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Scroll photojournalist and writer, Sean Glover, discusses the prominent video games that have shaped entertainment of millions of people throughout 2020, and the importance of virtual communities during this time.
Close, but apart
Close, but apart
Written by Sean Glover
Written by Sean Glover
The year of 2020 felt like it was both one month and ten years at the same time, and there is a large variety of both good and bad things that happened within that span of time. Something that has left an empty hole in all of us is the lack of physical community in our towns, schools, stores, and more; however, virtual communities over social media platforms and video games have thrived more than they ever have. Something to really take focus to is the revival of old video games and the releases of new, and how these virtual worlds have shaped our time spent away from seeing people in person and spending time with them through screens.
Minecraft
Minecraft
Minecraft is the first up to bat, and has been for the past year or so. This sandbox survival game, released in 2009, had a surge of popularity from 2011 to 2014 before disappearing from the social map. With a blast of nostalgia hitting people in mid 2019, this game zipped right back up to the most-played video game and has won over millions of people’s hearts. Minecraft is a creative, open-world style game-- where you can build, create, mine, hunt, fish, and explore to your heart’s desire, and has set up an open slate for plenty of more games with similar ideas following its purpose, like Terraria, Starbound, or No Man’s Sky. No matter what style you follow when it comes to video games, Minecraft is beloved by almost every gamer, and has brought together many people through virtual worlds-- when the interaction in our world is limited by our current lockdown.
Among Us
Among Us
Among Us, despite its release in 2018, spiked in popularity in 2020-- where millions of people downloaded the mobile game each day during its peak. This game became the most well-loved game in 2020, and was the main source of entertainment between friends in the latter half of the year. Among Us is an assassin, “who done it?” type of game-- where there is one or two imposters among a group of crewmates trying to desperately complete tasks in a spaceship. The imposter wins if he/she picks off all of the crewmates successfully without being caught. If he/she is caught, the crewmates can call an emergency meeting and vote that person off. This game is full of deception, and people who are innocent can be potentially kicked off if they act too suspicious around the other players. Among Us has caught the attention of many people, and has become a classic party game, due to its exciting nature and the fact that it's free on the app store.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is the newest addition to the Animal Crossing series that has been constructed since 2001 by Nintendo. This video game, which was released in April of 2020, has delivered some of the best graphics this game series has seen, and an overwhelming amount of playtime among both new and old fans. Sales skyrocketed once this game released, since it did so in the beginning of the lockdown. People flocked to the calming, restful nature of the game-- due to high anxieties of the world around them. It has proved itself to be a relaxing game, since the basis of it is to create, decorate, and run your own island from scratch, while completing tasks for fellow villagers on your island (who happen to all be animals, while you’re the only human). A large community has been built around this game and the games in the series before it, and it’s prominent on the internet without even having to play it. Players have even made their own website called Nookazon (a play on the name “Amazon”): a place to trade Animal Crossing items with each other.
Despite all of these video games providing virtual communities to those in need, there are also message apps that carry out the same functions. A free app on iOS, Android, and Desktop named Discord has also served an exceptional purpose to all these games and to the lockdown itself. Discord was made in May of 2015-- its purpose being to bring together communities of gamers on one specific app. It's designed in a layout of servers that are created by individuals, and within the servers lay chat rooms that can also be customized for people to talk about certain topics regarding video games. The app has spread beyond gamers as well, and has been put to good use by programmers, music and art designers, and more. So, if you ever find yourself in a position where you need more people to play the games listed above with, Discord provides hundreds of servers made by fans from around the globe.
There are plenty of more vastly popular games that have not been listed, but these main three have changed the internet entirely, and the differences they have made have had ripple effects onto many people's lives. While our current lockdown might have you feeling alone and downright awful, take these games into consideration, Scroll readers and, hopefully, they add just a bit more flare and variety to your wonderful lives.
Special shoutout to everyone who participated in the Winter Holiday Building Showcase! Unfortunately, we had a low turnout so we couldn't make it anytime a big slideshow like we were hoping, but we hope that everyone can appreciate these awesome Minecraft builds sent in by students! Thanks for the people who sent in submissions :)
Special shoutout to everyone who participated in the Winter Holiday Building Showcase! Unfortunately, we had a low turnout so we couldn't make it anytime a big slideshow like we were hoping, but we hope that everyone can appreciate these awesome Minecraft builds sent in by students! Thanks for the people who sent in submissions :)
Builder(s):
Builder(s):
Karis Paul - 12th Grade/Senior
Karis Paul - 12th Grade/Senior
Bryce Robertson - 11th Grade/Junior
Bryce Robertson - 11th Grade/Junior
Builder(s):
Builder(s):
Rainah - 11th Grade
Rainah - 11th Grade
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