Party games in 2020 are some of the biggest smash hits, including Among Us and Phasmophobia. Their sudden fame is likely due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 is the year of the multiplayer, with party games in 2020 becoming super famous. Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Among Us, Fall Guys, and the newest Phasmophobia are some of them.
There’s a big “why” in the middle of the entire genre right now. The common denominator among said games right now is the COVID-19 pandemic.
Video games thriving in pandemic
COVID-19 is the biggest problem in the world right now. With more than 1 million deaths worldwide, it’s a frightening event that divided the world. With a more isolated society, gamers turn into one of the few things thriving under the pandemic: video games.
The video games industry is thriving, with up to a $159B projection for 2020. Among the many games that are dominating the market right now are multiplayer games. Call of Duty is getting bigger, with Valorant and CS: GO having all-time highs.
The most successful titles this year, however, are party games. Fun coop games are the highlight of 2020, with both new blood and old titles alike.
The first quarter of the year had Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It was one of the sole reasons why there was a Switch shortage earlier this year. People played it like crazy, and it is still one of the more played titles this year.
The newer titles include Mediatonic’s Fall Guys and horror coop game Phasmophobia. The weird part, however, is the emergence of Among Us.
It’s a two-year-old game that emerged from the effort of streamers and YouTubers. Likely, these party games are more famous now due to the pandemic. Many argue in support of this point.
Isolation makes people seek social interaction
No data correlates the emergence of the pandemic and the fame of party games in 2020. Even then, it’s easy to see why one would think so.
“It’s an apt point of comparison given the resurgence of party games like Jackbox, Fall Guys, and now Among Us have seen during a pandemic that’s stranded everybody in their own homes, sans the regular social interaction that keeps us all from losing our minds,” said Nathan Grayson from Kotaku.
Party games became the analog to socialization in the heavy isolation given by the pandemic. While friends can’t see each other, they can play and look for impostors or shoot each other in FPS titles. Online tabletop games have also become one of the biggest titles this year.
Party games in 2020 are gamers’ answer to the loss of social interaction. After all, humans are social animals, so it makes sense to look for new avenues of communication.
Featured image courtesy of Devolver Digital/Youtube Screenshot