Twitch has decided to cancel TwitchCon Amsterdam due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19, colloquially known as coronavirus. The viral infection spread globally over the last few months, reaching 100,000 infections this month, at least according to tested estimates. Trouble is, the delay in testing in some countries, notably the US, has led to fears that the spread of the disease is much worse than officially known, as those infected may not have been tested yet. There are also concerns over the asymptomatic spread of the disease, leading to projections that a huge number of people could be infected in the future.
These fears are somewhat speculative but have still led to a large amount of panic in the general public, including panic buying of basic necessities. For the sake of clarity, this is the exact opposite response people should be having if they hope to help contain the virus. Buying a huge supply of hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies won’t protect you as well as you think it will. These sanitation methods work best when used in consort with a mentality of “herd immunity”. This is the practice of making sure as many people as possible are protected from disease. This is the same principle behind vaccinations, and it translates to everyone needs to wash their hands regularly and use basic common sense. Having three years’ worth of hand sanitizer and toilet paper hoarded by one person makes it harder for others to have access to this stuff.
Anyway, rant over, back to TwitchCon Amsterdam. The event was scheduled to occur from May 2 to May 3 this year, but there has not been any new date announced. The organizers posted an announcement concerning the cancellation on Twitter. “To say we’re disappointed you won’t be able to enjoy the show we’ve been building for you is a massive understatement,” reads the statement, but they made the right call.
Everyone who has been impacted by this should keep an eye out on social media for information concerning both refunds and other news about the canceled event.
Gaming companies all across the spectrum of the industry are postponing or canceling various live events and conventions in 2020 as the COVID-19 crisis worsens. And this is unlikely to be the last delay or cancellation over the coronavirus this year or anytime soon. Other canceled events include GDC 2020 being nixed, as well as iam8bit pulling out of E3 2020.
