Gaming is gaining popularity in China due to corona virus

According to a CNN report, Chinese are increasingly turning to gaming to cope with forced quarantine due to coronaviruses.

The COVID-19 virus or coronavirus has greatly impacted life in China over the last few weeks. Many are ordered an extended vacation after Chinese New Year, and public gatherings are generally avoided. A direct consequence of these preventative measures has been the rise in popularity of gaming and video game activities, CNN reports.

The Honor of Kings mobile game recorded record growth on a daily basis for active users, while on the Douyu streaming platform, games like PUBG and League of Legends were twice as likely as in the same period last year.

Game publishers were reluctant to respond to CNN inquiries, but it is clear that this situation suits them somewhat, so for example, some Netease publishing companies switched to F2P format during the second month to attract players. One of the reasons for such moves is the fact that almost all esports competitions are canceled in China until the fourth month, including the LoL Pro League and Overwatch League.

In an interview with CNN, several interviewees said that the games are good for them in this situation. One thus claims that video games are a useful distraction because they keep him away from news of coronavirus, whether true or false. Others say video games are great for stimulating conversations.

"Given that we are at home every day, our topics of discussion are very limited. We quickly run out of things to talk about with others. But if we play games together, we have more to talk about. It's a better way to keep in touch. " Jiahui Wang told CNN.