Ready, Set, Game

With most of us isolated at home, the lockdown has brought a number of people in front of their screens to curb boredom and stay connected

- Simi Kuriakose

For stay-at-home mom Priya Johari (31), the government imposed lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic has brought with it a new set of challenges. With no domestic help, the Faridabad resident’s day is occupied with household chores and taking care of her toddler.

Johari has started using gaming apps to destress, and now spends about an hour a day playing online games. She says, “I love playing Ludo; it’s a great way to connect with friends since we talk while playing it. If I’m free at night, I play Tambola, Scrabble Go and Monopoly with my kitty group friends.”

STAYING CONNECTED

With work-from-home being the new normal, people are slowly learning the art of prioritising and time-management. Minimal face-to-face contact with others has increased our reliance on technology. Online gaming is now touted as one of the major forms of recreation, as it allows people to stay distant yet together.

For Delhi-based Shubhadeep Guha, online gaming, before the lockdown, was just another means of killing time spent in commute. However, the 27-year-old marketing professional opines that online gaming is akin to socialising with friends before quarantine, but with the physical distancing aspect. Guha, who plays everything from Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) to Pictionary online, adds, “Itis a way of spending time with friends and feeling better about this lockdown. It is not just socialising anymore but a way of maintaining sanity.” He also says that this digital activity goes beyond competition, “Since we [friends] are communicating during a game, we share our daily experiences.”

SURGE IN GAMING