How the Coronavirus is Helping Gaming

I need to start by clarifying that the Coronavirus is an awful disease that is causing a lot of strain on a lot of industries and families across the world. We all need to be doing our part to slow the spread: stay home, listen to the CDC and your state’s guidelines, and practice social distancing.

That being said, if you are ever looking for something to watch on TV or to fill your free time, turn to gaming. Many people already have. According to Verizon, video game usage has gone up 75% during peak hours since the outbreak started.

With all major sporting events being postponed, athletes and teams are turning to video games. ESPN, NBA 2K, and some NBA players are putting on a nationally broadcasted NBA 2K tournament. Athletes have begun streaming video games on Twitch, and not just sports games. Kawhi Leonard has been streaming the new Call of Duty: Warzone video game. In between games he can be found reading his live chat and answering questions from fans. Some MLB players have been playing through their season on the popular video game, MLB The Show. The NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals are broadcasting simulations of the remainder of their games on TV using the popular games NBA 2K20 and NHL 20. With the lack of live games, ESPN has been broadcasting replays of games, and now replays of major esports events, such as the RLCS Season 8 World Championships.

The Coronavirus is an awful thing, and all of the news and events being cancelled are bad, but let’s take this time filled with negativity to focus on the positive. The Coronavirus might be helping the gaming and esports industry finally become accepted in the eyes of the general public.

Due to gaming being thrown in the spotlight now, my hope is that this won’t be temporary. I hope that the gaming industry will be able to ride this wave even as things get back to normal and the athletes aren’t there showcasing them daily.

It is unrealistic to think that when life resumes, gaming won’t take a hit, but I believe it is realistic to think that when life resumes, gaming will be more accepted than it was before the pandemic.

The public perception could very well come out of this as better than it went into it, and we could be seeing some of these esports events being shown live on ESPN in the future.