“The words ‘terminate immediately’ still stick out to me,” said Christopher Rose, 26, as he described the moment he received the phone call notifying him that he was losing his job due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rose is among the estimated 7.7 million Americans who lost their jobs due to the pandemic-induced recession according to data collected by The Commonwealth Fund.
“Shortly after I hung up the phone, I just sat there and took a big breath,” described Rose. “I turned around to my girlfriend, who was working behind me, and told her I had just gotten laid off. I felt so useless. After that call I just sat there, wondering what to do.”
Rose explained it took him around two months to find his new job as a designer at a local civil engineering firm. However, he didn’t hit the ground running right away.
“Chris took some time to process losing his job before he started the job search,” explains Samantha Vallejo, 27, who is Rose’s girlfriend. “I think that was healthy for him, to step back, process what actually happened, then figure out the next best move for him.”
For Rose, stepping back meant taking some time to find ways to alleviate the stress of his recent unemployment before diving into a new job search. Among the various ways he coped, Rose decided to revisit a pastime he held nearly 15 years ago - an online, role-playing game called RuneScape.
“A few of my friends started playing a few months before I got laid off and the thought of starting again was lingering in my mind,” explained Rose. “I started playing almost immediately the day after losing my job. I think it may have been an avenue for escaping my situation and provided a distraction to pass the time.”
Rose isn’t alone in delving into a daily dose of video games to blow off steam. According to a 2018 Statista survey of 1,022 respondents, 30% of Americans use video and computer games as a way to alleviate stress. Additionally, video games raise levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for pleasure, nearly as much as sex according to the results of a 1998 study featured in The Washington Post.
“I do think there is value in video games as a stress reliever,’’ explains Vallejo. “They are a good distraction from whatever is happening in real life and a way to step away from any stress. I think they should be balanced with other outlets for stress relief though, like quality time with other people.”
For a self-described extrovert who loves traveling, seeing people, and interacting with others, being locked inside without a job was especially tough for Rose.
“The pandemic has been difficult for him, since he is an outgoing and social person,” explains Vallejo. “He misses the bars and being out with friends every weekend. That was something both of our friend groups would do together. We would meet up for a night out in Canton or Fells Point, almost every weekend. Not seeing everyone has been hard for both of us, but especially him.”
With statewide restrictions not fully letting up anytime in the foreseeable future, Rose settled into his new normal and found a sense of fulfillment in his rekindled hobby of online video games.
“They’ve mostly provided me with a way to pass time and a distraction from the current situation of the world,” said Rose. “Additionally, they give me a sense of accomplishment when otherwise I wouldn’t have many opportunities [due to being unemployed].”
Some of the accomplishments Rose experienced playing RuneScape far exceeded what he achieved nearly 15 years ago.
“As a child, I would always see other people who were much farther in the game and I was envious,” said Rose. “During the pandemic, I’ve been able to achieve some of those childhood goals. It hasn’t added anything to my regular life aside from a sense of accomplishment and good feelings. When it comes down to it, they are still just games and aren’t permanent.”
While video games have provided a temporary sense of relief from the persistent pandemic gloom hanging overhead, Rose hopes to spend time doing some of his favorite activities when the world eventually returns to some semblance of normalcy.
“Once I feel safe enough, I’ll be going out and picking up my hobbies I was doing before quarantine,” explains Rose. “[Such as], game nights with friends, intramural sports, salsa dancing, and going out to the bars. I don’t need attention, I just need interaction, and I’m excited to get back to normal life where interaction with others isn’t such a scary thing.”
In the meantime, Rose has invested much of his newfound free time in interacting with the people he has been living with for nearly three years.
“Oh man, I’ve come to actually know them and spend a lot of time with them,” describes Rose. “Especially with becoming unemployed, I was finally able to be around the house more and spend time cooking and talking with them. It’s also been great having them as a support system.”
Previously, Rose described his relationship with his roommates as casual and limited in interaction. This is due to the fact everyone kept to themselves and their busy routines. After several months of bonding over the shared experience of quarantining together, Rose grew much closer to the people he shared a home with. What started as a cordial relationship amongst strangers, quickly developed into something akin to a family.
Rose described some of his favorite moments in quarantine were spent getting to know his roommates. There were many afternoons shared over drinks and soaking up the sun in the fresh air of their backyard patio - a secluded escape away from the world in distress.
“Being forced to work from and stay home meant we spent more time with each other in the common areas and especially in our backyard,” explains Zady Avila, 39, one of Rose’s longtime roommates. “We have become a modern family.”
Avila goes on to describe how the support of his modern family has made a noticeable impact on Rose.
“Chris has handled the stress of losing his job more calmly than I would have expected,” explains Avila. “In hindsight, I think the time we have spent together during quarantine has indirectly helped him cope with any mental stress during these trying times.”
Although challenging, Rose ultimately expressed gratitude for his unemployment. Due to this and quarantine, he was able to take time to reexamine what mattered most to him.
“Somehow I was able to look at my unemployment as an opportunity rather than a loss,” explains Rose. “Since then, I've really been able to step away from life and evaluate certain situations from a third-person viewpoint. I encourage everyone to try and do the same.”
