When you’re far from your family, whether it be by distance or emotional good reason, any holiday can be a tough one. If you can, you celebrate with those closest to you, whether they’re close friends, or in-laws, or even just your partner. If you can’t, you’ve found other ways to get through a time when everyone else is feeling more merry than you. And while video games aren’t a replacement for the real feelings and real connections we crave in our lives, a holiday spent with a beloved video game can sometimes help us through some rough patches.
Whether it’s checking in on your Animal Crossing village when it’s all dolled up for the season or playing co-op online with family you can’t reach, there are lots of ways to make a holiday into something all your own.
Mario Through the Ages
My partner and I live several states away from his family, turning any visit into either a ten-hour affair by car or a five—to six-hour multi-stage nightmare by plane. Pick your poison; in the end, we typically only get to see them once a year, with online gaming and video calls picking up the slack. And that stinks because there are young kids in the family that we want to spoil the heck out of as the Cool Aunt and Uncle.
We do what we can, and one of those things we can do is play video games, supervised by and joined in with by their dad. These kids love Mario and Luigi, and it’s a generational joy because my partner and his brother grew up loving those Italian plumbers the same way. So they do the party games with us and the Smash brawlers.
Their house is peppered with LEGO Mario sets. Action figures, especially of Yoshi, are treasured. It’s a neat way to see how the franchise is still bringing generations together with something that’s got a little bit of something for everyone. And it doesn’t replace how badly we’d like to see these kids more often, but boy, it does help.
Coming Home to Animal Crossing
My family is even further away than my partner’s, adding on another several hours of travel time (plus some personal complications we have no need to get into here). For me, it’s easy to feel left behind by the holidays. I’m pretty secular, and I’m very scatterbrained, so I rarely have time, mind, or energy to decorate much. But somehow, I always come back to Animal Crossing in time to kick off the holiday events.
I’m not even that into Christmas as a concept, personally, but darn if I don’t get a tree into my little digital space every year. This year, Pocket Camp turning into a premium game is making it even easier than ever to dress my place up and enjoy a little bit of holiday cheer on my terms
Life sims really are a great place to get at least a taste of what we can’t find in the real world, from the dreams of home ownership to having the holiday setup your executive dysfunction won’t permit you to create. What’s nice is how increasingly inclusive games like Animal Crossing can be, with enough stuff available to help Jewish or Muslim players find a way to celebrate their own holidays in the game. And if you’re not into any of that at all, hey, no harm. There’s room for everyone at this party.
It’s Okay To Be Who You Are
And yet, one thing that rarely goes discussed around the holidays is that it’s okay to feel lonely or sad this time of year. You’re not a bad person if you feel the need to withdraw. The reasons why don’t have to be anyone’s business, whether you’re going through a loss or a tough time with your health or any reason at all. And when you need to pull back to find time for yourself while it feels like everyone’s turning into an overbearing holiday zealot, complete with ugly sweater, there’s nothing wrong with coming home to a video game, either.
Maybe your holiday season this year calls for the grief and closure of Spiritfarer. Maybe you’d rather celebrate the end of the year with puzzles that keep your mind busy, from Picross to a simple paint-by-numbers game on your phone. It’s fine. That’s what they’re there for.
Video games are like any other form of escapism, and because they can be more interactive than a book or movie, they light up different parts of our minds. While overfocusing on anything can be bad for you, in moderation and with help for those of us in rough situations, they’re a tool that can help.
Games like Animal Crossing can be there for us even when a pandemic is in low tide. We need each other, and holidays are better with friends and family, but in a pinch, a washed-up sailor seagull or some Mario co-op will do just fine. Stay safe and happy, and just do your best by each other when you can. Happy Holidays, from my camper to yours.
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