Tuesday, 1/11/2022 L.C.S

The outbreak of the Covid 19 virus in March 2020 altered the world radically. Many countries collapsed,

markets were ruined, and a massive number of people lost their jobs. Some were even forced to relocate

to their homes to work from there.

Furthermore, because of the lockdown that was implemented, people could no longer maneuver freely or

go to public places at their leisure. A large amount of people from all around the globe were stuck in their

homes. The loss of social interaction was severe. As a result of the pandemic, more people started playing

video games. During this period, esports and gaming industries grew in some ways, in spite of the crisis

across the world.

A large amount of people chose playing games as a way of spending their spare time during the

lockdown. The statistics show that the number of players has increased considerably in many countries.

Not only that, but the statistics also show that more people were interested in watching gaming online as

well. “According to a report, Twitch alone jumped from 3.1bn watch hours in Q1 to 5.1bn in Q2, with its

average concurrent viewership growing from 1.4 million people in Q1 to 2.4 million in Q2.” (Ethan May

2020)

The COVID 19 pandemic has been taking gaming and esports to the next level. Playing video games

removes people from reality and helps people escape from their everyday lives and everyday jobs.

Playing video games helps people connect with others in the same field. There are so many services that

help people play with each other or play against each other in various ways. The growth of Gaming and

Esports because of the pandemic is only growing as a result. As “Business Insider” reports2, the e-sports

audience is due to double over the course of the next six years. With the U.S. market alone collecting an

estimated $226 million worth of ad revenue in 2021, expect continued, steady ad growth over the next

few years. (Insider. January 03, 2021)

Streamlabs & Stream Hatchet Q2 2020 Live Streaming Industry Report. Ethan Jul 1, 2020

(https://blog.streamlabs.com/streamlabs-stream-hatchet-q2-2020-live-streaming-industry-report-

44298e0d15bc)

Insider Intelligence. Jan03, 2021

(https://www.insiderintelligence.com/insights/esports-ecosystem-market-report/)