People are stuck in their homes because of the global pandemic, which includes me, you, and many others. Besides the uncertainty of the situation itself, there’s another not-so-alarming question is on the horizon. “How to pass time during the lockdown?” That’s not a problem for those who can work from their home. But kids, students, and other people who don’t have anything particular to do face some quite boring days ahead of them. Gaming has always been a popular indoor activity. And now, game developers and even governments are using gaming as an incentive for having people stay indoors during the coronavirus lockdown.
Gaming industry on the rise!
Who didn’t see it coming? Apart from the medical industry, e-sports is also seeing a sudden surge. Just yesterday, Steam reported a record number of concurrent users – 22 million, which is a little higher than last week’s record of 20 million. Similarly, Twitch – a popular streaming site, also saw a 10% increment in viewership. With an unparalleled increase in the number of players, many game publishers are discounting or even giving away the game for free to encourage people to stay indoors.
A nationwide Minecraft server in Poland
In a bid to have the kids stay at home during the coronavirus outbreak, the Ministry of Digital Affairs at the Polish government has created a website. It includes a Minecraft server among other web-activities. Grarantanna has been designed to encourage children of all ages to stay productive during the lockdown while engaging in fun activities like learning about Poland’s history through quizzes, puzzles, game development, etc.
Also read: Fusemachines Nepal’s platform to get informed about COVID-19 in Nepal
As for the Minecraft server, each player (only eligible for someone aged under 20 living in Poland) will be given a 60×60 plot and other essential building materials for construction. After that, the player may construct anything of their choice. However, it must be SFW and follow other guidelines for the competition. Prizes set aside for the winners include:
- Razer Kraken Essential headphone
- Razer Deathadder Essential wired moist
- A4Tech Bloody B3370R RGB mechanical keyboard
Double XP in World of Warcraft
Blizzard is also stepping up to encourage people to say home during the coronavirus outbreak through gaming. Up until 20th April 2020, World of Warcraft players will gain an experience buff called “Winds of Wisdom“. This will increase the total experience (XP) earned by 100%, for both – Starter Edition, and Legion players.
It’s really humbling to see how health-care workers, companies, and governments around the world are working to fight the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Therefore, I’d like to request that we, as individuals do our part by taking all the precautionary measures to help contain the pandemic as much as possible.
