While the Covid-19 pandemic left negative impacts on national economies and industries, the video game industry continuously shows an impressive jump in both revenue and attentiveness to e sports as lockdown increased the number of hours people spend in front of the screens.
Seungwon Nam
People started to seek activities that they can enjoy indoors and ended up trying new digital activities. According to Deloitte’s 2020 digital media trends survey, 33% of consumers subscribed to gaming services for the first time during to the pandemic. Moreover, the video game industry experienced an astounding 75% boost in its usage and expected to reach $160 billion in worldwide revenue.
Games as a new social media platform
Players can make social connections in games. [Nintendo]
The first COVID hit was obviously Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Nintendo’s Animal Crossing was sold more than 5 million units, breaking the previous record of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Thanks to Animal Crossing and their other game Ring Fit Adventure, Nintendo’s net sales amounted to 12.12 billion dollars in 2020, which is up from 10.91 billion dollars from 2019.
In Animal Crossing, players take on the role of lone humans on a paradise island filled with animal characters. Players can do basically anything; they can design their homes, invite friends, go fishing, bug-hunting, or talk with animal friends on the island. There are no enemies and final bosses they need to knock out. “There’s no nastiness. There’s no violence that exists. They get absorbed into the day-to-day things without the real-world consequences,” said Romana Ramzan, a lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland who teaches game narrative. She added, “It’s like you’ve been transported to a parallel universe. It’s the universe you’ve always wanted, but can’t get.” Moreover, Areeba Imam, who bought Nintendo Switch last April and played Animal Crossing said she really enjoyed meeting friends and visiting their island, and commented, “We’re not talking about what’s happening in our lives, which is refreshing in that we don’t have to panic.”
Millions of people have been following the social-distancing rules with self-quarantine at home. It has been a hard time for people, especially with the anxiety that the coronavirus pandemic will never end. As a dreamland, Animal crossing creates a virtual escape for them and enables them to maintain their social relationship, fulfilling their need to connect. Think about the everyday pressure they face from reality. Who would not want to experience this dreamland life? Games nowadays are more than just entertainment. They are already working as a form of social media platform, letting people chat, share their thoughts and raise new ideas.
Expansion of Mobile Game Industry
Launched in 2018 but hugely popular mobile game [InnerSloth]
According to App Annie analyst Lexi Sydow, the Covid-19 pandemic advanced mobile usage by two to three years, accelerating the game trend’s transition to the mobile world. The app installs for mobile games increased 45% in 2020, compared to 32% in 2019. Why did the number of mobile gamers increase so dramatically? Let’s take a look at the case of a hugely popular mobile game: Among us. Among us is an online multiplayer social deduction game that experienced a boost in popularity during a pandemic. When Among us was initially launched in 2018, it did not get much attention from the players. However, game streamers on twitch – the American video live streaming service – realized that Among us is a perfect game to stream on during pandemics. Popular twitch streamers such as Pewdiepie, Ninja, and Shroud joined the trend resulting Among us being listed on the top app download list, reaching more than 86 million downloads. “The game had been building a small yet loyal following for more than two years before it shot into the spotlight thanks to Twitch streamers,” said Randy Nelson, head of mobile insights at SensorTower. “Its current success was really born out of that platform more than traditional social media, which is where most viral app hits find their launchpads,” he said. Now Among Us has more than 3.3 million followers on Twitch. Likewise, the potential popularity growth of Among us is heavily related to Twitch. As Twitch is a gamer-focused streaming platform that is consistently looking to expand its content options on the game categories, the mobile game industry will broaden its potential. Moreover, a streaming platform such as Twitch is continuously growing just like the game industry, as more people spend time watching videos during lockdowns. Therefore, the expansion of streaming platforms will ultimately lead to the expansion of the mobile industry, increasing the case like Among us. Video games are now a ubiquitous part of popular culture. Even in our post-pandemic world, game companies that have the vision and have the urge to reach new customers and innovate will have a significant lead in the game industry.
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