Awkwafina on How Gaming Has Gotten Her Through 2020: "It's a Way to Unwind"

Published on 11/12/2020 at 5:15 PM

Courtesy of Nintendo | Bec Lorrimer

The last several months haven't been easy for anyone, but if there's one silver lining, it's that many of us have taken up or renewed our interest in hobbies like baking, knitting, writing, working out, or jigsaw puzzles as a form of self-care. For Awkwafina, that hobby is gaming.

"Obviously it's been a devastating time for everyone," the Golden Globe-winning actress recently told POPSUGAR. "It's not easy, and I think at the very beginning of this lockdown, what we really needed to do was be responsible, stay home, and keep others safe."

It was at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that Awkwafina first became familiar with Nintendo's hit game Animal Crossing: New Horizons, an open-ended social simulation game with no real objective. "All of my friends were talking about Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and I was like, 'I don't know if I'm going to be into that' — and [it turns out] I was addicted," she said. "I've logged hundreds of hours. It's also this opportunity for you to hang out with your friends in this totally different way."

Awkwafina uses the game to connect with family members from afar, and often plays with her cousins, who live in New York, when she's in LA. "It's a really good way to stay connected," she said. "It kind of did reflect where we are right now. I've definitely been using it a lot."

Although playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons was new to Awkwafina this year, gaming was not. The actress and rapper grew up playing game consoles, especially Nintendo. "Since I was a kid, it's been a fixture of my life," she said, noting she loved Donkey Kong, Super Mario World, and Mario Kart on Super Nintendo and continues to play the retro games via an extension on her Nintendo Switch. "It played a big role in my childhood, and to see how the games have evolved and to see how it as a technology has evolved to where it is now, that makes it accessible for me to play with (others virtually). It's just really cool that in my adult life I'm still playing."

Awkwafina is now even professionally involved with Nintendo, starring in a newly-released commercial for the Switch. "It was really exciting to shoot the commercial and be a part of it," she told POPSUGAR.

To see more of what Awkwafina had to say about her new campaign with Nintendo, why she hates the stereotype that gaming is just for men, and why she thinks more people should give gaming a try, keep reading.

On Her New Campaign with Nintendo

It's a campaign that's significant to Awkwafina simply because it's true to who she is. "It means a whole lot to me," she told us of the partnership. "When I initially heard that there was this potential partnership between myself and Nintendo Switch, I was really happy because it's something that's helped me get through quarantine. It's something I use all the time. I play all the time. It's a fixture in my life. So it's always cool to get those opportunities to work with people and brands that you actually enjoy."

On Why Playing Games Connects People

Playing video games is a unique experience to have with someone, and it's one that brings Awkwafina very specific memories. "When you're playing with people on your couch, that's a very specific experience, and it's something that any kid at least in my generation has experienced once or a couple times in their life," she told POPSUGAR. "Now with the distance and not really being able to travel so much, you do have that kind of couch experience alone. I think it's a good way to pass the time while we're home right now. I really enjoy that."

On Stereotypes That Gaming Is Just For Men

"I think that's a total misconception," she said of the idea that men like gaming more than women. "That's speaking not just as an observer of humans, but from my own personal experience, the people that have beat me the most have been women. It's not right to say that girls wouldn't be good at video games. It's those stereotypes that prevent us from wanting to pick up a Nintendo Switch. What I find now is it's definitely not just for men. Clearly. Most of the people I play with are women. I think there is something to be discovered about that. I don't think that women should feel held back because they're a female gamer. It should be for everybody right now."

Courtesy of Nintendo | Bec Lorrimer

On Getting to Play a Video Game Avatar in a Film

Awkwafina stared in 2019's Jumanji: The Next Level, which was about a group of people who get trapped in a video game as a set of avatars. Awkwafina says being a fan of video games "definitely encouraged" her to join the cast of the popular movie. Her gaming background also "helped me understand playing the character and what the character means and what NPCs (non-player characters) are and things like that," she said. "It's the video game language."

On Why She Thinks More People Should Try Gaming

That's simple: Gaming is an escape, it's fun, and it has multigenerational appeal, she said, adding that her grandmother has even played a few races of Mario Kart. "If you have the time to binge a Netflix show or surf the internet and Google things, it's another way to pass the time and it's a way to unwind," she explained. "I definitely encourage anyone and everyone to indulge."