keep ourselves engaged, our minds occupied, and much-needed escapism when feelings of loneliness, frustration, and even hopelessness may have surrounded us.
2020 also served as a benchmark year for video games, showing to us just how far video games have come. 20-30 years ago, video games were so often given negative associations in pop culture. Fast forward to 2020, and video games have stepped up to the plate when they were perhaps needed most. In fact, video games were considered by many to be a saving grace for their mental health throughout the year, with studies on video games improving mental health backing this claim. With most art forms and/or outlets of entertainment being unavailable due to the state of the world, video games brought comfort and solace when there was not as many alternatives to attain such feelings.
For that, I feel that video games deserve to be commended for the comfort that they provided to hundreds of millions around the world in ways that no other medium could possibly replicate. This piece will be a reflection on the relationship between 2020 and video games, specifically the video games that provided an opportunity for us to cope and survive through a year of unprecedented anxiety and uncertainty for so many.
While highly anticipated films like Dune and A Quiet Place: Part II were delayed out of 2020, many video games stepped up to the plate to give us cinematic stories to be put in awe by. Titles such as Final Fantasy VII Remake still provided us with larger-than-life stories that gave us much to think about. While seeing exciting films on the big screen was certainly missed throughout the year, video games provided us opportunities to still engage with immersive, engaging stories that could still be safely experienced amid the pandemic. // Image: Square Enix
Unlike other popular forms of entertainment like films and TV shows, almost, if not, all facets of game development can be worked on remotely. 2020 saw many developers shift their development processes from being in offices to being entirely remote. The process for many was time-consuming and difficult (especially for Japanese developers, as work-from-home jobs have been historically uncommon in Japan), but game development being done remotely was not only the safest option for game developers and publishers - it was also proven to still be a very effective, viable avenue for game development to take.
Moon Studios’ Ori and the Will of the Wisps, one of the year’s first major, accolade-earning titles, was entirely developed remotely (as was its predecessor Ori and the Blind Forest). Note that this remote development was being conducted long before COVID-19 safety measures needed to be considered for businesses. Moon Studios’ efforts proved to be shining examples that remote game development, while certainly bringing its own challenges, wouldn’t compromise the overall quality of games developed under such a working environment. And so, as businesses around the globe implemented work-from-home orders to prioritize the safety of employees, game developers and publishers transitioned to remote work, with nearly all of 2020’s game releases after March being titles that were worked on mostly or entirely remotely at some point in its development.
As the critical success of Ori demonstrated, many of 2020’s releases proved that remote work by no means compromises the quality of games. All things considered, 2020 was a phenomenal year for games, both on the AAA and indie game fronts. While there were still many games that got pushed back into 2021 and even 2022, the games that did release throughout 2020 played a phenomenal, important role in giving millions something to keep their minds occupied as quarantine impacted the livelihoods of practically everyone on the globe.
Speaking personally, 2020 was a year that I played more video games than any other period in my adult life, and such a statement is likely the case for many, many others. While I typically enjoy single-player, story-driven video games, I often supplement such experiences with more gameplay-focused games and multiplayer titles. However, with movie theaters being either shut down or unable to show new movies due to movie releases being delayed, seeing movies in theaters, one of my favorite personal pastimes, wasn’t a possibility throughout most of the year (yes, I know seeing new movies on streaming services is a thing, but the theater experience of watching films is something that keeps me more engaged and passionate about film, so seeing new film releases on Netflix or Amazon Prime just doesn’t fulfill me in the same way). Due to a void created by suddenly having less cinematic story experiences to engage with, I turned to playing more video games that could offer engaging stories and immersive worlds - more so than I usually do.
For me, and as I’m sure is the case for many other people, engaging with stories keeps me thinking about new ways to tell stories, and often inspires my personal creative writing projects. While other avenues of entertainment either slowed to a crawl or were entirely unavailable due to the pandemic, video games offered me plenty of inspiration and engagement to keep myself well occupied throughout the year.
