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

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."

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."

"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."

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."

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."