While the pandemic has caused lulls in almost all industries, the one industry that it has been indirectly caused to boom is the gaming industry. Gaming and esports has always had a place on the internet, with Twitchers and streamers live streaming their games and joining competitions. However, due to LAN events being cancelled, pro gamers have been forced online and it has created a much more enjoyable viewing experience for all.
DotA 2 is one of the top choices because it is accessible everywhere
Perhaps one of the reasons why its servers constantly crashed in the first few weeks of lockdown is because it’s free. Anyone with an internet connection can download the game off Steam and be a part of the larger community which is focused on taking the enemy team’s tower. It doesn’t matter which part of the world you live in, if you have internet availability in Texas, you can play with someone over in China or Europe. Of course, you’ll need to make sure your line is fast enough to support you playing on a server halfway across the world – but it can be done. Or you can choose to play on local servers.
Planetside 2 has broken its own Guinness world record with COVID player surge
The free FPS game had a record breaking total of 1,283 players present at a single battle. The original record was set at 1,158 back in 2015. The game is simple, you can choose one faction out of three and you fight to control parts of the map, which is broken down into squares. Each square you hold will amount to your overall score, which is tallied weekly or monthly. This mass teamwork gameplay is highly popular, especially with its stunning graphics and realistic sci-fi themes.
Online board games have also seen an increase in users
Board games have gone virtual but it wasn’t until recently, when people entered self-isolation, did they truly take off. There are plenty of online simulations that are both free and fun. Colonist is one of the games that saw a huge increase in popularity. A game based off Settlers of Catan, this online imitation offers both free and paid memberships. On the free membership, you can play with three other players, much like the original game. With the paid membership, it is split into three tiers, each one with its own benefits such as colors and maps.
Other board games include: Words with Friends, Monopoly, Pandemic, Krunker (a Counterstrike imitation game), Powerline (reminiscent of the old mobile Snake game).
With gamers on the rise, Steam (a gaming platform that allows users to make purchases of video games) have since strengthened their servers and increased bandwidth to support their players. Gaming offers an outlet for people to blow off some steam, live in a simulation, and meet up with their friends for new adventures, which is what makes it all the more popular during these dark and terrible times of a pandemic.
