wondering if the world would exist for long
enough for us to play those games. Ring Fit
Adventure went from an intriguing exercise
gimmick for Nintendo Switch owners to a full-
blown home-exercise craze for remote workers
unable to leave their homes and hit the gym.
I don’t want to downplay how many people had
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emerged in late 2019, but here in New York City,
March 2020 was the real turning point. That was
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games released that month best exemplify what
gaming would look like in an ongoing, plagued
landscape.
On one hand, you had Half-Life: Alyx. Virtual
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could penetrate the mainstream, it would be the
long-awaited return of Valve’s seminal shooter
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in who knows how long. After all, it was Half-Life
2 that elevated Steam from middling software to a
digital storefront juggernaut. But who actually
played this game? Half-Life: Alyx’s post-launch
discussion was muted despite overwhelmingly
positive reviews, and it’s easy to see why. With
one’s paycheck potentially in jeopardy, it becomes
very hard to justify spending thousands of dollars
on PC parts and VR headsets just to hang out
with Gordon Freeman one more time.
Remember, not everyone has that privilege.
On the other hand was Animal Crossing: New
Horizons. No one expected this game to be a
failure. It was the next major game for the
massively popular Nintendo Switch. Still, the
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@jordanwminor
