Social Online gaming
Social gaming most commonly refers to playing online games that allow or require social interaction between players, as opposed to playing games in solitude. (Wikipedia) I must admit I am not part of the 47% of females that play video games, or have partaking in an online social gaming community but I do remember a time when my husband would stay up late at night playing Gears of war against complete strangers in various parts of the world. By playing online games, one can forge new friendships with people in different countries that they might never have met otherwise and engage in âincredible collaborative environmentsâ together (Alexander, 2014).
We humans are playful creatures and gaming provides achievements to the gamer in such forms as rewards, status, competition, and online social collaboration with other people that share the same hobby or interests. They become part of a community and interact in real time, even partnerships, with people they wouldnât have been able to connect with or feel comfortable in everyday life (Cole, Griffiths, 2007).
With the ease of access to technology and the internet in the 21st century, an online gamer can connect their console or their social profile to internet for instantaneous access to online social gaming communities. In many countries online gaming is tied to youth culture (Jin 2010)Â What blows my mind is the MMORPGs (Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games) the virtual realism of online games is quite impressive. In MMORPGs, users compete and collaborate within a virtual universe, often forming âguildsâ, and begin to work together to achieve shared goals within the game. One such game as the Chronicles of Elyria is named one of the top MMORPGs games of 2018. Which provides a dynamic changing environment relative to a gamers decision and selections. Where a world is run by players, just one of the many few.
source:Â https://youtu.be/h_ZG22ckzB0
One of the key affordances of use of online social gaming, is the creation and governance of rules within gaming communities. âGame rules are used to establish a field of interaction at once familiar and strange, a deliberately differentiated site for competitive, social, cultural and commercial exchangeâ (De Zwart et al. 2014, p. 77). Â
While gaming can be seen by most as a harmless way to spend oneâs time, it can be quite addictive as well. There have been many relationships that have fallen due to how much time one spends online. Which raises concerns on how the real world is seen and behaviours such as anti-sociality. Though they may feel they are not alone as others are online playing. I feel with the stresses of everyday life, some people become gamers to escape reality or the stresses of life and create a world they can control. Doesnât sound so bad to me but can be an issue when a sense of realism is lost.
ref
Alexander, L., 2014. Are multiplayer really all that social? https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/what-would-social-video-games-look-like-gamers
Cole, H, Griffiths, M, 2007. Social interactions in massively multiplayer online role-playing gamers. Pg. 575-583, Vol 10, Issue 4.
Jin, D.Y., 2010. Koreaâs online gaming empire. The MIT Press.
This is a really interesting post. I particularly liked how you discussed both the good and bad sides of social gaming in relation to social anxieties. Social gaming can be great for people with depression and/or social anxieties however (as you mentioned) it can so easily spiral into an addiction and completely recluse from society. I think you might find this article interesting as it looks at how online gaming can turn into a harmful disorder: https://www.anxiety.org/social-anxiety-disorder-can-lead-to-addictive-online-gaming














