Myth: Video games Lead to Social Isolation Part 1

The culture of video games has a reputation for being a nerdy, lazy hobby where gamers sit in their rooms and do nothing but play video games. Gamers are usually thought of as people who never go outside to socialize with their peers. While this may be true for some people who play games, this is far from the truth. Part 1 of this 3 part series will focus on how the Internet has impacted socializing in video games.

Internet and video games

Due to the increased accessibility of high speed Internet, gamers are able to connect and play with people from all over the globe. World of Warcraft, a role-playing online PC game, has had over 12 million subscribers at its peak (Cifaldi, 2011). The people who play this game often interactive with each other to complete missions and just to have fun.

Another interesting fact is that there are over 40 million users who have signed up for Xbox live accounts on their Xbox 360(Raby, 2012). The people who use xbox live often play games and use party chat just to talk with friends who play video games with them. Gamers are also socializing with others by using the video game consoles to watch movies, TV shows, and sporting events.

Gamers have a desire to socialize with others while having fun. Game developers know this and have increased making games with cooperative or competitive games in mind. Recent games such as Borderlands 2, Halo 4, and the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 focus heavily on multiplayer to increase social interaction between players.

I usually play these or similar games so that I can interact with friends old and new. For example, one of my best friends lives on the other side of the United States and I often turn on my xbox to play games and watch Netflix while I talk with him.  While it is great to play games with him and other friends online, sometimes its good to interact with people face to face. Make sure to check out part 2 for a feature focused on physically active video games.

References 

 

Cifaldi, F. (2011, November 8). World of Warcraft Loses Another 800K Subs In Three Months Gamasutra.

Retrieved from http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/38460/#.ULJXrIao0ZQ

Raby, M. (2012, January 10). Xbox Live users topple 40 million. TG Daily. Retrieved from http://www.tgdaily.com/games-and-entertainment-brief/60687-xbox-live-users-topple-40-million