Throughout the course of the pandemic, social opportunities were and still are limited. Going outside to visit friends is heavily discouraged by many in order to prevent the spread of the virus. However, multiplayer gaming has provided a platform for teenagers and adults to make friends and for friends to interact with each other. 

    As many remain pent up inside their homes, many people who have devices such as consoles play on them frequently. This is due to COVID-19’s restrictions. Some of these individuals may decide to play games with multiplayer features such as a voice-chat or a friend list which encourages social interaction between individuals.  Video games such as Call of Duty, Minecraft, Apex Legends, and Overwatch have these multiplayer elements. These games, due to their nature of being social, give those who cannot visit each other during the pandemic a way to have fun with their friends and a reason to socialize. For these reasons, gaming is given a meaningful purpose during the pandemic. 

 Gaming, while some may call it an inconvenience and a distraction, provides a digital platform for people to socialize and have fun while being limited to their homes by the COVID-19 pandemic.