More people turned to games during the pandemic lockdown in China

Gamers are picking up new games during the Covid-19 pandemic, and their parents are playing for the first time, according to a new report

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More people turned to games during the pandemic lockdown in China

Karen Chiu

Published: 6:57pm, 5 May 2020

This article originally appeared on ABACUS

Did you rediscover an old game that you haven’t played for ages during the coronavirus pandemic? Or did you once again pick up game controllers you had lying around collecting dust? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, you’re not alone.

Research firm Niko Partners recently surveyed more than 1,000 gamers in China to see how they fared during the first three months of the year, which was the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak in China. With almost everyone stuck at home, 90% of respondents said they spent more time playing games. And more than 60% said their partners were also gaming more.

It’s hardly a surprise: Demand for the hit mobile game Honor of Kings was so high that it apparently crashed Tencent’s servers. It also happened with the local version of PUBG Mobile.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a Nintendo Switch game released in March, has proven to be a global hit. (Picture: Animal Crossing/Nintendo)

And the virus isn’t just giving veteran gamers more time to spend on their pastime. Older generations are also getting into gaming for the first time. One in four of those surveyed said their parents started playing games during the lockdown.

Existing gamers are experimenting, too. Three quarters of respondents said they played on a platform they never tried before, which includes first-time PC and mobile gamers. Of those who were already playing on consoles, 95% said they spent more time playing than before.