How the COVID-19 pandemic has affected gaming

With people all over the world stuck at home, more and more people are turning to gaming to pass the time.

Video games and gaming have seen a significant increase in their revenues, with 2020 seeing the highest spending on game development in U.S. history, and a 24% increase in sales. However, not all gaming industries are experiencing this growth, with arcades in particular taking a significant hit.

NBA 2K21 was Q3's best-selling full game (dollar sales, excludes DLC/MTX), while the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller was the quarter's best-selling accessory in dollar sales.

— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) November 11, 2020

COVID-19 sees increase in gaming and decrease in personal contact

In every country in the world except New Zealand, COVID-19 has spread like wildfire throughout the communities. Most countries have taken drastic measures, instituting social distancing mandates, requiring people to wear masks, and more, depending on the severity. Countries like Italy, France, and China have gone so far as to institute government run lockdowns, prohibiting people from leaving their homes.

These people, now stuck at home, have naturally sought out new ways to entertain themselves. This is what led to the hidden gem, Among Us, being discovered by players only a few months ago.

But gaming was never something only done at home in isolation. Many gamers got into gaming as a means of socializing with friends. While friends can still play games online with one another, online gaming isn’t something that benefits all games equally.

In-person gaming plummets

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, all non-essential businesses knew to expect difficult times ahead. One such location, the famous Mikado Arcade in Japan, experienced a 70% drop in revenue. Mikado earned a reputation for catering to the fighting game community - a community which strongly supports gaming in person.

Its owner, Minoru Ikeda, announced that the arcade would likely have to close down in just a few months without support. Ikeda took to the internet, humbly stating “I realize this is a selfish request,” before asking for support from the fighting game community.

But not all arcades have been as fortunate. Many arcades, alongside many more businesses, have had to close as a result of the pandemic.

“One of the biggest barriers to gaming going mainstream has been the reluctance of broadcasters to put it on air. Covid-19 and the lockdown blew this sentiment out of the water..."CEO of Gfinity, John Clarke was quoted in the Financial Times - Must read!https://t.co/5oGCWlZ8Gx pic.twitter.com/IEocUzCRUR

— Gfinity PLC (@GfinityPLC) November 13, 2020

What will this mean for the future of gaming?

In a way, gaming was already headed in the direction of being mostly online. The days of split screen multiplayer have been long gone, and now playing the same game in the same room can often mean multiple screens and consoles using either a LAN connection or, frustratingly, the internet.

Certain games will likely always feature some couch multiplayer, as it would be hard to imagine Street Fighter without the ability to plug in a second controller. But a harder shift to online gaming will mean certain features may get prioritized over others. Stabilizing the netcode to keep player’s connection to each other smooth will be more important than before, for example.

It may take a long time before we know how this pandemic has affected gaming, but there is no doubt that it will have a measurable and notable effect.