Games to Play During the Lockdown: Looking Beyond Killer Plague Games
The outbreak of the coronavirus virus has sparked a wave in the industry of game development and mobile apps downloads. Let’s learn how Covid-19 influenced the industry and what games are best to play during the quarantine.
Increased Game Downloads
The coronavirus pandemic stimulates the development of services for remote work, promotes the use of mobile apps for staff engagement and training, and makes healthcare experts around the world discover amazing possibilities that healthcare mobile apps can provide. Still, the gaming industry seems to get even more impact: the Covid-19 lockdown made game downloads explode.
In the middle of March, when quarantine measures were introduced in the USA, gaming at peak hours grew by 75% compared to usual indicators, while Internet traffic as a whole increased by only 20%.
People began to play games more often and even the World Health Organization (WHO), which in 2018 included an addiction to computer games in the list of dependencies, now encourages the practice. At the end of March, WHO, together with almost two dozen game developers, including Activision Blizzard, Zynga, Twitch, YouTube Gaming, launched the #PlayApartTogether campaign.
Indeed, playing games at home can help people cope with the psychological challenges of social isolation and make up for the lack of real communication during the quarantine period. Of course, what games you play matters much too.
Why Playing Plague is Not the Best Idea
Coronavirus caused the growth in the number of downloads of the game Plague Inc. Plague Inc. was released in 2012 and immediately became a hit, largely due to its unusual game scenario: player’s task is to create and develop a virus that will destroy all of humanity before a cure is found. On the background of an outbreak of coronavirus, downloads of Plague Inc. significantly increased .
This is not the first case of a surge in the popularity of the plague simulator amid a real outbreak of the disease. In 2014, the number of downloads of Plague Inc. increased markedly against the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Africa.
Still, playing the game may increase anxiety and promote wrong assumptions about the spread of Covid-19, which is why the developers of Plague Inc. discourage from using the game for coronavirus modelling. By the way, the Chinese government removed pandemic simulator Plague Inc. from app stores. The reason, apparently, is the sensitivity of the local population to the issue of the spread of a virus.
SwagSoft Lockdown Games List
During the period of social isolation, it is important to have the mind occupied, yet zombies-free. This is why SwagSoft has decided to propose gamers a better choice for their quarantine time spending: 5 games to cater to various audiences. Let’s take a closer look at each of them.
Sairento VR
Sairento VR is a first-person arcade action game for HTC Vive virtual reality devices. The game takes place in Japan in the near future and tells about a ninja who honors the ancient code of samurai. Not all clans did the same and switched to the dark side improving themselves with cyber implants. You have to destroy them all using firearms and a samurai sword.
Sairento VR is one of the best free fighting games available for VR glasses and demonstrates how far the VR has come.
One Force
One Force is a simulation game designed to raise awareness of career possibilities at RSAF. This game enables players to discover RSAF in a fun and enjoyable way. In the game, players can create their own airbase from scratch and develop their own air force — full of fighter planes, advanced defense systems, and aviators. Additionally, players can collect points and unleash more military strength when they fight with their friends. This can help attract friends to the game.
Who knows, maybe playing the game during the lockdown will make you consider the career at RSAF as a good alternative your current job.
Cardfight!! Vanguard
SwagSoft has created a mini-game to commemorate the new series of Cardfight!! Vanguard. Since the game is quite complex, you can use a mini-game to learn cards and clans or recall the game concept if you haven’t played it for a while.
Cardfight!! is a free digital card game based on the popular avant-garde card game played in more than 50 countries of the world. Online, players take on the role of Vanguard, mighty soldiers, and warring clan leaders on a faraway planet called Cray. Players must collect a deck of creatures, from fairies to dragons and dinosaurs, and then apply strategy, and tactics to beat their competitors and elevate the goals of their clan.
Masak Masak
As Singapore keeps modernizing, it is losing its kampong spirit. But this phenomenal game will take you back to its colorful seventies. This is something that every true Singaporean should experience. It’s a time-travel back to your childhood and elementary school. You can dress up like a cool hipster, know-it-all geek, or even your beloved retro superhero and become a cool Singaporean traveling in time. At Masak Masak, you can also play some of your favorite childhood mini-games.
Moneytopia
Do you know how to effectively use your hard-earned money? The Moneytopia game can teach you how you can save, protect, and invest your money to reach your aims in life. You will learn the basics of personal income and expenses, assets, and liabilities and immediately apply what you have learned. If you want to learn to cope with the difficulty of making critical financial decisions and managing your finances in the times of the looming crisis — then this game is for you.
Final Word
As you can see, the gaming and mobile app development industry are at their peak now. If you want to go beyond playing games and wish to leverage the period of the lockdown for creating one, Swag Soft is ready to invest our expertise into entrepreneurs with great mobile app ideas. Please see the details of our appreneur programme in Singapore and feel free to reach out to our team.
