With the postponement of athletic competitions due to the coronavirus pandemic, esports and gaming have seen a tremendous uptick in popularity. Athletes who are unable to compete have been turning to sports video games while waiting for the pandemic to end.
Auto racing league Formula 1 has their own video game and hosted a virtual Grand Prix on March 22. The in-person tournaments were planned to start in July before they were postponed by the pandemic. The professional racers get to practice in a lower-risk virtual environment, offering fans an alternative way to watch their favorite drivers.
With no end to COVID-19 restrictions in the foreseeable future, people of all different backgrounds, including professional athletes, are jumping on the gaming scene.
Le’Veon Bell, a three time Pro Bowl Champion and NFL superstar, is a serious “Super Smash Bros” competitor. In May this year, he competed in an 8,000 participant “Super Smash Bros” tournament. Competing under the gamertag “Juic326,” Bell was eliminated right before the round of 256 participants. While he did not win, he held his ground, placing as high as some of the game’s top players.
Earlier this year in March, “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” was released in the midst of shelter-in-place orders nationwide. Upon release, the game instantly tore down previous records for the Nintendo Switch. The game immediately became the best selling game in March, topping games such as “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare,” which is available on multiple platforms. The game not only had a record number of players, but according to Nintendo, 40% of all sales were from girls and women, as compared to popular first person shooter game “Counter Strike,” which only has a 25% female player base. Stereotypically, gaming has been catered to males, but in reality, about 40% of gamers are girls, according to Statista.
Recently, a game from 2018 has gained massive amounts of popularity. “Among Us” is a mafia-style party game which includes murder mystery. The game is cross-platform, meaning people on their phones can play with people on computers. Both “Animal Crossing” and “Among Us” have attracted people who do not often game.
“Without being able to see my friends in real life, we needed something we could do together and video games are fun”
Gaming is an effective way of keeping in touch with friends while staying safe during the pandemic. It can replace some of the social aspects missing from people’s current lives such as being able to talk to friends and connect through a common goal.
“Without being able to see my friends in real life, we needed something we could do together, and video games are fun,” Ayoub said. “During the game we can talk about things and make jokes and just hang out like we normally would without COVID-19.”
Video games are also used to bring people together. No matter who you are, you can play video games with others that are different from you. You do not need to be the high school football star; you can be an average person with a knack for gaming. For example, Twitch streamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, streamed himself playing “Fortnite” and ended up playing squads with rappers Travis Scott and Drake as well as NFL wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Ninja also played with Lil Yachty, Chance the Rapper and NBA player Josh Hart.
“No matter who you are, you can play video games with others”
The gaming community is growing rapidly, gaining more respect and attention as time goes on. With all the collaborations and crossovers with gamers to professional athletes, more and more people are being introduced to the world of esports and gaming.
