C
onsidering the nightmare that was 2020,
I don’t think I’ve seen a more collectively
cathartic New Year’s celebration than
2021’s. Granted, what separates one year from
another is largely arbitrary, and many of 2020’s
problems have continued into 2021. But with
COVID-19 vaccines trickling out, we can at least
begin to vaguely imagine an end to the pandemic
that made life in 2020 such a locked-down
disaster.Hopefully, we’ll get past the mass death as soon
as possible, but we’re going to feel the impact of
this pandemic in all parts of life for years to come.
Video games exist as part of this larger world.
This young new console generation has already
been shaped by the current crisis, in some ways
we may never see. So as you prepare to wait
longer than expected for a highly anticipated
title, appreciate the great games that you can
play right now.MARCH NEVER ENDS
Predicting the pandemic’s lingering effects will
take some unpacking, but its immediate impact
on the gaming industry couldn’t be more obvious.
One minute, we were looking forward to early
2020 bangers like Doom Eternal and Final
Fantasy VII Remake. The next minute, we wereThe Pandemic Will Delay New
Games For Years, So Stop
Complaining About Your BacklogPCMag Software
analyst Jordan Minor
was senior editor for
Geek.com and a
PCMag intern before
that. He has written
for Kotaku, The A.V.
Club, and Cards
Against Humanity.COMMENTARY