The Future of Video Games Post-Pandemic
By: Colin Mclearie
Tags: Video Games, Covid 19, Tcnj, Innovation, Platforms

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

Now, to kick this off, I know nothing about your personal life, nothing about the choices you make, nothing about any sorts of hobbies that you may have, and absolutely nothing about your personality. For all I know, you may be the kind of person that never even considered going near a video game in your entire life. Now that’s not a bad thing at all. In a normal world you are most likely benefiting from staying away from gaming, but right now you’re probably living in the opposite of what you’d consider a “normal world.”

We’re in a world with the global pandemic COVID-19, staying at least six feet apart from strangers, covering our faces everywhere you go, and almost every social space is totally closed down for the time being. There’s not much anybody can physically do for social entertainment with everybody in quarantine. During this time, there’s no need for you to actually have physical contact with people in order to be social with them, and video games are one of the best ways to do that.

The current state of video games

Video games were first invented as a concept for entertainment. The idea of using computers to generate games in such a manner was revolutionary for its time, and is now one of the biggest forms of entertainment out there. More and more games are coming out with better graphics, processing power, and content. Whether the video game company decides to strive for more powerful and visually stunning games or more unique/one-of-a-kind games doesn’t really matter. There’s a demand for both, and where there’s demand, there’s supply.

If you look at the “now” though, conditions for making these games may not be the greatest. Some games, like “The Last of Us 2”, have had their release dates delayed due to COVID-19. Major projects could be much harder to finish if access to a development team is limited in such a way.

Extroverts are losing out compared to their introverted counterparts during the pandemic

Over the past two months, video games have taken big strides in popularity as people are being forced to adjust to staying inside almost 24/7, and here’s why. Most of you could speak from experience when I say that you require social interaction. Statistically extroverts make around 50%, according to PositivePsychology.com, and it’s the extroverted people that will tend to get a bit anxious or distressed when being forced away from their friends for such a long period of time. Most people like to get out and spend time with people. That’s just how it works. I’ve seen plenty of people, even my own family get irritated just because they couldn’t leave the house for a while. They literally need to go out on regular walks to “recharge their batteries,” and that doesn’t even satisfy them enough.

Under these conditions, people are “figuratively” losing their minds from being inside all day, but why? Have you ever looked outside and thought that it was kinda strange that there were twice as many, if not more people outside than usual now that there’s a global pandemic? It actually really makes sense if you just think about it for a second. All the kids are out of school (or doing school online), and all the adults are out of work (or working from home). Going outside and getting exercise really seemed like a chore when you were busy with work and other things all day, but now that everything’s closed down, people actually want to go outside more, and feel like they need to. It’s both a blessing and a curse though, since we really shouldn’t be exposing ourselves too much when the virus rates are only increasing right now. So then, what’s the solution?

More people are interested in trying out different digital platforms and video games

Interestingly enough, as rates of people going outside increased, so did the rates of people interacting with video games. This is in terms of just playing them, watching videos about them, or even watching live streams about them. Activity on streaming sites has gone up dramatically ever since the pandemic first started. Sites have been averaging around a 15% increase in traffic, according to The New York Times.

Interest in video games right now is skyrocketing, and it’s all because video games are one of the only social activities out there that doesn’t require any physical interaction with people. You don’t need to meet up, yet you can still hang out with, talk to, and play games with all your friends.

As it turns out, gaming is one of the best ways to kill time and take a healthy mental break from the world during this time in a pandemic. Many games came out right as self-quarantine began, giving them a major boost in sales and popularity. They include “Persona 5 Royal”, “DOOM Eternal”, and especially “Animal Crossing: New Horizons”. Animal Crossing itself has been extremely helpful to people stuck in quarantine because it literally simulates day-to-day life in a small, comfortable village. It’s the perfect stress reliever for these times. Animal Crossing isn’t only good for simulating life though. It and plenty of other games also support one of the major reasons for the future importance of video games, and that reason is multiplayer.

As multiplayer’s importance increases, innovations with how multiplayer works and how it will be designed will increase as well

Being able to play games with others via the internet is what makes video games one of the most important innovations of our time. It combines communication on a large scale with entertainment. Animal Crossing is multiplayer too, only it doesn’t have the intensity that a lot of other online games have. That being said, people all over are loving the leisure that comes with games like Animal Crossing. It’s just something that literally anyone could get into with no prior knowledge/experience with video games. These are the exact kinds of games that we need to develop for the future.

Video games will be, if it’s not already, one of the greatest platforms for connecting with people worldwide in history. As stated the book Where Good Ideas Come From by Steven Johnson, platforms are build from other platforms. It’s almost like a stack of platforms when you get far enough down the line. They are the foundation for more unique platforms, which is exactly what video games do. Not only are older games still great for connecting with people via the internet, but new games that have been developed are also proving the importance of this digital platform. Right now, there are games like Minecraft that inspire creation and stimulate nature, and there are games like Roblox that promote development and innovation with children (and all others for that matter). Both games are massive platforms that have lead to whole different games being created within themselves.

As the years move on and we’re eventually past the COVID-19 pandemic, video games will have made an even bigger imprint on the world. As stated by Mathew Gault of TIME, “Many of us stuck at home simply need something to keep our minds off the unspeakable horrors unfolding across our cities, our country and the world. Video games, with their robust stories, hours of playtime and built-in social connections, can be that something.”

Video games for a while have been seen as more of a nuisance in the eyes of the media, but post-pandemic, it will only grow more as a platform. Soon, it will be the greatest way to connect with people, even when you’re not stuck in your house all day.