HP Innovation Journal Issue 15: Summer 2020 | Page 61

the pandemic, she’s found herself spending more time playing
games she loves, like Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, and Minecraft.
“I just never thought of it as being a stress reliever until I faced
COVID and everything else that’s happening,” Camarillo says. “I
find it’s very satisfying, it’s healthy and fun, and I get to interact
with my kids more.”
Camarillo says several of her coworkers have also taken up
gaming more seriously during the crisis since, outside of work,
they’re all social distancing and home with their families. “They’re
gaming with their kids,” she says. “[It’s like] sitting down at a board
game the way you used to in the ’70s and ’80s, only now it’s the
gaming system or computer you’re gathering around to have fun.”
Kristopher Alexander, professor of video-game design, broadcasting,
and esports infrastructure at Ryerson University’s RTA
School of Media in Toronto, says the gravitation toward video
games during the pandemic has started to break down old stereotypes,
such as “that video games are for the antisocial, for
those who generally can’t integrate with society, that it’s only
for a few.”
Alexander, an avid gamer himself, says that over the last few
decades, games have become increasingly more social. This is partly
because a lot of games have made it easier and more rewarding to
collaborate in real time through joint missions and virtual socializing,
and streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming
have brought millions of spectators to the game. Alexander says
he’s seeing more people taking screenshots of the games they’re
playing and posting them on social media, allowing others to connect
and extend the conversation about similar interests even
further. For instance, in April a fan designed the online retailer
Nookazon to trade Animal Crossing: New Horizons items; the site
now has 270,000 daily active users.
Adam Lobel, a games user researcher with a background in psychology
and game design, says the games that perform best include
a social component, which is even more appealing when people’s
typical interactions have been disrupted.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people have lost a lot of the things they do
in daily life that bring meaning,” Lobel says. He points to psychology’s
self-determination theory, which posits that people are most
fulfilled by activities that meet three basic needs: autonomy, competency,
and relatedness. That means, respectively, activities that give
us control over how we approach something; allow us to improve at
something; and make us feel part of a larger whole or group.
“When it’s not clearly apparent how people can get those needs
fulfilled, video games are an easy place [to turn],” he says.
Bringing new players to the game
While gaming culture can seem intimidating to those who don’t
know the language, inside jokes, or understood “rules,” Johnson
says she’s seen the gaming community become more welcoming
of newbies as more people look for ways to connect socially, and
that many gamers are tapping into the inherent sociability of the
medium to support one another during this time. In HP’s survey,
people who started gaming during the COVID-19 crisis were twice
as likely as non-gamers to say they feel more connected to people
now than before the crisis.
“I see this as a way people are there for one another, to play with
one another, to listen to one another,” HP’s Johnson says. “People
who didn’t know each other two hours ago are asking each other if
they have everything they need. It says a lot about the community.”
Alexander says part of the positive experience for new gamers
is understanding that the environment extends far beyond just
first-person shooter games—there are gaming genres for all interests
now. He cites story-rich games like the adventure game
Virginia, the music-themed indie game Wandersong, and Neo Cab,
a narrative game that addresses surveillance and the gig economy.
There are even games centered on coping with crisis and depression,
such as Depression Quest and Radiant One. These games existed
before the pandemic, but for the many new adopters over the last
few months, they’re a revelation.
“I really appreciate that people are saying, ‘Are there games that
talk about race?’ Yes, there are,” Alexander says. “ ‘Are there games
where I can learn about coping in a crisis?’ Of course.”
As more people turn to gaming as a way to pass the time while
they’re stuck at home, Johnson says the new experiences they
discover—and the social and mental benefits that come with
them—could make gaming an important part of their lives after
the pandemic.
“Connecting with this community is just therapeutic,” Johnson
says. “It gives us an escape, and everyone needs an escape every
once in a while.”
PHOTOGRAPH BY PETER TURCOT (KRISTOPHER ALEXANDER)
KELLY CAMARILLO
Healthcare Worker
“I just never thought of gaming
as being a stress reliever until
I faced COVID and everything
else that’s happening.”
KEN WONG
Gaming Designer
“All the activities in Animal
Crossing—from fishing to gardening
to decorating your home—are designed
to be relaxing and therapeutic.”
KRISTOPHER ALEXANDER
Professor
The pandemic has broken down
stereotypes “that video games
are for the antisocial...that
it’s only for a few.”
INNOVATION/ SUMMER 2020
59