The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world in more ways than can be mentioned. It’s different for everyone, but on some level, it has touched the lives of everyone living through these times.
Obstacles have risen for most, whether it’s been related to business or health, it’s been a challenging and uncertain time. Many people have become jobless or lost their businesses while others have lost loved ones.
With lockdowns and restrictive measures in place around the world, people have felt frustrated, stuck and the awareness of mental health has become a priority. The new way of life has been struggling for many and the unknown of the future is unbearable for many.
Betting Habit Changes
Due to the closing of land-based casinos, for the time being, people have turned to online casinos to get their gambling fix or for some entertainment.
Although this time has been hard on a lot of people for several reasons, some good things have come out of it. For example, the online gambling industry has seen a rise in player account activation as well as existing players spending more time with their favourite casinos. Having said that, the revenue that’s made from online casino activity benefits the economy through taxation. Although this is a positive effect that gambling has, there are some not so positive effects to take a look at. For example, many players do struggle with an addiction to casino games and the thrill that comes along with it. The majority of players usually do have limits and stick to them without getting carried away, while others need to be more careful of their limitations.
Online casino sites like https://www.platincasino.co.uk/how-to have seen a rise in new accounts created with them since the beginning of the lockdowns and travel restrictions. This shows a promising future for the industry during these times as more people opt for online casinos as a source of entertainment.
Challenges for ESports Market
The pandemic and the restrictive measures and lockdowns that have come with it has been a major factor in the boost of user engagement with video games and esports. The global video game industry is thriving, despite the challenges that the pandemic has put on most of the world. The gaming industry has been a major factor in keeping economies afloat around the world.
The reasons being mainly that gaming offers people an engaging distraction while they are stuck at home. It also provides some sort of social interaction, even if it is virtual. This has become the new way of life throughout this pandemic; everything’s gone digital.
Additionally, players have even become more prone to watching gaming video streams in real-time. Especially, gamers that are loyal to Dota or League of Legends, will enjoy watching battles online just as much as they would participating in a game of their own.
Having said that, the growth and engagement with esports have seen a rise throughout COVID-19. This has created new opportunities to come about as people are looking for alternative sources of entertainment as most sporting events around the world have been cancelled, and there’s no telling when they will be back up and running again.
Time Spent Playing Video Games
Gamers are spending a notable amount more time on gaming during COVID than prior and it’s expected that this will continue even post-COVID. These results are promising for the global gaming industry, especially with the restrictions that are set on travel, live events, public gatherings, and activities, most people are forced to stay at home.
With a lack of social interaction, people are looking for some way to connect, even if it’s on a digital platform of some sort. That’s where gaming comes in; it’s become a source for social interaction where people can collaborate and compete against one another in different scenarios.
The pandemic has come with a lot of unfortunate challenges and obstacles globally, however, it’s had its upsides especially for the gaming industry. The pandemic has brought in more revenue and opportunities than ever before.
It’s believed that consumer behaviour towards the gaming industry will remain even after the restrictive measures and lockdowns are gone. Video gamers will create new habits while they may increase the strength of existing ones, which will drive consistent and accelerated growth over the next several years.
Conclusion
The world has gone through some weird times during the pandemic with many industries and businesses facing issues, people losing their jobs, among many other things. The future is uncertain, but it’s undeniable that throughout these strange times, there have been some upsides and new opportunities especially for the gaming industry.
Due to lockdowns and social distancing, people have been looking for other forms of entertainment as well as sources of interaction, even if virtual, there has been an increase in the new players as well as existing players spending more and more time. This is expected to continue even when things come back to normal.
If any industry could make it through the pandemic, it’s the gaming industry, especially since so much of it can be experienced virtually now anyway.
