The entire world was forced to go online once the pandemic lockdowns began. Besides the entertainment available online, people, especially people who were locked in alone, had nothing to do. All people essentially did was talk to each other online, watch videos, and play games online. These three industries helped a lot of people pass time during what are obviously perilous times.

An survey conducted in the United States during April found how 19% of the respondents would willingly spend more money on video games during lockdown. People willing to pay more for quicker access to newer games is a definite behavioural change in an industry that previously relied on hype created by influencers and celebrities for more business.

Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike Global Offensive are some of the most popular online games in the world. What is an already popular game saw a surge of 1.3 million more users than their predicted data for April 2020. One obvious behavioural change is an increased proclivity to gaming online instead of intermingling outdoors. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), a game which saw 600 million global downloads for mobile in 2019, stated how their mobile streams, which generally saw 20 million views, jumped up to 50 million views during lockdown. Smaller e-sports companies like Gurugram-based NODWIN Gaming also saw a sufficient increase in viewership.

People are also spending more time online. Pre-lockdown, Indian gamers were spending an average of 3-4 hours gaming on mobile daily. Casual gamers spent 40 minutes gaming online. During lockdown though, the amount of time spent gaming shot up by 20-30% on average.

Another behavioural change comes in the form of an alteration in business sentiment. Companies like Facebook launched a gaming app of their own, allowing users to stream their games, connect with other users, and follow the influencers in the gaming industry.

Live streaming as an alternative source of income is also a trend that has emerged during the pandemic. The live streamers are becoming successful as well, hitting one-million milestones faster than ever before.

On the no-profit front, organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Play Apart Together campaign as an active coping mechanism during lockdown. Gaming companies on their part stepped up and started offering free content to any users. This inspired non-gamers to give gaming a shot. People who didn’t want to play, used the option to watch.

Even sports, which technically aren’t gaming went online during lockdown. Many sporting tournaments went online during the pandemic. The Football Premier League had an ePremier League tournament instead of their regular tournaments. Tennis (virtual Madrid Open, for instance) and motor sport competitions also went online. Athletes are playing online to keep their fans engaged. A lot of well-renowned sportspersons carried out charity drives by digital gaming during this pandemic.

On a speculative front, the gaming industry is dominated by a few countries. Countries like India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam have been trying to break into the market and struggling. This lockdown though created a massive demand for newer storylines, which could probably be fulfilled by the new companies on the block. Seeing how the gaming industry stood firmly during one of the worst economic and social catastrophes of the time, newer startups would consider developing more digital games in the future.

The surge will supposedly last as gaming relies heavily on limbic resonance. Once you get started, it is hard to stop. As many people gave gaming a try during lockdown, the number will hold steady in a way, even once the Covid-19 pandemic is dealt with.

Gaming during the lockdown has been like a small silver lining for many. Busy former gamers reclaimed a hobby they used to indulge in. Regular gamers got to dedicate more time to gaming. Many tried gaming for the first time. Seeing all these trends, big tech invested more money and manpower to gaming. Observing this interest, newer companies plan to enter a new sector. Above all else, gaming is an activity that mostly happens indoors. During a global pandemic, it is better to be safer indoors than being exposed to the contagion outdoor. It’s safe to conclude by stating how user behaviour towards gaming changed positively during the pandemic.