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By Devonne Tourre, Co-Editor-in-Chief, and Kayla Brown, Arts & Entertainment Editor
The coronavirus has caused a crisis throughout the world and has left many people home with very little to do, especially due to social distancing. For some, after one week of Spring Break stuck at home, it’s time to go back to school.
Unfortunately, it appears that most people are stuck at home for the rest of the semester and not allowed to return to campus for the next few weeks, even to pick up belongings. Because of this, people are running out of things to do.
To pass the time, you might have to become a little creative. In fact, I know people who decided to go fishing because there was nothing else to do.
If TV is more your speed, there are three shows that I would highly recommend: “All American,” “Mr. Iglesias,” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.”
All-American
“All American” follows high school junior, Spencer James of South Crenshaw, who is recruited to play football for Beverly High, 30 minutes away.
The show centers around the drama that unfolds when James is forced to move from his South Crenshaw house across town to his coach’s house in Beverly Hills. He runs into trouble with his teammates, who don’t want a star play from the “hood” messing with their perfect world, and drama when he finds out the real reason he was recruited.
This show is not only a coming of age story, but one that showcases real-world problems such as gang life, death, race and much more.
You know it’s an amazing show when viewers end up in tears during multiple episodes.
“All American” can be found in the CW App or on Netflix.
Mr. Iglesias
History teacher, Gabriel Iglesias, is known for putting his students first and looking out for their best interests, even when no one else does. So, when the administration tries to get rid of the students with poor attendance and grades that might lower the school’s ranking, Iglesias steps up.
Instead of going on his road trip, he decided to teach summer school in hopes of keeping all the students in the school. The students respond well to Iglesias and his teaching methods and it pays off when they all pass.
This show may not seem like the next big hit when it first flashes across the top of your account, but once you watch it, you won’t regret it.
In each episode, the students can be seen learning actual history in a way that is relatable to each of them. It uses humor to address powerful topics of today’s society such as the president, acceptance and equality, all while keeping viewers engaged.
“Mr. Iglesias” is available on Netflix.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
For those of you who are fans of the “High School Musical” movies, don’t worry, —this is not trying to recreate them.
Instead, the series follows the East High theatre department, where the movies were filmed, as they put on a production of “High School Musical.” Star athlete, EJ Caswell, and his new girlfriend, Nini, audition for the main roles of Troy and Gabriella. However, at the end auditions, Ricky, Nini’s ex, shows up and blows the drama teacher away with his performance and is cast as Troy, opposite of Nini as Gabriella.
The show follows the theatre kids as they struggle to put on the musical as many things go wrong leading up to opening night including snooping boyfriends, a fire and a parent’s job changes.
This is a quick watch on Disney+ for all ages. And if you find that you like the songs, there’s a Sing-along version as well.
Entertainment isn’t just TV…
If you’re not into watching TV shows, then why not invest into a video game or two? Here’s some video games that could hold your attention for days while you’re quarantined at home.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
After seven years, a new Animal Crossing game couldn’t have come at a better time.
In every Animal Crossing game, the player fishes, catches bugs, hits rocks, talks to their fellow animal villagers, and much more—and in the newest installment titled Animal Crossing: New Horizons, none of those mindless yet fun tasks change.
However, different from previous games, there is a new premise—the fully-customizable player embarks on a trip to a deserted island, titled the “Nook Island Getaway Package.” Along with you are tanuki (a racoon dog) Tom Nook, his two nephews, and two random villagers as you start to develop this island into whatever you want it to be.
Soon, the island will be inhabited with a museum where you can donate your bugs, fish, and fossils that you find across your island, shops that will let you sell them and buy cool furniture and clothes, and even more villagers to say hi to every morning.
This game, which runs on a real-time clock (if it’s 7:40 p.m. in real life, then it’s 7:40 p.m. in the game), can be played for hours among hours as you fill your Critterpedia, complete small tasks around your island for Nook Miles, pop balloons around your island and much, much more. Since the game was released on March 20, at least one of your friends are playing the game.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available physically and digitally for $59.99 for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite owners.
Minecraft
Just because a lot of kids play Minecraft doesn’t mean that Minecraft is a kid’s game. Minecraft, at its core, is a game about adventuring out, collecting, crafting, and fighting off against monsters. Those features can appeal to a wide margin of people.
Similar to the newest Animal Crossing game, players can get lost for hours crafting their dream home, finding the game’s rarest minerals in a deep cave or fighting off the game’s numerous bosses. While you’re not following a certain loose story path like how you are in Animal Crossing, having the option to build, create, or destroy whatever you want can keep a player entertained for a long while.
Since Minecraft has been out for more than a decade, the game has been able to be modified with additional content made by players and creatives, leading to a world of infinite changes that can be made to the base game of Minecraft if you eventually get bored with the game.
Minecraft is available on numerous devices and gaming platforms, including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS & Android devices. Prices vary per device, but is usually no more than $29.99.
Marvel’s Spider-Man (PS4)
Released back in 2018, Marvel’s Spider-Man is an action-adventure game focused on the adult life of Peter Parker as he becomes New York City’s well-known superhero Spider-Man.
If you’ve seen any Spider-Man movies that have come out in the last decade, this game is completely different—deciding to focus on the smaller villains in the Spider-Man franchise and giving them bigger roles within the Spider-Man universe. However, the game does decide to let you play as Mary Jane and Miles Morales, two very prominent characters in the Spider-Man lore.
This game will have you swinging around New York City in style, fighting criminals in the streets, saving citizens from falling helicopter parts, and even more—I don’t want to spoil the whole game for you!
Even if you don’t follow the story’s main plot (which will take well over 20 hours to complete), the side activities of collecting Peter’s old Spider-Man parts to disarming petty thugs will keep any person busy. As the game progresses, the player can upgrade the Spider-Suit with different abilities and movesets that really keep the game fresh and unique.
Marvel’s Spider-Man is exclusively on PlayStation 4 consoles priced at $59.99.
