Introduction
The gaming industry gained stardom during the pandemic; people were not allowed to go out and meet their kith and kin. This enabled them to find new solutions to reduce stress and stay active. They decided to pay attention towards the technology and make the most of it by using over-the-top platforms such as Netflix, Prime, online games and so on. While there were concerns about being trapped inside a house for probably weeks or months. The only way out to overcome these concerns was to engage in such activities where they get an opportunity to stay connected with loved ones virtually and challenge them to beat us. While other mediums have proved beneficial, online gaming is considered the best.
How Online Gaming Become our Social Friend
Staying energetic and competitive in an environment surrounded by walls was not as easy as one would have thought. Sitting for long hours to attend office meetings, watching a screen for 15 to 20 hours a day was quite a tedious task. Online games ensure that these concerns can be overcome. These are easily accessible on multiple devices such as smartphones, desktops or even laptops. One can play them from any place across the world, be it from their bedroom or dedicated workspace. The leverage to play at any time and from anywhere ensures that more and more people are connected to computer games. At present, it is estimated that there are around 3.24 billion gamers across the globe.
Gamers prefer to play online games not just to kill time but also to make relationships. There are a plethora of online gaming groups available which one can join and become a part of the community. The effect of the pandemic still prevails, and people are used to living their lives in a specific manner. They are more conservative and reserved when it comes to their habits and decision-making abilities.
How Gaming Gives Relief to Individuals
In these days and ages, where we have to adhere to social distancing and stay protected from mental health issues, gamers have found a perfect resource that gives them the much needed break and relief. People of all ages are participating in online gaming and some of them are those who have never seen or picked up a controller in the past. The significant growth of online gaming during the pandemic has shown that humans have found a connection in solitude.
Now, the question arises as to which online games people are connected with. So, the answer is online video games and word games. These are the top-most choices of gamers. According to a recent study, it is observed that 4 out of 5 USA citizens are participating in one or more electronic games. The notable thing is that when the entire world is still recovering from the impact of COVID-19, the gaming industry is not just booming but also taking the maximum share of the entertainment industry. The future’s looking bright and game developers are in demand.
How it all started
The concept of socializing is not new since it comes into the picture during the time of lockdown. People realized the value of gaming when they had nothing much to do. They understood that it is the right platform to connect with like-minded people and professionals. Talking about virtual games such as Nintendo, Playstation, XBox are quite popular among gamers who like to stay competitive and challenge themselves. On the other hand, word games such as wealth wordle, crossword puzzles, wordoku are some of the most admired games among people who like to test their knowledge and are looking for some sort of inspiration to stay committed to achieving success. They feel some sort of achievement and feel delighted when they accomplish one level and move to the next one.
The creative aspect of game development raised the bar among game developers. This has put them under pressure to come up with something innovative and engaging. Gone are the days when we used to play games such as Super Mario. People of the 21st century are quite smart and imaginative. To engage them, it is vital to design games which are conceptually designed and challenging at the same time.
How it is Going At Present
People today want to entertain themselves and develop social connections, too. They believe that online gaming is the right resource for them to keep their mental state healthy and stay positive while facing different challenges related to their relationships and work. Besides this, the new way of working such as work from home has taken a toll on their health, since they are losing conversations with their co-workers during office meetings, lunch hours and so on. All this is required to stay creative and productive, much needed to achieve the desired targets. So, to overcome these concerns, individuals are moving towards electronic games. This one medium gives them several lucrative benefits such as staying active, productive, and remaining stress-free.
What the Future Holds
Many research and studies have been conducted to understand and analyze the growth of the online gaming sector. People of different ages have shared their views and as per them, the future looks bright. According to the professor of Psychology at Florida University, we are adopting a culture where we want to compete and emerge as a winner. Our mindset works in accordance with our needs; once we have decided to accomplish something, then we give our best to achieve it at any given cost. One such example is one of the word games which makes a sensation overnight after the pandemic, and it is Wordle.
Wordle game enable us to think strategically and engage in some complex reasoning, which for many gamers is quite pleasing. There are different tournaments organized to engage more and more people. They are devoting themselves to playing this game and spend their valuable time coming up with new words which they might never have heard about.
Consumer demand is increasing, technology is growing rapidly, and the willingness to acquire success indicate that global sales for games could increase by over 50 percent in the next five years. This shows that the online gaming sector is emerging as one of the most booming industries and provides an opportunity for youngsters to secure their career in it while doing something they love.
Conclusion
Online games have become an integral part of our lives today. They helped us to come out of isolation when a pandemic rolls around and continue to be a lifeline. There are gaming communities available where one can connect with other gamers and talk about the different tactics, tips and tricks, challenges and opportunities. A survey showed that around 40 percent of individuals say that they would continue playing computer games since it provides them a platform to overcome their loneliness, make some strong connections, relationships and, more importantly, enables them to maintain a good work-life balance. So, it can be said that online gaming is not just a way of entertainment; instead it is much more than that.
