Canadians are playing video games more than ever during the pandemic, whether it's to escape, or explore a different world while at home. But gaming is far from just mindless entertainment — it can help build community, connect us with loved ones and help us embrace our identity.

In this episode of Now or Never we'll meet people who are using video games to better understand their worlds IRL:

To pass his Inuvialuit culture onto the next generation, Dez Loreen is working with elders to develop a game that shares stories and language from the western Arctic.

Kelsy Medeiros is a professional esport gamer. She has thousands of fans, but she's also been sexually harassed and had her life threatened. Even as gaming faces its own #metoo moment she continues to face backlash as a female player.

As a parent, Alex Zabjek has always been wary of letting her kid play video games. But during the pandemic, she's come to appreciate that his online obsession is one of his primary social outlets and that there may be more benefits than she realized.

Growing up, Nicholas Raffoul didn't see any depictions of queer people falling in love, except in The Sims. The game was the first time he discovered two men could be together and it opened him to a new world of self-expression.

Since his divorce, Steve Vomacka doesn't get to see his 10-year-old son as much as he'd like, but in Fortnite they've found a way to connect through a shared a passion for taking down the bad guys.

Animal Crossing became the game to play early on in the pandemic. Shama Rangwala has discovered it's more than just a distraction from the stresses of life, it can also provide a space for grief and provide a place to honour lost loved ones.