At the beginning of March last year, the world began
spiraling downwards, when what I refer to as “the world’s longest boss fight”
commenced. Government entities were thrown into a panic in a bid to contain
this over-powered, clunky, and insanely tedious boss fight, and everyone
started wondering what life had in store for them.
اضافة اعلان
This was a total shift in the balance of the daily
grind-fest that most people had grown accustomed to; no more EXP farming at
your job, zero skill points to gain, life itself felt like it had reached a
stalemate of sorts.
“How are we supposed to live like this? Staying at home? No
more social life? How on Earth are we supposed to pass the time?” These
questions were all justifiable, how could people survive this terrible
patch? It weighed on many, but fortunately for every keyboard crusader, console
player, even mobile phone gamer, this was their time to shine.
There had always been a stereotypical image that accompanied
the term “gamer.” A kid/teenager who spends hours on end glued to their screens
letting life pass them by. But that’s not exactly true.
Statistics show that the majority of gamers fall somewhere
between the ages of 18 to 34; college kids, your day-to-day employee, many of
who started making a living off playing their favorite games. And with an
increase in player numbers, it was clear to see that video games were here to
stay. The video game industry was already booming before the pandemic struck,
with an estimate of 2.5 billion gamers worldwide — that’s about a third of the
population.
To those 2.5 billion people, the pandemic was a blessing.
Let’s be real, they were already social distancing before it was even a thing.
With a massive variety genres to play and stories to experience, it was pretty clear
as to why there were so many gamers to begin with. And with the explosive growth
of video gaming during the pandemic, it’s clear to see that many others have
found that same solace in gaming.
The Middle East, Africa, and Turkey saw year-on-year growth
of 77 percent in the gaming industry. There was a 300 percent increase of
gaming traffic in Saudi Arabia alone. It was now evident that there really was
more to video games than meets the eye, with many people being genuinely
surprised with what
video games could truly offer; a pleasant outlet for much
needed social connection and comradery.
Although the concept of socializing in a game seemed foreign
to many, gaming enthusiasts had already been using this technology to not only
build communities, but also to form genuine, enduring friendships. Strangely, it
took a global pandemic to get others to experience the joy that video games
have to offer.
The ball had started to roll, and the
rise in numbers were
truly incredible. Microsoft reported a 130 percent increase in multiplayer
engagement 2 months into the pandemic. Their Game Pass service surpassed 10
million users. The Nintendo Switch’s sales rose by 24 percent, while one of its
new games, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” sold 13.5 million copies only a
month into its release.
The video game streaming service Twitch surpassed 3 billion
hours of view time over the first quarter of 2020, accounting for 65 percent of
total streaming hours watched and another 72 percent of hours streamed. Even
Sony’s PlayStation 5 sold out in 29 minutes once it was available. The
gaming industry solidified that it was an unstoppable force during the pandemic,
one that cannot be beaten. It was beautiful, seeing all these numbers skyrocket
to heights they’ve never seen before.
So, there clearly was a way to combat this spell of “isolation”
that COVID-19 had placed upon the world; one that keeps people connected. Whether
your weapon of choice be a controller, keyboard, VR headset, or even a mobile
phone, remain vigilant and safe and let’s play, while we inch our way towards
the end of the world’s longest boss fight.
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