A few years ago, in the small city of Sucre, Bolivia, the news reported the story of a boy who had been missing and found in a cyber cafe by his parents. He spent more than 48 hours in a row playing online games. In Bolivia, as in most Latin American countries, cybercafés are still very popular as they allow access to computers and internet since many do not have access to them at home. Although the number of cybercafés had declined in the residential areas of Bolivian cities, many can still be found in poor areas. A characteristic of these places is precisely that their biggest consumers are minors. The news report about the lost boy also explains that the cybercafé where he was found even offered mattresses and quilts to the children so they could rest for a while. One of the reports ends by stating that the authorities of Sucre would have taken actions on the matter since it was something illegal.
The idea of escapism has drawn my attention a lot since at first sight it seems to be a phenomenon whose only spur would be a recognizable crisis. However, escapism is a fundamental part of contemporary culture. Wherever we see, video games, cinema, literature, art, there is escapism. But, what is the crisis that is leading to this general escapism ? Starting from this question, which queries a broader framework than the current crisis that societies are going through due to Covid, I am interested in approaching the culture of escapism and its offer of evasion.
