Gaming During COVID-19: Bringing Us Comfort and Normalcy
In this piece, a gameHER shares her story of her struggles with isolation during the time of COVID-19 quarantine, and how being able to continue gaming through technology is giving her connection, comfort, and — to use her words — is “keeping her sane.”
By Caitlin Drummond
The world has fallen on weird times with COVID-19 shutdowns and quarantines. Our lives have been isolated to our own homes if you are in a non-essential job. However, as gamers we have an advantage. There are so many platforms and consoles out there that allow us to game, even with groups, and still social distance ourselves. We can all be thankful that while others are losing out on activities they usually do, we have the technology to keep gaming in quarantine to help keep ourselves sane.
I’m going to be honest; the quarantine has been hard on me. First off, as someone who is autistic, my life hinges on routine and structure, which there is none of right now. True, I am a special education paraprofessional and do sit in on my students’ classes via Google Meets, but it is not the same as a structured eight-hour-a-day job I have to leave my home for. I know I could give myself structure because I’m in charge of how and when I do things, but mentally it has been hard to get into that headspace with no certain times I need to do things.
The way quarantine has impacted me the most though is socially. I am an extreme extrovert to the point that I would rather be at someone’s throat screaming at the top of my lungs than have no social interaction at all. If I go even a short amount of time without in-person social interaction, I start spiraling into a deep depression disturbingly quickly. I have roommates, but unfortunately one works 16-hour days and I never see him, and the other two are a very introverted couple who don’t interact with me except for in our D&D games. Technically I’m not alone, but I feel very alone. Before this period, I would counteract this isolation with the social interaction I had at work with my co-workers and students, as well as by hanging out with friends. With social distancing though this is not a thing anymore. Sure, I see the teachers I work with and my students over Google Meets, but it isn’t the same as the in-person interaction I crave and thrive off of. I have more trouble holding attention to video chat D&D games, even though I am so thankful I’m still able to play. When I do get to video chat a friend it is the most exciting moment of my life. Honestly, at this point I am just trying to survive till government hiring resumes, so I can get my National Park Service seasonal job and have structure to my life again.
Tabletop gaming can be played via videoconferencing
I know for me personally, the fact I’m still being able to play my D&D campaigns and Pathfinder campaign is what is keeping me sane. Of course, it is a lot more difficult but it can be done. Some of the issues my groups have faced are sound echoing if two people are in the same room party members getting kicked out when a certain number of people log in. I remember a session where we had a party member leave the game because the sound issues were giving him a headache. We are still always working out the kinks, but we love the game, so we are willing to put in that time. Two of my campaigns meet on the Roll20 tabletop RPG online site and one campaign is simply done on a Skype chat. When playing in those games I feel a sense of normalcy. It is the most interaction I get with the outside world. I know that if I am able to play remotely in this way, other D&D games can be run like this. There are now many conferencing and virtual hangout applications that make it possible, including Roll20, Skype, Zoom, Discord, Houseparty, etc. My friends and I even did a night of JackBox games through Skype. These are the things that give me life now.
In addition to the tabletop gamers who have found remote ways to connect, other kinds of players in the gaming community are able to continue their work and play even through the shutdown. There are so many Twitch streamers who can just keep going with their normal streams, and for extra income can even pick up more streams. I’m not saying it should be a permanent thing, but if you are someone who has been furloughed due to COVID-19 and are a gamer in any way even if it is something like The Sims, maybe start a stream during these isolated times. I’ve thought about it for sure. Not only will you make an income doing what you love, but you get to interact with the people watching your streams. Gamers can play with groups by connecting online within the game. Gamers with the Oculus can travel by virtual reality. YouTubers are making quarantine content from their homes that can entertain not just gamers, but anyone. This content is important; for example, the content from Smosh and Critical Role on YouTube has provided me with so much happiness, and it has validated me in letting me know I’m not the only one going nuts in isolation. We can give a big middle finger to COVID-19 and keep on doing what we love with our friends thanks to the technology available to us.
I encourage everyone to use this confusing time of isolation to be creative. Never stop gaming. It is ok to allow yourself to get lost in the game. Do things like I do when I randomly go on D&D Beyond and make a new character. Use anything in the gameverse you can to give your life a sense of normalcy. We are the nerds, we are the gamers, we will make it through this pandemic together. Like that song reference I used? Lol. Keep having fun, everyone.
About the Author:
Caitlin Drummond, photo courtesy of the author
Caitlin Drummond is a female nerd and gamer with a passion for tabletop roleplay games. Dungeons and Dragons has changed her life, and she wishes she could find a way to make it a career. Caitlin is happiest making new characters and strategically planning them out for a certain backstory. She got her nerdy start at a young age with the launch of Pokemon. Since then she has become a nerd for so many different things. She is also proudly autistic and loves being an advocate for people with disabilities. A dream of hers would be to teach social skills to kids with special needs using tabletop roleplaying games. Gaming has the ability to help so many people and she want to be part of that work.
To read Caitlin’s blog on her love for Dungeons & Dragons, check out: How D&D Changed My Life
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