In 2021, Gaming Was Crucial and Also a Privilege

As it comes to an end, it's hard not to acknowledge 2021 was only a minor improvement over 2020. Covid-19, worldwide political turmoil, climate catastrophes--all the stresses of the previous year rolled over into the new one. The result was another 12 months that taxed everyone's mental health and led many of them to seek refuge wherever they could find it, often in video games. To be sure, I am definitely in this camp. Over the past year, my relationship with gaming changed a lot, morphing from a pastime into something I do to cope.