UP For Debate – Is the coronavirus good for the gaming industry?

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I’m sure you’re sick of it now, hearing about the coronavirus, I mean it’s everywhere, and it seems to be spreading across the media faster than it spreads across the population. Nevertheless, it is still an important topic because it is now starting to affect more than just our daily lives: our economies.

By now most of you will probably know about staff and employees being sent home from work in order to self-isolate themselves and prevent the spread of the virus. However this obviously has drawbacks in terms of how people will work when they don’t have access to their office or tools. We’ve seen these negative effects already in the stock market.

But now we have a rare opportunity where most of the world will experience what it’s like to work from home. We live in a digital society and most jobs could just as easily be done at home than in an office. Many games companies are sending their developers home to work, and yet they’re still able to do their jobs.

Hell, with everybody staying at home now, will we see a surge in the games industry? If I had to self-isolate, I would definitely think about picking up a new game to keep me company over the week. I wouldn’t be surprised if video games sales sky rocket over the next month or so. 

Or maybe everyone will be too sick to play games? And maybe developers will slow down on their work because they can’t meet each other face-to-face, or interact with technology back at the office that will help them progress. Maybe sending the developers home will hinder their performance and we’ll actually see a negative impact on the industry?

Either way, the coronavirus sure has disrupted our already established system, the question is whether or not it’s good or bad for the games industry as a whole. 

What do you think? Will we see a positive impact on the games industry? And a surge in games sales? Or will we see a negative impact? And less games sales? Let us know your thoughts!