By: KATIE JOLLY
Staff Writer
Due to the Coronavirus, many people have been cooped inside since March this year. Many things have happened since then, including game play. Animal Crossing New Horizons was released March 2020 and took the internet by storm; everyone was fighting for the game and the console (Nintendo Switch) to play it. This game allows the player to create their own adorable island and make friends with colorful and lively animal friends. Over 22 million copies were sold and it was all the rage on Twitter as well as other social media platforms. However, the Animal Crossing obsession was short-lived as players started to gravitate towards another game: Among Us. Though Among Us was released in June 2018, it didn’t reach its peak until September 2020 with over 100 million downloads. In this space-themed game, one plays online with other people around the world. You can either be a crewmate, who completes little tasks around the map, or you are an imposter, whose job is to kill the other members in the party without being caught. So what caused this shift between cute and fun animals to “killing” your online friends and lying about it; have we all gone crazy or are we just bored?
While it’s obvious that many of us have undergone some sort of change during the quarantine, is it normal for players’ minds to shift so dramatically in such a short period of time? This begs the question: have we really become more violent while being cooped up, or are our minds just craving stimulation in whatever form it takes? Whatever it may be, no one can deny that these games, no matter how different, have helped many people remain sane in these trying times. Although diverse in nature, these games do have one key thing that unites them: communication. Though you may not be able to see your friends in real life, animal crossing gives one the ability to travel to your friend’s islands and meet their animal neighbors. In Among Us, a key element of the game is communication; in every round, players are chatting and debating with one another in an attempt to convict the imposter(s). As humans, we crave social interaction; maybe these games are just an outlet for us to use. So whether you find solace in cute animals or brightly colored imposters, keep doing what makes you feel just a little more normal.