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And because of the lockdown restrictions, we are all experiencing physical, financial, mental, and emotional stress. It can feel quite daunting to manage all of these stresses so we need to find a new outlet to unwind even we are confined at home. 

How do I deal with this pandemic? To keep my sanity intact during community quarantine, I spend my time learning several short courses and designing graphics for my client and business. I rekindled with my old hobbies like reading books, baking, and crafting. I started subscribing to streaming services so I can watch TV series and movies. And lastly, the COVID19 pandemic turned me into a gamer.

Playing games may seem an unhealthy habit and I know that you can be addicted to it but we cannot deny that there are benefits to playing games. Not only kids can play games, but adults can also take time to refresh the mind and body through play. It depends on our circumstances but life is short to focus only on work and family matters. 

Having a balanced life is very important so I am thankful that I have the luxury of playing games to kill time. During pre-pandemic days, I only play games if I am outside like if I am waiting for my doctor’s appointment. I play Wordscapes because I can play this game even without an internet connection. 

Early this year is the start when I really spend more time on games, I started with… 

Since I cannot go out, I fully embrace online shopping and somehow I agree with this quote “Treat yourself to a little retail therapy” hehehe! Somehow, it relieves my stress because I can still buy what I need and want even in the comfort of my home. But to save money, I started playing Shopee games because I learned that I can earn coins and discount vouchers which I can use for my purchases.

My favorite games are Shopee Candy, Shopee Bubble, and Shopee Farm. It is like playing Candy Crush, Puzzle Bobble, and Farmville. This is a win-win game because you can have fun at the same time, earn money too. I can save up to PHP50 using the game vouchers. 

A few years ago, we bought Nintendo Switch for my son but I don’t enjoy playing it. But things changed when we gifted him a “Super Mario Party” game. It was his graduation gift last June, this is a multi-player game so I play this game too. I love this game because, in order to earn coins and stars, you need to play different mini-games. It has 84 mini-games so there are so many choices and I haven’t played all the mini-games. 

Aside from the standard Mario Party mode, you can also play Partner Party, River Survival, Sound Stage, and Toad’s Rec Room. There’s a little bit of exercise because you need to move in order to play some of the mini-games. It is really a fun family game especially during those times when we have no internet connection for several days. 

A card game like Solitaire, also known as Klondike or Patience is one of the popular games in the world because kids and adults can play this game. If I remember it right, I was only 9 years old when I started playing Solitaire and other card games. It is so easy to play and, I just learned it by watching my aunt who loves playing this during her free time. The goal is to arrange the cards in sequence and complete the four suits starting with the Ace card. 

During the ’90s, I also play Solitaire on our computer because it is a built-in game on Windows but I don’t know why it was removed. Fortunately, there is solitaire.org where you can play the classic Solitaire online and it is free too. The online game is pretty straightforward so it is not difficult to play. There is a timer and you can earn and lose points too. 

I only play Classic Solitaire so I have no idea that there are other types of Solitaire like Spider, Free Cell, Tripeaks, Pyramid, Gold, and Mahjong Solitaire. I got curious so I explored the website and tried playing Spider Solitaire. There are different modes, you can choose Easy, Medium, and Hard. Of course, I chose the Easy mode which you only need to arrange 1 suit from King to Ace. 

So far, these are all the games that I’m playing while I am stuck at home. Do you know that playing games can relieve stress, improve brain function, stimulate the mind, boost creativity, improve social skills, and more? So don’t feel guilty about playing games, you deserve to have fun too. Do you also play games? Care to share your favorite online or offline games.