Covid-19: Online gaming booms as virus lockdowns keep millions at home

Gaming traffic on Verizon’s network shot up an ‘unprecedented’ 75% in the space of a week, the US telco said recently. — AFP

HONG KONG: When two Spanish footballers took to the controls of FIFA 20 after the coronavirus pandemic saw their La Liga match cancelled, a stadium-sized virtual audience watched online.

The huge digital crowd last week is part of a spectacular boom for the digital gaming industry, as record numbers flock to online servers for distraction, entertainment and friendship with the “real world” seemingly falling apart.