Having lived in three different countries during the last seven years and four different cities, staying in touch with my friends has been a challenge. Also, as I am not the best when it comes to texting and calling, there has been only one thing that helps me stay in touch with my friends. Video Games.

Yes, I know. To think that video games, which require me to stay “locked” in my room, help me socialize sounds quite absurd. My parents, like almost every other parent I believe, used to tell me over and over again to turn off my console or computer and get out and socialize. Maybe ten years ago, they were right, but nowadays, most games are played online where you have the option to compete against your friends or team up with them and take over the virtual world of your choice.

How else would Angelos that lives in Indiana manage to take part in an activity with Aleksa from Belgrade, Serbia, with Kostas from Athens, Greece, with Krzystof from London, England, with Greg from North Carolina, and Dimitris from Arizona?

Video games are the only solution I have found. Even if I was more consistent with texting and calling, it would not be enough to keep a relationship as strong as one where the people can participate in an activity together.

There have been multiple times where many different things have been happening in my life and even though I sometimes text with my friends, I do not feel like I want to share it with them. While playing video games though, I have noticed that I am much more likely to share any personal news or thoughts, or ask them for help about something important.

After the COVID-19 breakout in March, I appreciated them even more. I was one of the few people that stayed in my college through quarantine.  Almost all of my friends went back home, and since I was supposed to stay indoors, I barely had any face-to-face interaction with anybody. So, once more, video games helped me solve the problem that the quarantine had created.

Now, am I telling you to stop going outdoors and play video games all the time? Absolutely not. There is no better way of socializing than going out of the house to meet with friends but when the situation does not allow that, video games may be the best option.