For a long time, computer gamers were viewed as antisocial and the playthings of introverts. The stereotype widely shared was of the teenager sitting in a dark room playing soul-destroying games on their own for hours on end. With the advent of cloud computing and the simplistic nature of sharing and virtual gaming, chat rooms, and social media related to specific games, there are entire tribes online related to specific games. The gamer has become more social than ever before and here is why:
Playing Together
Gamers now play in the same game together, in teams or against each other, and are able to converse both in the game and in the real world. It’s a social activity and whether it’s just the avatars that you get to know or the actual players, there is definitely still a process of personal interaction and sociability. Popular gaming culture has spread across entire continents and people from anywhere are able to converse and find things in common. Multiplayer universe games have become some of the most popular games out there because of the ability to go on adventures together as a team or to visit jackpotcity together and play the same games, while all still in your own rooms.
Gaming is the new social media
Watching others play or having an entire social media infrastructure designed around the game within which both actual players and game avatars/players are able to interact, discuss the game, and share tips and cheats is now commonplace. Entire forums and chat rooms have been set up around the game and this is where the idea of online tribes has developed. Gamers who may never meet in real terms but spend most of their time together playing a unifying game.
Stress release
Playing games that become familiar and present a means to disengage with reality are proven means to release stress and calm the mind. As long as the competitive nature of the game is not always front and center it will provide a means to relax and destress. The ability to do this together, with those that you game with has come to mean much to many and provides a greater sense of engagement and togetherness, which in itself goes a long way to reducing stress.
Perhaps one of the reasons for the social changes in gaming is that the statistics have started to change as well. There are now more female than male gamers and this is a growing trend and although. The professionalization of the gaming industry is another reason why gaming has become as social as it has. Large crowds now gather to watch their favorite players and the entire atmosphere is a shared experience and this has served to take gaming out of the shadows and into the mainstream of social life.
Regardless of the reasons, social gaming is here to stay, it’s a fantastic way to interact with other gamers and to stay abreast of any developments in and around your favorite games.
