Josh’s Diary of a Retro Gamer – Better Late Than Never
Most of us are missing socialization after being in quarantine so long. It gets difficult to not see our friends and family for weeks. On top of that the amount of time we have at home has skyrocketed. It’s an unprecedented time; we are literally stuck at home bored and unable to connect with each other. That is why, more than ever, people have turned to video games. Not only for distraction but connection.
With the rise of internet connectivity on consoles, gaming individually is a thing of the past. The first time I noticed was on the new Streets of Rage IV game. I couldn’t understand why a simple fighting game would need the ability to connect to the internet. When I connected, I was directed to a server menu that showed the games open to play. I was shocked that it was that easy to do a multiplayer campaign. Some of my favorite times were playing Streets of Rage 2 with friends and family. To fight side by side with another person again was nostalgic and satisfying. I finally felt like I was socializing again even though they were a stranger to me. It’s been a whole week since I found that feature and I can’t stop playing. Once again video games have changed my life for the better.