Postapocalyptic Video Games Saved Me From Pandemic Despair

At the beginning of the pandemic, depressed from losing steady freelance work and my social life in the city, I promised my wife: no postapocalyptic video games, no Armageddon hand-wringing. We'd just moved 45 minutes from Manhattan to a 100-year-old fixer-upper, because we both felt that living in a 450-square-foot apartment wasn't sustainable forever and we wanted more space that we could actually afford. When we moved I felt out of place, a lifelong city girl trapped in a suburban town, far from walkable distance to friends and my favorite hangouts. When I told people that I was moving to Jersey, they'd say, "Oh my God, I'm so sorry" and pat my shoulder. My wife loved living amongst the deer and woods.