HP Innovation Journal Issue 15: Summer 2020 | Page 60
GAMING
I haven’t seen
one of my closest
friends in nearly
three months.
He lives a short
walk from me, but
because of our
current socially
distant reality,
the closest I’ve
come to seeing his
face is looking
at the avatar
he designed for
the game Animal Crossing: New Horizons. When my phone pinged
with a GIF he sent me showing off his avatar’s new outfit—a suit
and a monocle—for a second, it made me feel a little closer to him
in a way I hadn’t in quite some time.
“I can’t imagine a better game to get people through a time of
isolation,” says Ken Wong, Animal Crossing fan and lead designer of
the architectural puzzle game Monument Valley. “It allows players
to visit each other’s homes in virtual space, and give gifts and send
messages to each other. All the activities in the game—from fishing
to gardening to decorating your home—are designed to be relaxing
and therapeutic.”
Animal Crossing: New Horizons launched in March and immediately
became a best seller, with 13.41 million copies sold in its first six
weeks—one of a number of record-breaking milestones in game play,
viewing, and engagement during the pandemic. Verizon reported a
75% increase in gaming data usage in a single week in March, and
viewers watched an unprecedented 3 billion hours of gaming on the
streaming platform Twitch in the first quarter of 2020.
This article originally appeared on the Garage by HP.
“Games had already been emerging as a space
for health, self-expression, and social connection
for many years,” Wong says. “I think the pandemic
has accelerated certain trends that were
already happening.”
A welcome connection
While Animal Crossing has been characterized as
“the game for the coronavirus moment,” it’s just
one very cute example of how our collective relationship
to gaming—and the type of person we
view as a gamer—has radically shifted. Far from
the stereotype of a sedentary, isolating pastime,
this uniquely challenging moment is shining a
spotlight on gaming’s ability to build social bonds
and boost mental health in trying times.
It also happens to be one of the safest ways for
people to come together during a pandemic. The World Health Organization,
which just last year recognized “gaming disorder” as an
illness, is now encouraging gaming as a healthy physical-distancing
activity with its #PlayApartTogether campaign.
Along with benefits such as improved perception, attention,
and cognitive abilities, new research has shown that gaming can
lower stress and improve mental well-being because the challenges
gamers tackle help create a sense of control and camaraderie with
others. In a recent HP OMEN survey, respondents who started
gaming during the COVID-19 crisis reported feeling nearly twice
as connected, happy, and optimistic as non-gamers.
“We’ve got nutrition that feeds our body, and physical activity
that builds our muscles,” says Judy Johnson, Director of Gaming
and Esports at HP. “Gaming has the health benefits that help feed
our mind.”
Busting the myth of the anti-social gamer
For Kelly Camarillo, a healthcare worker in Sacramento, gaming
has provided a much-needed respite. Camarillo works with cancer
patients and says that, as her job has become more stressful during
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