Gen Z, The Corona Diaries: Gaming to Socialize

By Magnus, 22, Oslo Norway

So, what am I doing in these troubled times? A lot, but at the same time it feels like nothing at all. Up until now I have been in work and living as “normally” as I could, with social distancing and taking precautions in mind, which was not all that bad to be honest. I’m a relatively introverted dude, so to cycle between work and hanging out with my roommates, who are two of my closest friends, wasn’t the biggest hurdle!

Right now, I'm in quarantine. My mother tested positive for COVID-19 two days after visiting her over Easter, and although the anti-socializing aspect of this crisis wasn’t the biggest deal for me, the feeling of being so restricted has taken quite the toll. No work, no skateboarding, no walks, no store. I have understood the danger of the situation, and have lived accordingly, but it wasn’t so different from my day to day life until now. But I keep myself busy with the people and the stuff around me, so I'll manage!

As for activities, I've been doing a lot of different stuff. We’ve been gaming A LOT of Call of Duty, the new game mode Warzone to be precise. It was really cool at the start, and although it has turned pretty stale now, it has developed to be more of a medium to hang out with the friends I can’t visit so I'm fine with it. Drawing and painting is another thing that has taken up a lot my time. I'm a really creative and imaginative person, so it has been a big release to feel like I'm creating something. I have filled half of my notebook with different scribbles, doodles and drawings. All of my old jackets and t-shirts have been worked on too, with a very varying degree of success. Other than that, I’m a few series and videos away from completing Netflix and Youtube it seems, and I have tried my best to up my music game with the new MIDI keyboard I got for Christmas. I have made some smooth tunes, dropped some fire beats, or at least I thought so. My roommates beg to differ.  

I have to say that I'm not really sure how this will affect Gen Z and our future. But I expect us to have learned from this experience, and to be more prepared for the next big virus!


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