Usually, during the Lunar New Year that falls in January or February each year, gamers in China have more time to play games during the holiday season. But this year, following the coronavirus outbreak, authorities decided to extend the holiday by almost three weeks in many places, leaving millions of people with a lot of time to fill.
Yang traveled to his hometown in Kaifeng, Henan province during the Lunar New Year. Upon returning to Dongguan, Guangdong, he's required to stay under self-quarantine at home for 14 days before he can return to work. Guangdong residents who didn't travel to other cities and provinces were allowed to return to work on February 9.
While the coronavirus has caused cancellations of esports tournaments throughout China, and slowed down manufacturing of video game consoles, stay-at-home activities are more popular than ever. Total game downloads on Apple's app store in China increased 27.5% year over year and revenue rose by 12.1%, according to market research firm Sensor Tower.
Douyu's headquarters is located in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, and the company's stock price dipped in late January when it announced it might have trouble with staff returning to work, Niko reported. Douyu and PUBG Mobile did not respond to comment. Yang said while he spends about 100 yuan a year on games, he knows people who aren't as frugal."My friends spend more, about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan a year," he said, about $430 to $570.