By JACOB COMP, student reporter
April 9, 2020
Everyone has a place or thing that makes them feel comfortable even in the most trying times. For some this is in their bed, a book, or even just a simple television show. For Tre Garcia this is in his reclining office chair with a Monster in one hand and a controller in the other, and the newest Madden always on.
Throughout his life, change and uncertainty have been the norm for Garcia. With a military father, he was born into a never-ending cycle of movement. This left Garcia to find new friends and restart his whole life nearly every two years.
This was hard for Garcia because bullies antagonized him in school until his junior year of high school. This led him to fall into a deep depression and become closed off to the world. But no matter what the bullies of life threw at him, one thing always stayed consistent —Madden.
The cycle continued for years until he suddenly decided to change it. He got a job at IHOP as a server making good money, built a great relationship with his girlfriend of nine months and created a small circle of friends who he can count on. Garcia’s life seemed to be taking him down a happier path.
That is until nearly three weeks ago. As the corona virus struck, he was laid off as a server at IHOP and sent back to the dungeon of depression that has controlled his life for years. Trapped in the house with nowhere to go and nothing to do, he turned to the thing that has always been there for him in even the worst of times — Madden.
His days merge together now, and his bedroom has become a place of hibernation. The depression comes and goes, but even when he is not at his best mentally, he still has a way of lifting up his friends and putting a smile on their face.
For most of his waking hours during lock down, he is locked away in his room grinding away at the game that has saved his life numerous times.