Staying in, online lectures, social distancing. How do students deal with it? In this relay blog, Vox writers who study at Radboud write about their life in times of corona. Julia Vosmeijer, English language and culture student, is permanently attached to her Nintendo Switch.

I never saw myself as a gamer. When I was little, I owned a Nintendo DS and a Nintendo Wii, which I mostly used to play Maria games. On top of that, I could spend hours building villas in the game Sims on my computer. The title ‘gamer’ seemed to fit people, mostly boys, who played different games on different systems, like the Playstation or the Xbox.

When we all went into quarantine a few weeks ago, I started to get excited again. All my vacations and concerts were canceled, so I got quite some money in refunds. After thinking about it for a few days, I decided to buy a Nintendo Switch. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one, they were sold out almost everywhere.

It looks like more people are becoming interested in video games, now that we are all locked inside. Especially Nintendo, a company that produces more accessible, family friendly games, is reaping the benefits of this. I think escapism is the most prominent reason for this. Our normal routines are completely changed and our lives are not as exciting as they used to be. That is why it is a very attractive idea to run through Hyrule on a horse in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

But the most popular game during quarantine is, without a doubt, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. In this game, you end up on a deserted island and you slowly decorate it according to your own taste. The game is even viewed as a solution for anxiety and restlessness, because it fills your days with calming activities like fishing and planting flowers.

Because of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild, I have learned to appreciate the artistic value of video games. The soundtrack of this game is better than the ones of most series and films which I have seen. I also found out that gaming is really a skill. It is a pity that I am not very good at it yet. But it looks like I will have a lot of time to practice.