As global lockdown has came and went into everyone’s lives, most people turned to utilizing online media apps to stay connected with others while stuck at home. One of the largest growing media apps is the platform of online video games, with a huge amount of variety when it comes to meeting people with similar interests with you. Many see this as a good way to meet others, knowing that they already share a common interest in said game. While this can be a good alternative to speaking in person, parents specifically worry that an online environment is not suitable for a younger audience, and that it can affect how they behave and interact with others. I find this argument puzzling, as online voice calls and video games helped me stay occupied while stuck in quarantine, but at the same time I had already held online connections with friends for a long time, so I knew what communities I found myself comfortable in. My goal is to lay out both the benefits and detriments of online sociality through video games, and how it can alter our ability to interact.
Social media and online video games can help friends and family that already share a bond stay connected and in touch with each other. Eliminating the problem of distance allows anyone to stay up to date on what others are doing, without needing to be in person to talk to them. The connection of video games allows people to not only stay connected through speech, but to also ‘hang out’ and spend time together from any amount of distance. The ability of online games to bring together friends and be able to spend time together is one of the main ways they can help keep our social connections intact.
Online media platforms can be a great way to meet new people and branch out into different fields of interest. Video games bridge the gap even further, as you already share a common interest with other players, and are more likely to get along with them. Most online video games are team based, requiring a group of people to work together to achieve a goal. This inherently means that players that do not know each other will attempt to get along with and work together in order to win, creating a better environment for chatting with others.
Many online video games require teamwork and cooperation amongst a group of people in order to win. This format encourages players to be social, creating a friendly environment, and being helpful to each other as they play. This form of sociality can train our ability to be supportive through our speech and be able to listen and understand sharper. Some games may require a ‘captain’ figure, and can aid in producing the ability to network and be a good leader. This also includes the ability to make quick decisions and be able to weigh and balance the pros and cons of events.
Keeping in touch with friends and family through online sources can be a much easier method than seeing everyone in person, and much less expensive. Plus, staying in contact through online means can make meeting in person that much more valuable. Being able to speak to people from the comfort and safety of your own home makes you more likely to speak truthfully and sincerely. This makes keeping long lasting relationships easier, as it is fairly easy to stay in touch and communicate well with each other.
Along with gaining many social skills through the play of online video games and social media, these platforms can also provide other forms of gratification to players. Despite not being in person with others, team games can help people feel less lonely and more confident about themselves. Self esteem can be boosted and effects of depression mitigated through contact with others, even if complete strangers that you would not speak to again. Spending time with others and playing games can lead to a higher level of self confidence and feeling of social competence.
As much as we like to imagine, no place or community is perfect, and there sit many blemishes that can tarnish the emotions of others. Many people don’t intend to express themselves in a hurtful way online, but find that they do it as a manner of releasing emotions pent up. Others see online communication as “risk-free,” where they can say whatever they want without any real risk. They see their phone or computer screen as a safe way to say anything they want, and it is very important as a user to notice and avoid people that would otherwise impact you negatively. This is one of the main staples given to the internet, that it’s a mean place where no one cares about what you directly think, but nowadays that crowd is a small portion of communities.
One big worry of parents is that their children will be influenced by video games in a negative way, be it by playing violent or inappropriate games for their age. A similar concern comes from using social media or video game chats, as a child may see a group of people acting one way and absorb their tendencies. This problem also branches out into the idea of ‘trends’ and attempts at gaining popularity by doing what others already see success with. Parents wonder if too much exposure to the media in this manner can alter how their child acts for good.
Online video games and the communities anchored into them can be a welcoming place for people to converse with each other about similar interests. They can also serve as a way to retain connections with friends or family without the barrier of real life distance. Video games can be used as a way to train ourselves how to interact with all varieties of people and understand how to problem solve. But, not all communities are welcoming places, and it is important to know the signs of when a discussion is likely to be harmful to others, and to avoid that behavior.
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