Three Games to Help with Self-Isolation

With the current pandemic causing people to stay home and self-quarantine, it can get extremely lonely for some people.

Thanks to video games, we can escape from this situation and live our lives in the virtual world. Here are three games that might help with the self-isolation you may feel while under quarantine.

The first game is Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the latest entry in the long line of titles published by Nintendo. In this game, players live on their own island resort, along with animal residents.

Animal Crossing has players live out their fantasies of living on their own island resort. (photo courtesy of Nintendo)

Players can decorate their houses, customize their island, fish, catch bugs and hang out with their animal residents. Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers an escape from reality and into the quaint day-to-day island life. You can also visit your friend’s islands to chat and hang out.

The second game is Stardew Valley, a game similar to Animal Crossing, but with a heavy focus on farming. Players can manage their own farm and live in the country-side where they can fish, tend to crops, mine for resources and raise barn animals. The game takes place in the fictional town of Pelican Town, a friendly community of 30 residents who you can befriend and talk with.

In Stardew Valley, players can customize their farms to their heart's desire. (photo courtesy of ConcernedApe)

The in-game calendar has planned events for the whole year that players can participate in, like the Stardew Valley Fair. A fair where you can win prizes and showcase your most prized products from your farm.

Stardew Valley has recently implemented a co-op feature where you can live on the farm with friends both locally and over the internet.

A feature common among these games is the ability to craft items and customize the world around you, but these games would not have these features without the third game on this list.

Minecraft is a widely popular and influential game where you can craft, mine resources and build just about anything you desire — and I mean anything. Players can play with friends on private game servers both locally and over the internet.

In Minecraft, players can explore an infinitely generated world. (photo courtesy of Mojang)

With these games, hopefully, the quarantine will be a little less lonely and help with the social isolation you may feel.