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THANKS FROM THE USA

Hello,

I am a reader from the USA, I’ve subscribed for two to three years now (give or take) and have read the magazine for about four years total. I absolutely love learning about gaming history and have since I got my first Atari 2600 at the age of 12 (I’m now 37).

I have worked in hospitals continuously for the past 15 years, and I have been with my current employer for over seven years now. My orientation class I was in had 15 new employees counting myself in November 2013, two of my classmates have now passed from COVID-19, as well as another friend I made while working here. In addition to this, I watched 29 patients pass away from COVID-19 as well. And this all happened so quickly, in two months mostly (March and April).

It was hard to type the prior paragraph, but there was a reason for it. Every time I found myself on the verge of a hysterical, tearful, nervous breakdown of sorts, due to a recent death, I always found myself re-reading old issues at work on break, at home, wherever. My old collectible issues I purchased (like the Retro Gamer Atari guide, for example) and visiting your website has really helped me keep it together. I have just finished issues 207 and 210. Reading about how other gamers/ collectors and your staff are coping with this has really helped as well. I’ve been self-isolating since late February and have never felt so alone. Typically, my friend Art and I would go to Robot City Arcade in Binghamton, NY, USA, every other weekend. Plus, I was normally fortunate enough to make one or two trips to Funspot each year. Not being able to do that and see friends or family has been incredibly depressing at times.