By Kellen Concentine — Reporter
The current coronavirus epidemic has forced student athletes across the country to stay in the house with no exact date to return to practice, the gym or even school.
As athletes put away their cleats they began to pick up their controllers.
Video games have been one of modern America’s pastimes for a few decades now, but the current shelter in place has given gamers hours upon hours of gameplay.
“I stopped playing video games like junior year in college,” said former SJSU forward and current Harlem Globtrotter Brandon Mitchell. “ It’s so crazy that I finally have all this time. I dusted off my PS4 and downloaded 2K.”
Video game usage in the United States increased 75 percent during peak hours since quarantine went into effect according to Verizon.
In the NBA, top players like Lebron James and Kevin Durant play NBA 2K in their free time. Here at San Jose State, our leading scorer Seneca Knight said he doesn’t play much video games.
However several players on the team do play together online according to sophomore guard Kaison Hammonds.
“A lot of us are actually playing with each other on some sort of game, which I think helps with chemistry aspect,” Hammonds said.
It is not a surprise that college students enjoy video games. A study from Pew Internet Research found that 70 percent of students play video games at least “once in a while.” So we could only imagine how many hours student athletes have played since the lockdown.
“When I was in school and stuff, I’d probably play maybe 3 or 4 hours a day,” Hammonds said. “Now I feel like I’m playing nonstop, every day almost.”
Hammonds and Mitchell are just a few of the athletes who rarely get to be at home throughout the year. Mitchell mentioned the fact that he barely sees his little brothers while on the road.
Video games are something that bring friends and family closer during times like this. In a way it taps into some athlete’s childhood.
Passing the time by hopping on the sticks and talking trash will always bring a joyful and competitive experience to a true gamer.
“Being the big brother, I’m not used to losing, especially against them,” Mitchell said.
Gamers create deep social bonds through their gameplay and maintain those social bonds for a lifetime. Being able to chat with your teammates and opponents helps speed up this process.
“Online is cool too, as long as I can communicate with the person and talk a little trash,” Hammonds said.
While playing sports games like NBA 2K, athletes can take what they see in the game and duplicate it in real life. Lebron has told the media he plays 2K to get a feel for some of his new teammates he hasn’t played with yet.
Hammonds uses NBA 2K to work on pick and roll situations in real life.
“I usually try and just read,” Hammonds said. “ That’s how I feel like I got better, off those reads and ball screens in 2K.”
Video games can be very helpful for an athlete, but they can also be distracting. The rampant use of digital devices creates an addiction to the virtual world.
Making and sticking to a solid schedule is what Hammonds does to ensure he takes care of his priorities before turning on his Playstation.
“I do my workout in the morning, then I’ll do my school work after that,” Hammonds said. “Then I’ll have the rest of the day to do whatever.”
As we quarantine, we will continue to find ways to pass the time until school and sports are both back in-full swing. Video games are a healthy way to amuse oneself. Some athletes might be good enough to play for the Esports teams when this is all said and done.
Follow Kellen on Twitter @KC_Journalism