Many adults who aren’t into gaming, or aren’t really following gaming culture, are concerned about their kids who spend too much time playing online. Games are now played on PC, consoles, and mobile, so it’s safe to say this content is more accessible than ever. Many play as a form of escapism, or to help them cope with everyday problems, but we have to acknowledge that this hobby is so much more. It’s not a form of isolation, it’s an incredibly social experience, and it even became our social lifeline during lockdowns. So, let’s examine factors that had an impact on this development.
We Use PCs and Phones All the Time
The way most modern jobs work has resulted in people spending more time on their phones and PCs. We even saw that working from home is entirely possible, and it doesn’t feel as isolated as we originally believed. Zoom meetings, project management tools, and messenger apps are constantly active. Even when we are taking a break we are online browsing short videos, gifs, or memes.
In other words, these devices are already a strong connection to the outside world, and we prefer to do social activities or simply exchange experiences while browsing the web. Once again some are concerned about this development mainly due to the lack of physical activity, but being on the internet for a long time isn’t necessarily bad. It’s really what we do with that time, or what content we consume, that makes it bad or good. Moreover, all of the communication apps that we use to communicate on are typically active in the background while we are playing games. In other words, we are constantly talking to our friends or teammates.
Play and Win Money
Some of the most popular mobile content is online casino slot games. These aren’t really social experiences, but as mentioned people aren’t necessarily communicating with one another on the topic of the game they are playing. The online gambling hobby is also about sports, which is an endless topic of discussion. Players often talk with one another about where to find legal game platforms and the best online casinos that payout big winnings. They are interested in winning real money of course, and they also love to share their gameplay experience on different mobile casinos. They might even play social casino games like bingo or poker.
Online Multiplayer Games
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The number one reason why games become more social experiences is the Internet. The infrastructure that can support bigger games and big cooperative gameplay became available, and developers tried to create titles that will incorporate that into gameplay. Before we had LAN connection but it only allowed for players to coordinate locally, or connected PCs that are in the same room. Now we have mobile games where users from different countries are all playing together.
This is something that players really appreciate, and it really gives them a chance to utilize their social or organizational skills. If someone is more talkative, knows how to diffuse a tense situation, and how to communicate a plan of action, he can really be a leader in the virtual world. However, it’s also worth pointing out that online gaming communities can often be toxic. In fact, we are more likely to have an unpleasant social experience online rather than in the real world.
The people we talk to are very far away, and we don’t see those connections as valuable as some of the other bonds. Moreover, people are anonymous and don’t have to fear that offending someone might come back to haunt them. So, a great deal of players don’t mince words, and they don’t care if they offend others.
Conclusion
Even if games have become our new social lifeline, it doesn’t necessarily mean we get healthy interactions. As mentioned, playing with strangers online can be quite a bad social experience. It’s also worth pointing out that most cooperative and competitive games have a male audience, and this is where toxic behavior is more frequent. Women players simply don’t tolerate a toxic environment as much, and it can be a big deterrent for them. However, there are plenty of social online games that aren’t competitive and significantly less toxic like Animal Crossing and Minecraft.
Carla Davis is a professional writer and digital marketer, who closely follows the latest developments in the iGaming industry. She loves to cover topics related to online casino games, poker, and sports betting, and gladly plays all of the new slot releases. Carla enjoys video games like Animal Crossing, World of Warcraft, and Horizon Forbidden West.
