The hobby of games is expanding amid the epidemic

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – PlayStation®5 is out now and rows of people are already popping up to pick up their preorders, but experts say they’re not likely lined up to play video games just for fun.

David Gurney, an associate professor at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi University for Media Studies, said video games were indeed a field of media and entertainment that had been growing for decades. But the epidemic has only increased this demand.

“The fact that we all spend more time at home, more isolated time and more time from social interaction,” Gurney said.

Gurney said video games served as a platform for people to connect with others even when they were not near them. As the pandemic spreads, people who are not traditional players, including the elderly, are realizing the social value of video games.

“Without that, it is almost impossible to think of how they will survive this epidemic while still occurring at some level of socialization,” Gurney said.

FX Game Exchange’s Scott Burgess said there has been an increase in sales at game stores across the country.

“As everything changes, with everything different, you have to spend more time at home,” Burgess said. “It’s tough to go out, you need something at home to keep you happy, relaxed and fun.”

Rene Olivarez has just chosen the new PlayStation®5 console. He said he’s excited to go home and play the game.

“There aren’t a lot of things to do, and now there’s no reason to get out,” Olivarez said. “So, I was just playing and working. There’s nothing else to do … maybe mess with it.”