Teenagers almost never have fun anymore. Most of my fellow teens’ Instagram accounts look virtually identical. They post about their various activities or outfits in the hopes that their friends will compliment them. This on its own is not all that big of a deal. The problem comes when getting approval from your peers is all you strive for. If you’re playing a game that requires other people to make you happy, you’re going to lose.

In 2020, Minecraft YouTubers became popular once again. This, in my opinion, is one of the best aspects of the internet. Just a bunch of kids doing something they love and having fun while doing it. Although they’ve received recent attention from it, many of them have been playing games online for years just for the pure fun of it. Their passion and joy in playing the game is evident if you’ve ever seen one of the videos. It is this joy in the game that attracts viewers to watch it. It may seem strange but seeing kids being themselves and having fun isn’t all that common anymore. Thus, they generate tons of attention from their gameplay.

During the pandemic it was pointed out that my fellow Generation Z, college and high school students, had all gone back to their “middle school obsessions” as it was put. I believe there’s a reason for that. Most of my fellow “Zoomers” weren’t all over social media when we were younger. Sure, we had it, but we were doing stuff for ourselves, not for notoriety. So, it’s no wonder that once people were stuck in their homes for months on end, they sought something more than just compliments on the Internet. They went back to doing things they enjoy just because they’re fun. It should always be like this. Teenagers should have fun just for the sake of having fun.