Since the NBA suspended it’s season on March 11th, many professional leagues followed suit, including the Premier League, IPL and rugby leagues worldwide. How are many people worldwide filling this leisure time now? They’re using gaming as a supplement. Gaming as a social trend has continually seen growth throughout the decade, with a reported 2.5 billion people worldwide saying they play video games in some form of facet. In 2019, the gaming industry has generated a total revenue of $151.9 billion dollars worldwide. Just the past March however, MIDiA reported a 22 percent increase in gaming in the United States and a 20 percent increase in the United Kingdom. With more games being downloaded through application stores and more hours spent playing, others are downloading communication apps to keep in touch with family and friends.

The lack of professional sports has caused many fans to reconsider their fandom. Having such a staple of typical life removed is a challenge, taking away the sense of community and ritual that sports games represent. Gaming offers another form of escape and a way to cheer, challenge and compete. The makers of FIFA and Call of Duty have said they’ve seen a huge increase in players during the last few months. Activision Blizzard, the company behind CoD sales, said an average of 407 million people have played the game online each month. Analysts predict that these numbers will remain higher than usual as the global shutdown continues.

Sporting events are always seen as communal. In order to fight the stigma of video game players being held up for hours in a den self-isolating themselves, this is a great opportunity for parents to try and play games with their kids. As long as you are taking care of your responsibilities and trying something new, take this as an opportunity to tighten up your skills on the virtual playing field.