“…This study not only advances our understanding of the escapism phenomenon and how it can be enacted during a crisis through play, but also contributes to research on the usage of video games during difficult life moments, which has mostly focused on the emotional and social benefits of games (Reinecke et al, 2012;Bowman & Tamborini, 2015;Collins & Cox, 2013;Russoniello et al, 2013;Banks & Cole, 2016;Iacovides & Mekler, 2019Ji & Nishino, 2020Haqq & McCrickard, 2020), by pinpointing also their positive spatial and temporal impacts. In other words, this research shows the "richness" and "complexity" of commercial video games when they are used to escape from reality and describes the complex interplay occurring between playing and the different unsatisfying aspects of people's everyday life, like the sense of time and the daily routines, the social interactions within and outside the household, the emotions of tension, fear, and gloominess, and the everyday movements and sense of space.…”