The video game industry was one of the biggest economic winners of the COVID-19 era, as time spent gaming soared during lockdowns and console sales surged through the pandemic. This week, San Francisco became a beneficiary of that growth as thousands of people descended on Moscone Center on Monday for the start of the week-long Game Developers Conference, the city’s biggest convention since public health orders upended the events business two years ago.
The signs were apparent early Monday morning, as a two-block-long line stretched along Howard and Fourth streets to enter, as mandatory vaccine verifications prolonged the process of checking in, a contrast to normally quiet streets during the pandemic months. Masks were also required inside. (The state will lift its vaccine requirement for large indoor events starting in April.)
It was another sign of downtown’s…
