Pandemic Games

Playing Games in a Pandemic

By Angelica Mozol

With the world feeling the brunt of the pandemic, the popular meme and phrase “gamers rise up” has taken a whole new meaning. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people around the world to stay at home in hopes of slowing down the number of those infected, allowing more time for many to look for creative ways to combat boredom by picking up an old hobby or finding a new one. It turns out many have taken to the virtual world of video games, finding creative ways to still hang out with their friends through these games and find solace in these strange times. With pandemic shutting down anything and everything that wasn’t deemed essential, leaving many stuck at home because of the pandemic lockdown, the impact on the gaming industry has been skyrocketing playtimes and a significant increase in video game sales. Many consumers have started to notice in particular the Nintendo Switch sales increasing, especially after the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Doom: Eternal. This included the video game retail shop Gamestop, which had to postpone its midnight release of these highly anticipated games on March 20. Despite the lack of a midnight release, both games went beyond expectations on their release date. New Horizons is set to be one of the best-selling titles on Switch and probably the best-selling title in the franchise’s history, selling 1.88 billion copies in Japan, not including digital sales its opening weekend. While Doom: Eternal is ranking among the fastest-selling in the series so far and was one of the most played games the week after its release. Then, as of March 22, it was announced that GameStop stores would be closed until further notice due to the severity of COVID-19. “As millions of Americans look to GameStop to adjust to their new normal of increased time at home, for work, learning and play, we have implemented practices to help ensure the safety and health of our employees, customers and partners,” GameStop CEO George Sherman said in a news release. Cameron Shannon, a gamer enthusiast, spoke about trying to find Nintendo Switch as Gamestops had closed shop and having to spend almost an entire morning trying to find a store that was carrying the console. “It’s insane how even the official website didn’t have any listed at all when I checked,” Shannon said. “I got lucky finding mine through a seller on the Facebook marketplace for one that wasn’t overpriced.” Shannon had searched high and low for any available consoles at different locations, such as Target, Walmart, and just about anywhere they could think of to look, until they gave in and checked the Facebook marketplace. The consoles have been sold out almost every time they checked online and had refused to spend the ridiculous amount of $500 or more by re-sellers. There are many friends and family who have found creative ways to still connect with each other with the help of video games. Some have turned to meeting up in these multiplayer games such as New Horizons or getting together to play board games online, such as Dungeons & Dragons (DnD), or standard board games like Monopoly. “I miss being able to meet with friends so Animal Crossing helps out with that,” CSUDH student Robin Fischer said. “It’s not a replacement for in-person, but with the circumstances, it makes things more bearable and feels like an escape from everything.” According to VGChartz, Switch was the best-selling console worldwide for the week of March 21, which sold over 840,000 units, while Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One sold less than 170,000 units combined. Switch has been taking off

with recent sales and word of mouth, it’s been almost impossible to find in the limited stores in recent days. On March 21, the PC gaming service, Steam, overtook its all-time record for simultaneous users over the weekend with a 24-hour peak set at 20,313,451, according to data from the platform’s website. It was the first time Steam had more than 20 million users online at a time and nearly 6.4 million of them were actively playing a game. Overall, it seems video games have become a go-to as many are struggling to find a way to relieve the boredom of being confined. Some have turned to their Steam libraries while others have started filling their smartphones with mobile games. “I have bought so many games just this past month to stay pre-occupied,” Antelope Valley College student Robert Perez said. “It’s a great way to pass the time and helps me forget all the craziness going on in the world even for a little bit.” Individual games such as Call of Duty: Warzone on Steam and mobile game Plague Inc. have also seen an increase in users, with Warzone increasing from 6 to 15 million in three days and Plague Inc. topping the charts in March. Verizon reported that game traffic has increased 75 percent since outdoor restrictions had begun. Virtual private network usage has also seen an increase by 34 percent, while surprisingly enough social media networks stayed consistent. Other network providers, such as T-Mobile, AT&T, and Comcast, announced they removed consumer data caps in the midst of the crisis. Even the people who enjoy watching others play video games are contributing to the boom in the world of gaming. Different platforms that allow gamers to live-stream videos of their gameplay, such as Twitch and Youtube, are seeing spikes in their viewership. According to the article “Twitch breaks 3b total hours watched in a single quarter for the first time,” by Rebekah Valentine, Twitch reached 3.1 billion hours watched, up 17 percent quarter-over-quarter, a 33 percent increase in the number of unique channels, and an all-time quarterly high in average concurrent viewership of 1.4 million. The #PlayApartTogether campaign had the gaming industry teamed up together to encourage more players to resort to video games to promote social distancing while still staying connected with others. Many companies, such as Twitch, Activision Blizzard, and Unity to name a few, used guidelines from the World Health Organization to highlight social distancing. “It’s never been more critical to ensure people stay safely connected to one another,” said Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick in a press release. “Games are the perfect platform because they connect people through the lens of joy, purpose, and meaning. We are proud to participate in such a worthwhile and necessary initiative.” Video games have been a key part of many people’s lives and now more than ever are a key part of staying connected with others while also staying safe.