Over the past year, the gaming industry saw its revenue grow by 20%, in a year when most industries suffered. In fact, the gaming industry was more profitable in North America than both the film and sports industries combined. What led to this success? And how can the industry keep it up as the pandemic ends?
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Facing a global pandemic that kept most people indoors, many turned to games. In one survey, research found that four out of five survey participants had played some form of game since the pandemic began.
Why were online games so successful?
Many found themselves bored to death, stuck inside with little to do. Games provided an outlet for that boredom. Of course, those already familiar with gaming continued to do so, but those who gamed in their youth seemed to take it up again. Even more so, people who had never gamed before in their lives began over this pandemic.
Games offered an escape. For a period of time, people could log in, discover a new world, or concentrate fully on one task, and games would take their attention away from their real lives. When the news only seemed to offer bad news, escapism via games was on the rise.
But the real success came from online games. The younger generations have been clued into this for a long time. Through online gaming, people have created a community out of friends they’ve never met in real life.
Then, facing the inability to see friends in the flesh, online gaming gave people the chance to connect still. With online games, people could still talk to their friends and have shared experiences with them through the act of gaming.
A study by Mark Griffiths, a professor at Nottingham Trent University, published way back in 2003, found that out of 11,000 players of Everquest, a quarter said the best part of the game was connecting with friends. If those were the stats back then, imagine what they would be now.
Which Online Games Saw The Most Success?
One of the pandemic’s defining moments was when Animal Crossing: New Horizons was released on Nintendo Switch. It came only a short time after the pandemic first started for many countries – March 2020. Yet it took the globe by storm.
The release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons tripled Nintendo’s profits. People became mad for it, whether or not they were frequent gamers. But why was it so successful?
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons doesn’t appear a naturally addictive game. It centers around decorating an island, catching butterflies, and growing trees. Yet it boomed.
Perhaps it was this very simplicity that drew people to it. With its calming background music, players could focus on things like furniture choices rather than the devastation the pandemic has brought to their lives.
One feature of the game is visiting other people’s islands if they share their village code with you or online with anyone. Again, the online community nature of games seems to strike a chord with its players. Family and friends who had been kept apart were able to connect through this game, all adding to its success.
People held birthday parties through the game, held canceled weddings in the game, and even went on dates at these immaterial islands.
It’s clear, then, that games have become the primary form of connecting in this time for the younger generation and that Animal Crossing: New Horizons was right at the top.
Yet Animal Crossing wasn’t the only game to find success. Web-based and internet platform games also became popular over the course of 2020. With many holding zoom nights with friends, web-based games became a popular party game when the usual party games weren’t possible.
Sites like playingcards.io offered several online games that people took up with friends. From Cards Against Humanity to classics like chess and checkers, all possible zooms calls – from university friends to grandparents and grandkids could be made that bit more interesting.
The industry saw the greatest success with the online game Among Us. In September 2020, this sabotaging game had around 60 million players a day. With success like that, game creators have to ask themselves: can this be kept up after the pandemic?
What is the future for the gaming industry?
The success the gaming industry has felt over the past year has been astronomical. But is it sustainable? One google survey suggests 40% of new gamers plan to keep gaming after the pandemic. But when life returns to normal, will people stick to this plan?
On their side is the fact that people have learned a whole new way to connect. Though the need for online connection may decrease, people tend to seek out connection all the time. It’s likely this success will continue for the years to come, but maybe not as intensely.
