Video Games’ global market climbs to $162.32 billion

In September 2020, there was a 23% increase in video games sales in the U.S. compared to the same period last year, resulting in a net profit of $29.4 billion. While the pandemic popularity is staggering, video games have always been an immersive, downright hypnotizing activity for a multitude of reasons.

Video games provide a stimulating escape from the mundanity of real life, often where a person gets to adopt a whole new persona, go on quests and fight the bad guys. Remember how the boys from ‘The Big Bang Theory’ are obsessed with video games, for that is a world where they are heroes? A lot of video game enthusiasts experience this. This need for “escapism” stems from three basic psychological needs of human beings, i.e., the need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness explained by Scott Rigby, founder of Immersive. Video games satisfy all three of these by creating an alternate reality where you are the sole master of yourself.

Video games are also “safe spaces” for those who feel vulnerable, even ostracised by their peers, like those with autism spectrum disorders, social anxiety, or even insecure attachment styles. In the gaming world, they experience comfort, seclusion, surrounded by other like-minded people via screens without the need for false cheer and oppressive niceties of social meetings, from the comfort of their own bubble. This advantage of ‘socially distanced interaction’ is what gave video games a competitive edge over other forms of entertainment during the pandemic.

Another primary reason for the popularity of video games is their accessibility. Across kids to teens to even working professionals, from free games on the App-store to console versions, video games have evolved keeping in mind diversity and inclusion. Since people with disabilities are also highly vulnerable to social exclusion, gaming companies are now taking a step forward by making gaming consoles accessible to the differently-abled. AbleGamers is one such pioneer of accessible gaming consoles, and in 2011, they unveiled the Adroit Switchblade. Microsoft took note of this and worked with AbleGamers to create its successor, the Microsoft Xbox Adaptive Controller (XAC). “Thanks to video games, I’ve been able to make friends, experience life, fall in love, and become a part of something greater than myself– something that will last far beyond this disabled body I call home. Everyone deserves to experience virtual worlds where you can run, jump, soar and fly, just like anyone else,” says Stephen Spohn, Senior Director of AbleGamers.