Final Fantasy VII Remake, one of my personal favorite games of the year, not only proved to be an engaging, fun game in its own right, but it also sparked a lot of discourse about what a remake ought to be, how meta commentary can be implemented in games, as well as the implications for what we can expect for the future installments of Final Fantasy VII Remake and whether calling it a “remake” is even appropriate to do. In a sense, Final Fantasy VII Remake was exactly what I needed at the exact time that I needed it - a role-playing game that had deep, captivating combat that also took risks with its story that ultimately kept me thinking about it long after I had put the controller down. I would often think about the game in my sleep, just replaying scenes from the game in my head, developing my own interpretations of the game’s story and feelings about the ending. I initially hated the ending to FF7R, but in the days and weeks after seeing the credits roll, I kept thinking about it and eventually came around on it, now thinking of it as an ending that ultimately makes me feel excited for what’s to come.
FF7R truly surprised me in that it ended up giving me a story experience that kept my mind creatively occupied and sparked thoughts about implementing meta commentary into stories and challenging typical story conventions - in this game’s case, challenging what it means to be considered a “remake” of an older work. It ended up inspiring my creative process, and has since made an impact on my own ideas for storytelling ideas. To put it bluntly, FF7R was a reminder of why I love storytelling in media - for the weeks and months following the game’s release, there were countless conversations about the game and its ideas. It inspired and encouraged conversation while also planting creative ideas about storytelling to its players, all the while being a fun game to play in its own right.
While I was personally isolated from others throughout most of the year, rarely ever seeing anyone beyond my immediate family that I live in the same house with, games like Final Fantasy VII Remake kept my mind occupied, and gave me something to talk about online with friends that were also playing the game. This single video game proved to be a source of conversation, discourse, nuance, interpretation, and personal inspiration for working on creative writing projects. FF7R is a game that’s bold and knows that it will likely warrant discussion and criticism for deviating from its source material, yet does it anyway. It’s a perfect example of how video games positively affect me - it inspired me to keep working on creative projects, in pursuit of eventually making something that warrants as much passion, engagement, and conversation as FF7R.
While 2020 made it hard to feel hopeful about the future at times, games like FF7R gave me personal hope about what I can possibly accomplish in the future if I stay dedicated, creative, and bold. Maybe this reads like I’m being far too appreciative of a single game, but I think it’s safe to say that at least one game had a similar impact for most people this year. Whether it was Animal Crossing, Hades, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2, Streets of Rage 4 or any other game either released this year or a backlogged game from a previous year, I think everyone has a game that they played this year that provided as much inspiration and hope as it provided immediate comfort and joy. Everyone finds hope and inspiration in different ways and through different means. Some people may be inspired towards accomplishing specific goals, while other may be generally inspired to continue persevering through a stressful time. Whatever the case, this year’s variety of game releases offered many opportunities to find inspiration in some capacity.
At their core, video games are meant to entertain and offer fun experiences. Some video games can immerse us and take us to entirely different worlds, providing comfort in a way that no other medium can quite capture. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition was a serene revisit to one of my favorite games and favorite worlds of all time, providing much needed escapism and comfort in an uncertain time, all while being entertained through the game’s addicting combat and satisfying questing and exploration. // Image: Nintendo
Final Fantasy VII Remake was merely one of the many games that brought inspiration, comfort, and joy to me in one of most anxious periods of my adult life. As spring turned to summer, I journeyed to the world of the Bionis and Mechonis in Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, which is what I’d consider to be my personal game of the year. A remake/remaster of the legendary 2010 title, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition is a story and world that continues to leave me in awe due to its sheer creativity, individuality, and impressive scope while never feeling too big for its own good. It proved to be the most immersive escapism I could have possibly asked for this year, as Xenoblade offers a world that encourages and rewards thorough exploration. Even as a huge fan of the original release, this new version of the game recontextualizes cut content from the original game as the setting of a brand new epilogue, giving me an opportunity to make brand new discoveries in a game I’ve ventured through so many times in the past.
Xenoblade’s emphasis on exploration through unique vistas makes running through the game’s unique, captivating world both effortless and satisfying to do, needless to say of the game’s deep mechanics for its combat and its timeless storytelling and worldbuilding. Quite simply, Xenoblade continues to be one of the most comforting games ever made, at least for me. Last year’s Definitive Edition release only cements it further as being a game that I truly think can transport anyone to a new world, allowing players to get lost in an erudite, thriving world.
