Video gaming companies in Japan are reporting record sales, mainly with the Covid pandemic -induced restrictions making more people seek indoor entertainment options.
Popular Japan-based gaming company Nintendo, for instance, reported record profits for the financial year up to March 2021 with net profit jumping 86 per cent to 480 billion yen, the highest ever for the company, while revenue rose 34 per cent to 1.76 trillion yen.
With more people stuck indoors found themselves resorting to online games to beat lockdown blues and remain socially distant through virtual reality.
A case in point is the Sakuragi family, which purchased an electronic gaming device during the coronavirus outbreak and has found that it helped family members regain fitness while staying indoors.
"I feel lack of exercise. The game is easy to exercise in the house, so I think I can continue," says Naoko Sakuragi.
A youngster in the family does exercises like running, jogging and push-ups, all while following instructions belted out by the coach inside his electronic game while his parents play the role of fans.
Sakuragi said, "We no longer go to the gym because of fear of infection. But now we can practice well and enjoy as well. The price of the game is lower than the cost of participating in the club."
"Other games enable families to have fun together. By connecting this device to the Internet, children can play with his friends virtually and remotely," Sakuragi added.
"All my friends like me avoid getting out of the house. But thanks to the game I can play with them and talk through the camera of the game as if we were in the same place," said So Sakuragi.
Sakuragi further stated "with its famous heroes, Japanese electronic games have entered almost every house since the 1980s, and they are now promoting their games to overcome the social distancing imposed by the pandemic."
According to Game store staff, basically, for home stay, party game, family and friends play at home are selling. In addition, online game is selling well. Electronic games are usually meant for recreation. But during the pandemic, it has also become a way to counter depression and boredom during the pandemic.
( With inputs from ANI )
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