Video Games in a Post-COVID-19 World

Rachel Kowert's September 2021 essay argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted public and media discourse about video games away from long-standing moral panic and toward recognition of their social and psychological value. The piece is an opinion-driven commentary rather than an empirical study, and it draws on a general Western, primarily North American media context over roughly the first year and a half of the pandemic.

Kowert contends that the stereotype of the antisocial, teenage "gamer" persisted despite games being the dominant media form of the 21st century, largely because sensationalized coverage emphasized violence, addiction, and isolation. During the pandemic, headlines instead began encouraging parents to embrace games, highlighting their value for learning and family connection. She attributes this change to games becoming one of the last socially interactive activities available under physical distancing, and she frames it as ending roughly 50 years of moral panic.

The argument rests on established psychological concepts. Play is presented as a fundamental human behavior tied to wellbeing, creativity, and happiness, and associated with reduced depression and anxiety. Games are described as effective mood management and repair tools because well-designed titles satisfy basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Kowert notes that the pandemic undermined each of these needs through restricted freedom, reduced efficacy in work and parenting roles, and social distancing, which made games' need-fulfilling qualities especially relevant amid the broader mental health crisis.

The essay closes with an open question about whether the more nuanced public perception will endure after the pandemic. Kowert calls for a media narrative grounded in scientific evidence, positioning games as legitimate tools for fun, stress reduction, and social connection, particularly during periods of physical separation.