Introduction

When arts, culture, and entertainment industries came to a halt in late winter 2020, many claimed this was the end of art as we know it. Theatre managers ran archival footage in hopes of generating revenue while seats remained empty. Artists’ opportunities to show or create non-digital work ran dry. Film and television sets were vacated, and production was put on hold. At the same time, gaming platforms and streaming services thrived. Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020) on Nintendo’s Switch became a worldwide phenomenon; Netflix traffic hit all-time highs. DJs streamed to Instagram live, garnering record viewerships. Meanwhile, friends and colleagues distanced sociality and shared cocktails on Zoom, at least until the fatigue set in. As the pandemic continues, the question of how we have learned as creators or consumers to play is far from settled. We ask: how did these industries adapt to a majority-virtual world? How did human connection change with public health guidelines in effect? Might new forms of play developed in quarantine outlive the pandemic and supplant earlier forms? What do these forms offer in terms of accessibility, equity, or inclusion? Pandemic Play takes these questions as a starting point and explores strategies, case studies, and effects of the arts gone virtual.