Aaron Rodgers hits Davante Adams in stride down the sideline for a last-second touchdown. The Green Bay Packers hold on for another win, and a sold-out crowd of more than 80,000 erupts in cheers.
This isn’t real life, in which the historic Lambeau Field remains empty during Packers home games thanks to coronavirus restrictions. This is Madden 21, the fourth-best-selling game in the United States this year.
The pandemic and ensuing government responses have had an adverse effect on most industries, but it’s been a boost to video games. Combine the revenue of North American sports and the movie industry, and you’re still short of the revenue that video games have brought in globally this year, and that effect is most apparent in the U.S.
While fans are forced to stay away from sports stadiums or movie theaters, the at-home entertainment of video games has seen its ever-increasing appeal skyrocket. Sony’s PlayStation 5 broke launch records for video game consoles when it hit the market in November.
That record-breaking start wasn’t even enough to make it the best-selling console of the month. That distinction belongs to Nintendo’s Switch, home of the pandemic favorite Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Animal Crossing dropped around the same time that the U.S. began nationwide lockdowns. As a result, it’s on pace to be the best-selling Nintendo Switch game ever and finished as the third-best-selling game in the U.S for 2020.
The Call of Duty franchise took the two top spots on the list, with its latest release, Black Ops Cold War, providing players a chance to undertake covert missions for Ronald Reagan. Meanwhile, those who do not play, watch: Video game streaming websites such as Twitch and Facebook Gaming saw significant viewership increases.
The country will return to normal at some point, but video games have already cemented themselves as a major player in U.S. culture. Whether at home or on the go, playing with friends online or immersing oneself in a single-player story, a good game is always going to be in reach.
—By Zachary Faria
