Jessica Kuntze
Video games have been helping people overcome boredom for many years now so it’s no surprise that they have been helping some get through the boredom of coronavirus lockdown.
There are many ways to enjoy video games, you can play them either by yourself or with family and/or friends online and offline, or you can watch other people play on sites like YouTube and Twitch.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced a lot of changes on the gaming industry, including the cancellation of popular events such as E3 and PAX West and the delayed release of some big-name games.
WHO recommends gaming
The World Health Organisation has recommended the use of video games to help increase physical distancing measures while still having people connect with family and friends in a fun way.
This sparked the creation of an initiative to encourage avid gamers to follow the WHO’s COVID-19 health guidelines by connecting 18 game industry leaders and their communities through the hashtag #PlayApartTogether.
These industry leaders included Twitch, Activision Blizzard, YouTube Gaming and Unity who brought special events and exclusives to the online gaming space to encourage users to practice physical distancing and best practices to help slow the spread of coronavirus.
New releases to pick up spirits
Console gamers are in for a treat in the next few months with new PlayStation and Xbox consoles coming in November, just in time for Christmas.
The new consoles are the PlayStation 5 (PS5) and the Xbox Series X and are set to be available for purchase from the 10th of November this year.
The PS5 will be available in both a digital-only edition and the normal disc console with a new DualSense wireless controller with an all-new white design and new features (more information at https://www.playstation.com/en-au/ps5/).
The Xbox Series X is set to be available only in the 1TB model with a new, more confortable controller with a new “hybrid” D-pad and an extra button for captures during gameplay (more information at https://www.xbox.com/en-AU/consoles/xbox-series-x).
With new consoles comes new games including, for PS5, Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Forbidden Forest and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales and, for Xbox, Halo Infinite, Forza Motorspot and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
UPDATE: Xbox have announced the pricing of the Xbox Series X ($749) as well as another console to be available from November this year. The other console will be the Xbox Series S, a smaller and cheaper console compared to the Series X, with digital-only capabilities and a retail price of $499.
