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Esports Industry Steps Up In The Battle Against COVID-19

The last year boosted the gaming and esports industry to a great extent. It opened new opportunities for gamers, esports players and streamers in esports. Something that the niche market had been struggling for years, happened due to the unfortunate arrival of the pandemic. 

Loco, a live game streaming platform, that helps professional and aspiring gamers to stream their games live. Taral Patel, Head of Esports, Loco, says, “The pandemic was unfortunate, but it caused a significant rise in the number of people playing games, to be precise, the number of people playing games at competitive level. There were close to 20-25K gamers participating in a single tournament.”

Undoubtedly, the pandemic has boosted the esports industry, but on the negative side, it had adverse effects on mankind. 

Though the esports community may have been deprived of its long standing credit, in a time of crisis, the esports community stood-up to help those affected. The esports fraternity has done everything in its capacity to help the nation in such a difficult time. 

Parv Singh aka Regaltos, a popular esports player, who participated in several charity live-streams, said, “Content creators, big or small, can help out in so many ways. It does not matter if you have 1,000 followers or 10 million followers. In times of such crisis, reaching out to people through relevant and timely resources is the least I could do. I used social media platforms to amplify SOS calls of patients across Delhi and Mumbai. I also donated to COVID-19 Relief Services in India.”

ALSO READ: Online Gaming Community Lends A Helping Hand During A Crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic did cause a financial void, but was money the only resource required during these testing times? “The contribution need not necessarily be monetary in nature. It also includes creating awareness among the audiences regarding the things that need to be done or precautions that need to be taken during these times; keep checking on one another; connect with one another,” Patel highlights. 

Dr. Mitsu Chavda, an esports lawyer, who volunteered at a COVID-19 isolation centre, says, “I strongly felt that youth should come out and volunteer, but that was not entirely possible. I got vaccinated early but still there was always a risk of getting infected by COVID-19. So, I met the doctor in-charge and started volunteering. I feel like I have been a part of those COVID-19 patients’ journey of survival. I had to see a couple of unfortunate moments too, but overall, at the end, there were a maximum of happy faces that left the COVID-19 center after recovering, showering us lots of love and blessings.”

A year that hit us like a vigorous lightning and caused immeasurable loss of lives, it certainly brought out humanity and sensitivity from every nook and corner of the country. We appreciate and acknowledge the efforts of the esports fraternity in stepping forward and doing their part.

Read more about the esports industry’s endeavors against the pandemic in Gutshot Magazine’s June 2021 E-magazine.

For more news and updates, keep reading GutshotMagazine.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Telegram.

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