Counting down to midnight in online worlds

How’s this for a New Year’s Eve party? Fireworks, unlimited free drinks, and it’s open all night long.

But first, you’ll need to grab some key items on a quest through the fantasy world of Azeroth.

Thousands around the world will spend their New Year’s Eve inside World of Warcraft, just one of the hugely popular online worlds where gamers will be celebrating as the clock strikes midnight.

Cassie, who streams on Twitch as GeekyCassie, will be logging on with some of her 9,200 followers.

Previously she’s also celebrated the New Year inside RPG Elder Scrolls Online and Nintendo’s cute and colourful Animal Crossing, where you build a new home on an island paradise.

“Everyone was celebrating in the game and villagers came in and decorated the island like it was a New Year’s party.

“It was really sweet,” she says.

In World of Warcraft, Cassie remembers: “People were shooting things up in the air to make it look like fireworks.”

Festive themes have become increasingly common in online games, and many lay on special limited-time events in December and January.

Cashing in on the season isn’t exclusive to gaming, but it does allow developers to give their communities a reason to log on at a time of year when they might be distracted by family gatherings or another big entertainment release.

Anyone playing Fortnite – on an average day that’s about 30 million people – can take a break to look to the sky.

They’ll see a descending disco ball, followed by a firework explosion shaped like the game’s famous llama.

Because people worldwide play the game, these displays took place every hour, on the hour, throughout the day last year.

Cassie says it’s a really fun addition to the game, where “people just celebrate and do lots of emotes (dances) when things are going off”.

“It feels like you’re in a virtual world with loads of other people celebrating that gaming experience with you,” she says.

For anyone who hasn’t tried it before, Cassie says one advantage of a virtual party is that it can save a lot of money compared with a real world night out.

“It’s a good way to start the year, because as much as people use games to escape, it’s also a connection to other people.”

Roblox is also a popular destination, and one different celebrities and brands have used to host their own spaces.

Paris Hilton hosted a party to welcome in 2022 in her own themed world, and supposedly performed a DJ set.

RPG RuneScape and Call of Duty also have their own holiday themed events running over the New Year to see in 2025.

Not all online gaming has to take place in massively multiplayer online games either.

Johan, who lives in Malaysia, will be playing Just Dance as the clock strikes midnight.

The game, which encourages players to mimic on-screen moves to score points, is a living room favourite but Johan will be doing it on a live stream to thousands around the world.

“It’s a great experience,” he says.

“Being able to connect to so many people is an absolute blessing.”

He’s going to be raising money for a charity, Project Hope, on the stream. Anyone who donates will be able to request a song for Johan to dance to.

“I’m not the type of person who goes out clubbing or partying. I prefer being at home and chilling,” says Johan.

“I’m pretty sure there are other people who might feel the same but who might want some company.”

According to the NHS, approximately one in eight people aged between 17 and 22 said they felt lonely often or always.

Some have blamed online games for that, but streamers like Johan believe they actually do more help than harm.

“Streaming is a great outlet to connect to an audience who might be looking for some company, during a time when they might be tackling loneliness,” he says.

“It’s a beautiful thing.”

He also recognises there are plenty of people who can’t go out because of limited mobility or because it’s simply too expensive.

Twitch streamer Warwick agrees that community is one of the big reasons for going live while others might be heading out of the house to party.

Warwick, who uses gender-neutral pronouns, will be playing party games, before streaming different fireworks displays from around the world live.

It’s something they’ve been doing for two years now.

“It’s like inviting people around the world to a party,” says Warwick.

“And the great thing is there’s no cleaning up afterwards, so it’s better, I’d say.”

Warwick says New Year has become an important moment to connect with followers, many of whom might be feeling lonely or isolated.

“You may move away, you might have lost family and friends around you,” they say.

“The great thing about streaming is you can connect with so many people.”

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