The global death toll due to the novel coronavirus has crossed the 21,000 mark and the number of confirmed cases worldwide soared past 450,000, reportedly. Almost all the countries are practicing social distancing, and not surprisingly amid all this, the gaming industry has witnessed a surge in the hours spent by the users as well as an increase in the number of new users.
Why there is a surge?
Coronavirus pandemic has upended daily life for all. As the global GDP is going down the gaming industry has apparently seen a surge. Here are the reasons why:
- Firstly with the global lockdown, everybody is staying at home free and to avoid boredom they are playing games.
- Secondly, people always wanted to have uninterrupted gaming sessions but due to lack of time, it was not possible earlier. But, since there is a lack of work apart from basics and a lot of free time people are binge playing games.
- Thirdly gaming helps in diverting mind letting players completely pierce their attention and focus in the gaming zone, which is far away from usual happening which is frustrating and worrisome. Gaming is in itself a therapeutic process it is letting people relax so they are playing the game more than ever.
- Fourthly kids are at home as schools and all other educational institutions are closed. Since kids love gaming more than anything therefore, under parental supervision kids are exploring and understanding the process of gaming education offered by biggies like Microsoft to continue the knowledge gaining process.
- Fifthly with gaming many have joined communities/clans and might have gaming friends while at social distancing it is not possible to meet them in person, therefore interacting with them while playing games is the best way to play games and chill.
- Sixthly if all the above reasons did not convince you then this will do- The World Health Organization recently issued a media briefing on dealing with COVID-19, with recommendations for actions individuals can take during the shutdown. Among other useful advice, the WHO says you should “play a game”.Earlier whoever thought that gaming is disorder as per WHO report now might have started playing games since now WHO said to play the game .
Today many people are spending hours playing games during lockdown periods irrespective of age, demographics, and gender. Literally the market is hungry for fresh gaming content more than ever.
Are their enough games to satisfy the users’ needs?
There are more than enough games in the world to satisfy the surge however more than a number of games what type of games users are enjoying is more important. Since mostly the choice of the game depends on the current trends and as per the current trend developers work on the projects to satisfy the hunger of the users. For example as the popularity of PUBG Mobile spiked and has even engaged non-gamers to hardcore games like Call of Duty also pushed the market for mobile players as well with the launch of Call of Duty Mobile. The lockdown period might not be favorable for indie developers however biggies are trying to utilise the time with new updates deals and announcements to engage the surging audience.
GOG is having a big spring sale with discounts on a lot of games until March 30, including The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Divinity: Original Sin 2, and more. Steam has big discounts on a bunch of games from Avalanch Studios Group, including Rage 2, Just Cause 4, and more. Meanwhile, the Epic Games Store gives away free games every week and has a record of giving away some pretty fantastic titles, so it’s always worth checking out what’s available. Here are some of the major announcements and deals going on right now :
- Google has revealed that Stadia Pro members will be able to get three more games for free next month. Earlier last month all of the new titles were announced to be coming to Stadia just last month, and now we know they’re available at no additional cost. The games are Serious Sam Collection, which includes all three entries in the first-person shooter series, remastered in HD; Spitlings, a multiplayer arcade game that’s temporarily exclusive to Stadia; and Stack on Stacks (On Stacks), another temporary Stadia exclusive, a 3D tower builder with a story mode for a single player as well as a multiplayer versus mode.
- Sony has released the specifications of its much-awaited next-gen console, PlayStation 5. The company released new details about the console at a virtual keynote for Game Developers Conference 2020, where Sony’s lead system architect Mark Cerny spoke at length about all the new features coming to the console.“Today we’re proud to unveil more details behind the technical and hardware components that make PlayStation 5 such an innovative and powerful platform – the ultra-high-speed SSD, integrated custom I/O system, custom AMD GPU with ray tracing, and highly immersive 3D audio. With these capabilities, PS5 will allow developers to maximize their creativity, building expansive worlds and new play experiences in the games they design,” says the official post.
- Green Man Gaming has expanded its offering of digital games, announcing a new range of Xbox One codes available via the third-party storefront. While well-established in the PC and Mac gaming space, its latest venture stocks a variety of Xbox One titles, with many currently discounted below current pricing via the official Xbox Store. That includes top first-party Microsoft franchises like Forza, Gears of War, and Halo, including games and associated downloadable content (DLC).Unlike the vast PC library currently stocked by Green Man Gaming, its Xbox One offering spans just a subset of the full console offerings. The company has announced it’s “working to bring you even more Xbox games” moving forward, indicating this is the start of a larger partnership. For now, it includes several Play Anywhere-supported titles, enabling cross-purchasing and cross-saves on Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched on Friday and the timing could not have been better. brings a sense of normality, routine, and social connection that’s sorely lacking for many in this moment. With the popularity of the Nintendo games like Animal Crossing, Katamari Reroll and other Nintendo games . Nintendo’s website, is selling refurbished models for $249.99, $50 off of list price. Which is still more expensive than a Switch Lite, but it’s a handy deal for such time.
- Ubisoft, who is set to launch a uPlay+ subscription that gives access to many of their games on Stadia. Filling out that service’s library, Ubisoft has announced that Monopoly will be coming to Stadia, along with a release date and new information about The Crew 2.
- Rockstar Games, publisher of the Wild West-themed adventure title Red Dead Redemption, promised players it would keep its online servers running smoothly after it told its global workforce to work from home. The company also teased a roll-out of extra in-game activities to keep the housebound players glued to their controllers.
- Plague Inc reveals that they will soon add a new mode that lets players combat an outbreak rather than the other way around. In a blog post, the game’s developer, Ndemic Creations said it decided to introduce this mode based on feedback from the World Health Organisation and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. “We were repeatedly asked if we could make a game which let the player work to stop an outbreak. We are accelerating work on a new Plague Inc. game mode which lets players save the world from a deadly disease outbreak,” an update from Ndemic Creations reads.
- Microsoft and Mojang have released several free ‘Minecraft Education’ lessons in an effort to entertain and educate some of the many school kids who are currently missing classes due to coronavirus lockdowns. In a new blog post, head of Xbox Phil Spencer has outlined a new category that’s being added to the Minecraft Marketplace, bringing free educational content for young players to download and explore. A collection of 10 lessons can now be downloaded from the Minecraft Marketplace for free via the new Education category. These include a replica of the International Space Station, a robot-aided coding course, a tour of Washington D.C. landmarks, marine biology, greek history, and more. These lessons are now live and will be free to download through 30 June.
- Square Enix has revealed that all of the main Final Fantasy games available on the Switch are on sale for 40 to 50 per cent off, and titles from Square Enix’s other RPG series like Romancing Saga and Star Ocean have been discounted as well as an impact of COVID-19 expressed Square Enix Americas and Europe CEO Phil Rogers.
- Capcom is offering a whole smorgasbord of some of their best titles of the past few years at up to 50 percent off. This includes sales on Monster Hunter World’s expansion Iceborne, the excellent Devil May Cry V, and even the Resident Evil 2 Remake to tide you over until the Resident Evil 3 Remake comes out. Speaking of Resident Evil, the triple pack of Resident Evil 4, 5, and 6 are also on sale at 70 percent off, so if the current pandemic makes you feel like saving the world from zombies, Capcom has got you covered.Before we come up with more deals and gaming announcements enjoy gaming and chill.