Xenoblade Chronicles, in addition to other longer titles I played throughout the year such as Persona 5 Royal and Ghost of Tsushima, kept my brain active and sane between the long sessions of filling out applications to try and find a meaningful job during the bleak, quarantine-impacted job market throughout the year. Getting consistently rejected by employers was an inherently demoralizing, discouraging reality that I had to face throughout most of 2020, and with little other forms of entertainment to turn to, the worlds and experiences provided by Xenoblade, Persona 5 Royal, and Ghost of Tsushima ensured that I always had an experience waiting for me that could keep me optimistic about the future.
These games were there for me, in a sense - they gave me a much-needed rebound if I ever grew hopeless from the bleak job search. Perhaps this is because I approach all games, movies, and other forms of entertainment from the lens of a writer who aspires to eventually make content to engage with others, but every game I played this year truly gave me inspiration to continue writing, to continue developing the skills that I plan on using throughout my career so that I may make games and other experiences that will inspire others the same way that I am currently being inspired by games and other experiences right now. Whenever you get rejected by a job opportunity or things don’t pan out in the way that you hoped, it’s easy to become skeptical, pessimistic, and maybe even hopeless about your future. It certainly happened to me. There were many points throughout the year where I felt alone and unwanted - isolated from friends and feeling like I was undesirable to any employer. These would sometimes evolve into feelings of severe depression and hopelessness about my own future, questioning if I was worthy of finding work.
But in these times of hopelessness, I would turn to a game like Xenoblade, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and Persona 5 Royal and take a moment to appreciate the tremendous efforts and amount of hard work that went into making each game the very best experience that it could possibly be. From the voice acting to the writing and animation work, and everything in between - the amount of work put in by talented writers, programmers, voice actors, translators, and so many more contributors is clear to see and admire. These three games were unified in that that all truly felt like experiences that were crafted by developers that truly loved what they were making and couldn’t wait to share it with the world. Seeing the hard work and passion put into these games reminded me that I and so many other people that are in similar situations as me are capable of eventually creating ambitious passion projects such as the very ones that I played throughout this year.
As hopeless as the job search may have made me, playing through each of these games and engaging in their exploration, questing, combat, writing, stories, and gameplay ultimately kept me optimistic that I’m capable of eventually creating experiences of my own to help others in the same way that these games are helping me right now. It’s possible, and for that reason, I can’t give up.
And so, I continued applying for jobs, began working on significant writing projects, focused on developing skills to spruce up my resume - all because these games reminded me that persevering through hard times and remaining devoted to doing hard work eventually pays off in some capacity. The fruits of this optimism may take years to make themselves known, and I’m still in the very process of developing my skills and outlining significant, long-term projects, but what matters is that I truly feel like I’m making meaningful strides. And the video games that helped me cope with the loneliness and anxieties brought about by the events of reality throughout 2020 helped me gain the courage, hope, and resolve to remain headstrong and hopeful about my own future and my ability to accomplish what I want to do.
So while many of us turned to video games during the year of quarantine, I think it’s vital to take a step back and think about what video games have brought to us. In my experience, video games kept me hopeful about my own future and kept me invigorated about my aspirations and ambitions. For others, video games may have brought them opportunities to stay connected with friends when they otherwise may have been unable to. Or maybe video games simply helped them have something to do when the many days of this year felt like that melted into each other. Whatever the case, it’s my firm belief that video games gave us something this year that we can ultimately be appreciative towards.
Whether it was through the immersion of role-playing games (such as in Persona 5 Royal) or from the communities formed around games such as Among Us and Call of Duty: Warzone, video games offered a lot this year. // Image: RPGamer
The escapism that games can provide, so long as it’s done in healthy moderation, is an aspect of video games that I really appreciate and feel plays an important role in the unique nature of the medium. However, it’s far from the only reason that some would play games throughout last year. For many, video games offered a safe alternative to hanging out and socializing with friends. Games such as Animal Crossing and Among Us among many others had devout, passionate communities form, allowing millions of players to have platforms to communicate with their friends while also being environments to meet and play with new people.
