The Evolution of Online Gaming into a Social Lifeline

In this era, technology has developed so rapidly. Many are competing to create new technologies to fulfill human consumption and desires, including online games. Online games are the result of technological advances aimed at human entertainment. One of the markets that become consumers of online games is teenagers.

More and more teenagers are now enjoying online games and play in order to kill time and have it become their hobbies. Moreover, online games have become part of the daily lives of teenagers. Gamers socialize with others gamers and create a sense of community and well-being. In general, friendships between gamers increases more depending on the amount you play with them. The more you play with someone else, the more likely you’ll create a bond between each other.

Online games are becoming more popular as users turn to their phones for entertainment and social activities during isolation, allowing developers to help their players through the pandemic. From the standpoint of intergenerational gaming, over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in video games from this perspective.

Brent Dance through its 2020 gaming survey mentioned this year, the uptick in spending isn’t limited to just gaming enthusiasts. We’re also seeing it with casual gamers, a segment that tends to play without serious attachment or spending. A quarter of casual gamers reported spending more money on games this year than before COVID-19. As the pandemic rolls on and millions around the world face months of social isolation, gaming continues to be a surprising lifeline. Those new players may keep on gaming even after they’re allowed to socialize in person.

Like many communities, gaming has its share of toxicity and hostility. Although some people like to be mean to others, there are twice as many people who help each other. There is great importance in relationships, connections and in the community as they found there to be social benefits from gaming throughout the generations.

Online games have become a feature in the homes of many citizens, old and young over the last several decades, transforming the home to one which now accepts video game consoles as a feature. It is important to note the unique contribution that games provide to mediated socialization. The fact that games are playful, fun, interactive spaces them from other forms of mediated communication, such as text messaging or social media.

The pandemic has not only reduced face-to-face communication opportunities, but also allowed more people to learn about games as a novel platform to get social interaction. Therefore, online games are mostly used as a means of understanding social relationships and reducing loneliness to children and teenagers.

Many platforms provide facilities to earn money by playing games, which causes an increase in the interest of teenagers and children to play games. Few people see it as a job opportunity. Online gaming is often considered a parent’s worst nightmare, but if you are an avid gamer, you can turn the nightmare into a lucrative career. All it takes to turn online gaming into a job is a desire to be creative and become a hit among gamers.

We have demonstrated how online games can play a pivotal role in various societal ecosystems from the individual digital to the larger ecosystem surrounding people who at present are exposed to various situations and interest. It can be inferred that playing online games results in a change of a social respondents, either for better or for worse. Even if they play online games the personal interaction with others are not affected. Playing games and socializing through the digital world is now common for many people, and this is part of the changes and developments of the times. For better or worse, we have to adapt and understand this change.

Sources: ThinkwithGoogle, MSUToday, Medium.com, BBC