All over the world, people have put their creativity to the test with a temporary, real-world social interaction substitute that is found in the form of virtual gaming. Amid the pandemic that has forced us into staying at home, virtual gaming platforms are the closest thing to normal that some can achieve. For example, to keep the tradition of having a hot pot, which is a Chinese meal made of broth, meat, vegetables, and noodles to celebrate a birthday, The Verge’s Tech Editor, Natt Garun, built the special occasion on The Sims for her boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Minecraft is being used by bands to stay connected with their fans. Block By Blockwest: A Minecraft Music Festival, featuring over 20 bands, will take place on April 25, 2020, and the event’s proceeds will go to the Corona Virus Emergency Response fund. Just like an in-person festival, fans will be able to go from stage to stage to see their band of choice, purchase goods from merch tents, play games, and view an art gallery. Those without Minecraft accounts will still be able to stream the entire festival on blockbyblockwest.com, Twitch, Facebook, and Youtube.

Sharmin Asha and her fiance Nazmul Ahmed were well aware that bringing 150 people together under one roof to celebrate their marriage was unsafe and postponed their reception on April 12 to next year. It was only a few days after that the 28-year-old couple bought the new Nintendo game, Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Following that, it then took around four to five hours for Ahmed to plan a surprise beach wedding disguised as an in-game event for Asha. Arrows led Asha from the airport through the game’s town, up to the beach where their friends who already played Animal Crossing were waiting via their own characters. Despite the downturn of celebrations caused by the pandemic, these individuals have shown that there are still creative measures to throw a celebration using the power of virtual gaming.