TRACYKING/SCEPTICALANALYSIS
OPINION
Gamer and science enthusiast Tracy King dissects the evidence and statistics behind popular media stories surrounding tech and gaming @tkingdot
O
urtimeisnow.Allofthehourswe’vespentindoors,
inisolation,onlineandentertainingourselves,have
turnedouttobeidealpracticefora pandemic
quarantine.Ofcourse,bythetimethiscolumngoestoprint
things mayhavechangedcompletely,butatthetimeofwriting,
the yearaheadingaminglookslikeoneofphysicalsolitude.
So, gamingasusualforus,butgoodbyetoshowcaseevents.
Mostpeoplewhohavebeentoagamesevent,ora
conventionofanysort,willbefamiliarwith‘concrud’,
the coldormildflueveryoneseemstogetfrombeingin
close proximitytoothersindoors.Thespreadofviruses
is exacerbatedby everyonetouching
the samestuff– fromcontrollerstoVR
headsetstodoorhandles– withnarya
sanitisinghandwipeinsight.Forthisyear,
all eventsarecancelled,butthatdoesn’t
mean doomforthegameindustry.
The firstmajorevent toannounce
cancellationwasE3,buteventhenthere
were alreadyrumoursofdifficulties,with
big namessuchasSonybailingin 2019
to avoid competing for press coverage with Nintendo and
Microsoft. While huge conventions are an industry staple for
networking, and they foster a sense of excitement through
big crowds, they’re increasingly cost-ineffective, particularly
when online gaming influencers can do so much for a brand
from home.
Instead, PR events will shift to online. Gaming showcases
can be streamed in different ways. Instead of a huge stage of
presentations to a live audience, there will be smaller, more
intimate presentations with the at-home viewer feeling as
much a part of the ‘show’ as industry professionals. That’s
the model I’d prefer anyway. Too much money is spent on
showboatingandsplashyPR,andlosingthe‘champagne
gaming’eventswillcontributetoa moregrassroots and
authenticgamingculture.Ubisoftandothershavealready
announceddigitalE3alternatives.
Atthetimeofwriting,allscheduledgamesevents are
cancelled,butconsoleonlinesubscriptionsareupandTwitch
streaminghasdoubled.TheBAFTAGamesAwardswillnow be
a streamingeventinstead.Esportseventsareeithercancelled
orpostponedinparallelwithphysicalsportssuchasfootball.
WatfordFootballClubtweeteda simulatedgameagainst
LeicesterCityinFootballManager 20 – it’shada million views.
Thissituationmightbescary,weird and
new,butsomeoftheculturalchanges will
begood.Empathycouldrise,and those
ofuswhoalreadyliveonlineare well
equippedtosupportfriends,strangers,
industryandevenscience.If youcan, sign
upforfoldingathome.org/start-folding
anduseyourgamingrigtohelpsimulate
potentiallydruggableproteintargets from
SARS-CoV-2(thevirusthatcausesCOVID-
19) – the Custom PC team number is 35947 if you want to
join us. Not least, that could help to tackle some of the weird
helplessness that kicks in after reading the news.
I have no idea what 2021 will look like, for the gaming and
tech industries, or for society in general, but I’m determined to
make the best of it. Gaming is essential for my mental health,
so I’ll continue to buy as many games as I can afford, to do my
part to keep the industry going and to keep me sane during
quarantine. There will be other ways to make up for the loss
of physical events, and if the gaming industry can weather
the financial storm of the next 18 months, then it will realise
that those huge expensive conventions aren’t needed.CANCELLED
With big gaming shows being cancelled in the wake of COVID19, Tracy King
asks if we even really need big gaming showcase events nowLosing the ‘champagne
gaming’ events will
contribute to a more
grassroots and authentic
gaming culture