We’re all stuck at home. Many of us are furloughed from work, meaning we are being paid for this time off in the house.
Instead of looking at it as a prison sentence, though, we should be seeing it as a unique opportunity to truly lean into our indulgent entertainment-seeking impulses. We essentially have some sanctioned time to do whatever we want in the house. Got a long to-be-read list? Stacked up several series to stream? Or do you simply have a New Year’s resolution from back in 2016 you’ve still not started yet? This is the time to do it all – as long as it can be done indoors. Without further ado, here are the best home entertainment choices for the Covid-19 quarantine.
Social Media Concerts
Musicians have already been providing entertainment options for fans during the quarantine. While the now-famous Imagine video caught our attention, other musicians have been providing concerts on social media. John Legend, Charlie Puth, Ellie Goulding, and Jordin Sparks are among many who performed at Twitch Stream Aid 2020 to benefit the WHO’s emergency fund. Others, such as Dua Lipa, Diplo, Dropkick Murphys and Miley Cyrus have also performed live for their fans on social media. However, artists such as Alicia Keys and Lady Gaga have been criticized for pushing back album releases at a time when music entertainment is much needed.
.@johnlegend coming THROUGH with those sweet melodies for #HomeFest! pic.twitter.com/NHqHjFg2cZ
— The Late Late Show with James Corden (@latelateshow) March 31, 2020
Binge-Worthy Series
If ever there was a time for streaming services to prove how useful they are it would be now. Netflix, Disney+, Hayu, Now TV, and Amazon Prime are all scrabbling to increase their content output to keep people occupied. As they’re bringing new releases forward and classic shows back, now is the perfect time to subscribe to as many as possible and use it as an excuse to catch up with anything you may have missed. Never watched Mad Men or Westworld? Go for it. It’s also a good opportunity to branch out into other genres and experiment with what we might want to watch. Disney+ launched at the right time indeed.
Read a Book
Our busy lives don’t offer much opportunity for reading, and book lovers often have to carve out time to delve into the pages of a classic. Use this time to revert to the oldest form of home entertainment and tick some of those books off your list. Online platforms and libraries offer eBooks, while there are sales at many distributors to encourage more people to read in this time. Not a fan of the actual process? Dolly Parton – as part of her literacy charity, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library – is reading books online, while actor Sir Patrick Stewart is reading one Shakespeare sonnet a day.
Sonnet 18. Perhaps the most well-known sonnet in the book. Speaking of the book, a little backstory on that too. #ASonnetADay pic.twitter.com/XjSDIntMos
— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) April 6, 2020
Dive into Gaming
Another option for home entertainment is to dive back into gaming. Sales of Nintendo Switches have increased, with the handheld console being out of stock in the UK. 4.3 million games were sold between 16 and 22 March 2020, a 63% increase on the week before. Many people choose to find comfort in the nostalgia that stems from classic game franchise too. The Sims and Pokémon are among many of the games that have seen an increase in daily players. It seems long games with a lot of autonomy are preferred in this quarantine.
Try Online Casino
Online casino also includes a variety of options for home entertainment, taking the essence of a land-based casino and infusing the games with tension and excitement. Slots of Vegas, for instance, provides a range of classic casino titles, from online slots to table games. The ease of access of the site on both desktop and mobile devices allows those who are mainly mobile gamers to find a new type of game to entertain themselves with. Indeed, mobile gaming has surpassed all other forms combined to be the most popular way people enjoy connecting with the games – even during lockdown, thanks to the ever-presence of tablets and the convenience of smartphones.
Livestreamed Experiences
One unique way that people are delivering home entertainment options is by livestreaming otherwise physical experiences. For instance, many nightclubs and bars have been livestreaming DJ sets. This not only provides the DJ with a wage for the night, but also provides entertainment for those who might be trying to recreate a night out in the confines of their home. Taking this one step further, Derry Girls actors Saoirse-Monica Jackson and Louisa Harland have been quarantined together so created short-form content in character to provide new content for the show. Classic theatre productions have also been made available and free for many to allow people to get their culture fix.
Staying at home doesn’t have to be unpleasant. While we do have to adjust to our way of life changing, we don’t have to be denied access to a host of entertainment options. Whether we choose to sign up to every streaming service available, scour every list of the best books out there, take up gaming, or try to recreate our usual physical experiences online, there is something for everyone to ensure we remain entertained in these unprecedented times.
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