It was a relief, because the hand I sent it to only had two cards, and could have won within a couple of rotations. I hesitated, but then the large TV screen flashed and prompted me to press the triangle button to send eight cards to my left.

I scrambled, because I wasn’t sure if I was stuck with more cards, or if I could use my own +4 card to pass along a whopping eight cards to the next hand. In a recent match, the hand to my right played a +4 Wild card. If you end with four, eight, or even 12 cards, this will set you back a ton, because Uno is just like Crazy Eights - the only point of the game is to get rid of all your cards. I stick to a pretty standard ruleset with the only special rule being the “stacking rule.” If someone uses a +2 card, and I happen to have one, I can then play my own, and pass it along to the next person. Since I am the sole broker of each game, I get to pick my own rules. I only ever play with computers, and don’t challenge anyone online. When I say by myself, I don’t just mean alone in my room. Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve begun playing Uno, solo.

I’ll turn on some cozy lighting, put on some bubble bath music like Ariana Grande, and let the warm red glow of the game fill my room. It helps me relax and gives me a chance to wind down.

Settling in for a few rounds of the classic card game turned video game by myself has become a treasured part of my nightly routine. Each night, when the chores are done and I’ve had enough of my daily doom-scrolling, I lie belly-first on my cushy comforter, grab my PlayStation 4 controller, and boot up a game of Uno.

Uno on uplay