Residents of California were told to stay at home under the ‘Safer at Home’ guidelines on March 20. However, the last day of school for many, including Oak Park High School, was March 13, leaving students wondering what to do during an unprecedented time.

Students turned to old-time games to fill the time with games like Minecraft and Club Penguin. Even when school resumed since kids have nowhere to go after school, time is opened up to get back into these nostalgic games.

“With all my free time it is nice to express my creative side with video games because school doesn’t always allow me to express my creative side. After classes end, I hop on Minecraft and play with the boys,” senior Nathan Kriger said.

While Minecraft is a game that allows students to show their creative side during this stressful time, certain students have turned to these childhood games as a distraction and a way to connect to the old times.

“I decided to play Club Penguin again because it was a fun thing for my friends and me to play while being sad over the cancellation of school. The nostalgia was also vivid while playing which added to the fun,” senior Gavin Cornick said.

These games are also a way for students to stay connected to one another without face to face meetings during social distancing.

“I’ve played Minecraft every single night starting from the first day we were off, at 8 every night, to keep social with the boys,” sophomore Leo Mazzocco said.