“Our entire lives have led up to this,” my friends joked with me in mid-March.

In this age of long-haul social distancing and mental-health strains, gamers have long had a tool that’s now bringing some relief to those who’ve never picked up a controller before. The explosive growth of gaming during the pandemic has shown that many have found a new outlet for much-needed connection in isolation. When shelter-in-place orders came down, millions of people around the world turned to tech-fueled diversions to stay in touch with family and friends, like video games such as American Truck Simulator. Gaming has skyrocketed during the pandemic, reaching people who’d play every now and then, or even those who had previously snubbed it entirely. In the US alone, four out of five consumers in one survey played video games in the last six months, according to a new study by NPD, an American business-research firm. And at a time in which many industries are in dire straits, sales in gaming are booming. "The pandemic “really opened a lot of people’s eyes – even non-gamers – to what games can do to bring people together,”
Amazon-owned Twitch, where people watch other people play video games in live webcasts, chatting in real time with the streamer and other viewers, clocked five billion hours of viewed content in the second quarter of 2020 alone. The engagement is an 83% increase from last year. It's a new record. Games have helped old and new players alike “keep connected, social and sane” during the pandemic. “For a long time, people have either looked down on that or called gamers ‘weird’, but now people and companies want to know how to maintain relationships and communities digitally. It's more accessible for people.” So, although more people staring at a screen may seem like an unhealthy habit, even the World Health Organization believes it could be key in nurturing our bonds with others. Earlier this year, it launched #PlayApartTogether. As mental health professionals stress the importance of relationships, connections and community in these times, they’re even beginning to find direct psychological and social benefits from gaming across the generations. In conclusion, we don't know when we will get through this pandemic; For the mean time, keep on trucking. The TruckersMP community is stronger than ever, an we'll always be here. This is our escape from the dangers we're currently facing. You're not alone, OTR Trucking Company is a company that has a relentless amounts of family energy. Holidays, Birthdays are spent and celebrated here, come truck with us! Remember to leave a "breaker breaker" on the CB or a simple honk if you see us on the road , ya'll stay safe during these hard times. -JoeeRamirezz OTR Member