Video games? A salvation (for some) in 2020
Facts, names and perspectives on video games
Video games have always provided players with the ability to escape reality, but in 2020 they have taken on a much larger role, serving as exercise companions and social meeting places, meeting urgent needs in this coronavirus-ravaged year.
A CHANGE OF BEHAVIOR?
This is an aspect of no small importance, Axios notes, because the transformations of 2020 “will probably survive the pandemic. While some people who have increased their use of video games this year will be able to reduce the time spent in front of the consoles, for others the game will keep a central place in their lives ”.
For many students, especially teenagers, recreation and breaks meant more screen time with games like Roblox and Minecraft or Fortnite – a way to socialize too despite the physical distance. This has pushed the figures on video game usage skyrocketing.
SPEED OF USES ER MINECRAFT, ROBLOX AND XBOX GAME PASS
Minecraft, for example, saw a nearly 90% increase in multiplayer sessions after the pandemic began.
In October, Roblox hit a world record of 1.7 million concurrent players for Adopt Me !, the most popular game on its platform.
In November, the commitment to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft's subscription game service, more than doubled from the previous year, the company reported.
SUBSTITUTES FOR PHYSICAL MEETINGS
Games like Minecraft and Roblox have filled the spaces left empty by the possibility of physical encounters as virtual substitutes for rooms and meetings. Xbox even recently launched a campaign to get older people to connect with their grandchildren.
FUN AND TRAINING COMBINE
Games like Just Dance and Fitness Boxing have performed two very important functions at the same time, combining fun and training.
Of course, classic video games continued to play their usual role , turning people into superheroes, famous athletes – or even, in the case of the hugely popular Animal Crossing: New Horizons – into creatures who rule an island.
THE TRIUMPH OF NINTENDO SWITCH
However, not everything went well. The Nintendo Switch, which functions as both a handheld gaming device and a TV console, has been the best-selling video game system, even after the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X hit the market last month.
“The new consoles were nowhere to be found – reports Axios -. While the Switch of three years ago had a versatility and economic convenience that made it particularly suitable for the year of the pandemic and this too was often sold out or in conditions of scarcity throughout the year ”.
VIRTUAL REALITY DOES NOT BREAK OUT BUT BEGINS TO BREAK
Unlike that, virtual reality has not yet made its way into the masses, but after years of downward expectations it has seen major, gains, driven by Facebook 's Oculus Quest 2 debut. "Quest has proven capable of offering impressive exercise apps, virtual concerts, and even some forays into workplace collaboration."
THE FUTURE? EVERYTHING TO SEE WITH THE VACCINE
What about the future? “Expect the game to go back to its roots a bit next year as PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X become more and more available. Expensive consoles will sell in large numbers, but largely to those who have been drawn to console gaming in the past. It will remain to be seen what will happen to the 'pandemic' players who have picked up a controller or a headset out of boredom, whether or not they continue to play even after being vaccinated, ”concluded Axios.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/i-videogiochi-unancora-di-salvezza-nel-2020/ on Sat, 26 Dec 2020 07:51:53 +0000.