Video Games Changing Over The Pandemic
By: Joseph Kwee
April 19, 2022
Ever the past years since 2019 the pandemic has changed parts of our lives, including video games but what has changed about it the biggest question.
Made in November 15, 2021 by 343 Industries
The content of video games has changed over the time being, mostly being open world games. More on, video game creators have changed the idea of a narrow one way campaign game to an open world. For example the game Halo Infinity. The game is more of an open world for the player to move around and play with the environment, a change from its whole series of being a one way campaign game.
Along with this, the game Genshin Impact was released in 2020 being a open world video game for players to go around, do quests, collect items, and fight bosses in different locations. Mainly this aspect of open world games over the years has brought a lot of people something to enjoy. William Otto, a computer science teacher at George Washington Carver High School, who also runs the video game club quotes.
“Like, for me, I love like Breath of the Wild its a great game for me, because you can just turn it on, go anywhere you want in the game, do anything you want in the game, very beautiful graphics, very beautiful colors, the lighting is nice, everything is very relaxing in the game.”
Being so this creates a sense of relaxation and accomplishment over the past years and in which video games have been reaching for.
“We all get stressed out. And I think video games have been a nice little release. I know, for me, at least when I'm stressed out after work, I'll go home, I'll play an hour video games, whatever”
The topic of video games being violent and harmful to the brain changes to an addiction to in-game purchases. Since the start of the pandemic people are spending more money on in-game purchases mostly because of free-to-play video games. Being free-to-play, video game companies have to make a way to earn money so they created in-game purchases like currency, items or cosmetics, video game passes, and more. Video game companies take the advantage of players being able to customize their character, having them make in-game purchases to buy customization for their character. Roblox being mainly on this idea made around 500 million in 2019 to 1.9 billion in 2021.
A picture of William Otto from the staff yearbook
“Other video games are addictive to the point where people now start to spend lots and lots and lots of money on these video games” states William Otto ”consistently, where they don't even know it. And they're spending 1000s of dollars”
Closing on it, video games have changed a lot and have provided something over the years. they have helped us through tough times and when we cant do much.
“Humans are naturally competitive on some level” states William Otto.