2020 may go down as one of the most eventful years in recent memory, with everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to important political shifts – but it’s also been a big year in gaming. Microsoft announced that subscribers to their Xbox Game Pass system grew to over 10 million, Nintendo Switch sales increased over 24-percent this year, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold over 13.5 million copies in March
People looked for comfort this year and found it in the world of video games.
As this busy year wraps up, let’s take a look at the year in review with our top five gaming trends and predictions for the future.
Multiplayer Party Games
With everyone on lockdown or working from home, players are finding new ways to socialize through the gaming world. Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons was immensely popular in March and saw people hosting everything from graduation parties to blind dates through the game. On the more competitive side, the betrayal party game Among Us saw immense success and popularity on streaming platforms.
Social psychology researcher Joshua A. Quinlan says that it’s because these games help fill our psychological needs during this time.
He says that, “self-determination theory suggests that human beings have three basic psychological needs which are competence: the need to feel effective, smart, and capable, autonomy: the need to feel in control of and to be able to make meaningful impacts on your environment, and warmth: the need for social interaction, familiarity, and intimacy.” The lockdown created feelings of isolation, loneliness, and a lack of control in our environment. “When our lives create these gaps, these needs, video games can often act as a balm for our weary souls,” he explains.
Streaming
This year has been big for video game streamers as well. Twitch reports that it saw a 50% increase in gaming hours watched in April since the global pandemic has kept people at home. We have also seen the rise of Virtual Youtubers or Vtubers in the west with YouTubers taking on virtual avatars to stream games. Quinlan says that streaming is a way to socialize in a time of isolation:
“I think the appeal is that it’s like you’re hanging out with your friend. Streaming is not going away and, if anything, has gotten much more popular during the pandemic. I think it basically is an opportunity to feel like you’re engaging socially which is so limited now.”
New Generation of Consoles
The PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S have come out in time for the holiday season, but all year long Sony and Microsoft have teased and created hype for their new consoles. The biggest question people are asking this season is: which console to buy? This new generation of consoles also mean a new generation of games with improved graphics and gameplay capabilities. In the transition period, many companies are offering PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions of their games as well as new generation editions.
The improved graphics capabilities of consoles also mean needing better hardware to run it.
Big screen monitors are becoming more and more popular in this crazy time, especially in the 21:9 format. Our LG expert Senior Product Manager Brandon Kim believes it’s because it gives users more visual real estate:
“I believe this is because not only do they provide greater depth when playing games, but when you're simply browsing or writing up an email, it just gives you a lot more horizontal visual estate.” He cites the recently launched 38GN950-B UltraGearTM monitor which sold out on release.
Mobile Gaming
Mobile gaming has been an upward trend for a while now, but with technology on mobile phones improving rapidly, AAA publishers are moving to developing mobile-friendly games or even mobile versions of their titles. Mihoyo’s free open-world RPG Genshin Impact featured a mobile edition of their game at launch. Games like PUBG and Fortnite which are popular on the PC are equally popular in their mobile ports. Augmented reality (AR) games such as Pokemon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite from Niantic found popularity in the past. The company is even developing a new AR game based on the Catan board games.
Gacha/Loot Box Games
Gone are the days when microtransactions were viewed with huge negativity in the west. 2020 saw a surge in popularity of Genshin Impact which prominently features a “gacha” or loot box style system. Using a premium currency, players can roll to obtain playable characters and weapons. Despite previous backlash to games featuring similar systems, Genshin Impact avoided this negativity. Bandai Namco released the newest edition to their Tales series for mobile gaming - Tales of Crestoria - this year as well. Crestoria also features a gacha system. Could this perhaps point to a resurgence of popularity in microtransactions in upcoming games
Remakes & Sequels
2020 saw the long-awaited remake of Final Fantasy 7 from Square Enix – a remake of one of their most popular titles. With the new generation of consoles releasing, however, there are several remakes and sequels to previous franchises on the horizon. Demon Souls is getting a remastered edition next year and old titles like Vampire the Masquerade and Hitman are getting sequels after years of fans begging for a new game. This could point to more remakes soon as it would appeal to the nostalgia of gamers who grew up with these titles.
Cross-Platform & Cross-Save Capability
The advent of a new generation of consoles also means a transition period between the previous generation’s technology and this one. In the meantime, cross-platform and cross-save capability will be beneficial to smooth over the transition process. New games that have come out such as Watch Dogs: Legion and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales offer their games on both the PlayStation 4 as well as the PlayStation 5. Indie darling Hades also teases an upcoming cross-save function between its PC edition on Steam as well as its Nintendo Switch release.
Company Showcases
With everyone under lockdown and self-distancing, big media events like E3 and Tokyo Game Show either went digital or cancelled the event this year. Nintendo has taken their game announcements to their Nintendo Directs and other companies such as Microsoft and Sony have followed suit. This may lead to a continued trend in companies hosting their own showcases and presentations of their games rather than waiting for large media conventions in a post-COVID-19 world.
Cloud Gaming
Many companies are hopping on the cloud gaming train. Some of the early entries into the genre include Google Stadia and PlayStation Now, but Microsoft and even Amazon have released their competitors Xbox Game Pass and Luna. While cloud gaming services only seem to be in their infancy, we can be sure to see more companies joining the competition in the future.
The Positive Effects of Video Games
The popularity of video games has increased to the point where their image is changing in popular culture. It wasn’t too long ago when they were viewed by popular figures as having harmful messages, but a new study by Oxford University finds that playing video games can actually be good for you. Data from Nintendo suggests that playing Animal Crossing for a few hours a day can actually make you significantly happier based on a survey of players. Video games are also being recognized now as a form of art. The Tribeca Film Festival announced in 2021 they will expand their categories to include video games as a genre for the first time ever. As the popularity of games increases, their acceptance and recognition can only grow from here.
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