Moreover, countless communities formed on Twitch throughout the year, as the platform exploded in popularity and gave rise to more communities around games. Video games can distance us from the stresses of reality, but this year proved that video games can also connect people unlike any other medium. Watching any Among Us stream will make it clear that the game played a huge role in helping people connect and stay social in the later months of the year.
Beyond that, video games gave people a lot to discuss throughout the year. Final Fantasy VII Remake gave many people a lot to talk about as previously mentioned, but no other game brought about as much conversation as The Last of Us: Part II, a game that has garnered one of the most polarizing receptions in the history of the medium. In what was one of the most talked about games of the summer, it was hard to have conversations about the game without people absolutely loving or absolutely hating the game. And yet, seeing such a large scale conversation about whether the game was a masterpiece or a monumental disappointment proved to be a reminder of the inherent complexity of the experiences that video games can give us.
While many games try to create an enjoyable experience for all players, The Last of Us Part II was decisively a game that sought to make the player uncomfortable and/or unsure about their feelings towards certain characters and their actions. This resonated with some people and absolutely did not work for others. But what matters in this instance is that many people could walk away from the same game with various opinions and experiences that were a reflection in what matters to them in games. These conversations about this game led to further conversations about what aspects of games matter most to people - with no specific answer being the “correct” one.
This game, in addition to Cyberpunk 2077 later in the year, made people more reflective about what brings them to games and what aspects they enjoy about them. But more than that, these games offered an opportunity for people to gather in chat rooms, Discord servers, and podcasts and have collective, meaningful conversations with one another about the complex feelings and experiences that games can give us. These conversations in turn give us a clearer, more empathetic understanding of the values and experiences that other people have. Listening to and/or watching conversations unfold about games throughout the year was an interesting and engaging experience for me throughout the year. These conversations allow for more opportunities to think critically and understand one another’s view points - skills that are proving to be more and more important as events unfolded throughout the year.
As I look towards the new year, my wish is write more consistently, both on this blog and on personal writing projects that I hope to one day turn into published works and even video games at some point in the future. So with that said, why start the year with this piece? Why look at the effects of video games throughout last year?
Without video games and the experiences and conversations they’ve brought about throughout the year, I genuinely can’t imagine what last year would have been for me. They transformed a year that delivered a staggering amount of hopelessness about the future and anger towards the unjust realities of the world and gave me and many others something to still remain hopeful and optimistic towards. Personally, I know many people that had never owned a video game console in their entire lives, yet they picked up a Nintendo Switch with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and it helped get them through the year. I simply think that there’s a tremendous amount of power in that story, anecdotal as it may be.
The fact that a life simulation game about living life on an island alongside cute, talkative animals while paying off debts for your house helped people who don’t normally play video games find some bit of comfort throughout the year speaks volumes about the positive effects of video games. Those people that turned to video games to help them cope, even if video games aren’t the typical type of media that they engage with, are what inspired this piece. Video games helped me remain hopeful through the soul-shattering struggle that is searching for a job, and they’ve played a large role in forming and developing communities and friendships around the globe.
Video games are more than a way to be entertained for a couple hours at a time. They’re vehicles to help us find peace - whether that’s through catching bugs on an island or tearing through demons as they invade Earth. Video games have given me a reason to remain hopeful because of the meaningful experiences, emotions, stories, and worlds that they’ve offered to me throughout the year. As time goes on, so too will we receive new stories and worlds created by new generations of developers and storytellers - of which, I hope to be part of one day. But in the meantime, I will continue putting in the work to develop skills to eventually make myself known to the world - a lesson taught to me by the hard work put into the many games I played this year.
Such lessons are perhaps the most vital of the positive aspects of video games. In a year of isolation, video games reminded me to stay hopeful. And that hope is what has given me the perseverance and strength to get through 2020 and whatever challenges lie ahead. Whatever future hardships may bring us, I’ll be thankful for the video games that will help me and many others get through it.
Thank you for reading! If you have positive experiences with video games that you’d like to share, feel free to join the conversation and let me know in the comments or on Twitter @DerekExMachina.
