  Humans are social beings. It is therefore not surprising that the social
distancing and movement restrictions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic had
severe consequences for the well-being of large sections of the population,
leading to increased loneliness and related mental diseases. Many people found
emotional shelter in online multiplayer games, which have already proven to be
great social incubators. While the positive effect games had on individuals has
become evident, we are still unaware of how and if games fostered the
fundamental need for connectedness that people sought. In other words: how have
the social bonds and interaction patterns of players changed with the advent of
the pandemic? For this purpose, we analyzed one year of data from an online
multiplayer game (League of Legends) to observe the impact of Covid-19 on
player assiduity and sociality in three different geographical regions (i.e.,
Europe, North America, and South Korea). Our results show a strong relationship
between the development of Covid-19 restrictions and player activity, together
with more robust and recurrent social bonds, especially for players committed
to the game. Additionally, players with reinforced social bonds-i.e., people
played with similar teammates-were more likely to stay in the game even once
the restrictions were lifted.
