Video Games and Quarantine

Willem Aiston
April 20, 2020

Right now, we live in tough times. Millions of people around the world are quarantined due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s safe to say that many of the isolated schoolchildren find themselves engulfed in activities to distract them from the outside world. One popular activity is video games, in which 75% of American households have at least one active gamer. One popular question asked is, what games are taking up quarantine people’s time? When you think of video games, you think of titles like Super Mario, Halo, and Minecraft. But here are a few video games that have surged to the top of the pack during the current coronavirus pandemic.

Note: The list below is not in order

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege has been a blockbuster ever since its release in 2015. According to Steam, a popular game selling software, Rainbow Six’ February sales have been blown out of the water by the March sales, increasing by over 7x over the span of 30 days. The all-time peak of players playing at one time has also been broken in the month of March when 198,576 players logged in and played at the same time. It’s safe to say Rainbow Six has enjoyed a rise in players over the lockdown.

Grand Theft Auto V

When you are isolated in your own house for months, what’s better than logging onto Grand Theft Auto V and wreaking havoc with your friends at your side? People love GTA 5. Ever since the games 2013 release, it has been a premier title even though there are games out there that feature bigger names, better graphics, etc. It doesn’t matter to some, because similar to Rainbow Six Siege, the game has hit over 200,000 players playing at one time for the first time since 2015. It also helps that GTA 6 has been leaked and players want to get their last taste of the historic GTA 5 before the new addition to the GTA family.

NBA 2K20

Due to the NBA season’s cancellation, NBA fans have looked for their basketball fix and it is safe to say that they found it. According to Xbox Game Pass’s data, NBA 2K20 is one of the most popular games on the service. I personally find this game taking up lots of my time, as it is very addicting. Recently, there was an NBA2K20 Tournament where 16 NBA players competed for the opportunity to donate $100,000 to a relief charity of their choice.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

What’s better than a groundbreaking Call of Duty Classic? This game could very well be in the game of the year talk. With the return of beloved characters like Captain John Price and Nikolai, this Call of Duty game is a must-have for casual or competitive gamers. The release of the new battle royale game mode “Warzone” only helps the game. Xbox Charts report that Modern Warfare is still the number one game played on the platform.

Fortnite

Although Fortnite has lost some of its popularity following its 2018 explosion, the game still solidifies itself at the number 3 spot on the Xbox’s most-played list behind Grand Theft Auto V and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. It continues to keep players engaged with new map changes and creative twists with the game mechanics.