Gaming used to be something for me to escape from the rest of reality. I don’t have anything to escape from anymore. Now I pretty much play for the social aspect. For those of you thinking that I socialize with other people online, you’re wrong. I don’t keep any friends that I randomly meet from playing. My normal ‘sparring’ partner is my good friend. I’ll go over to his place or he’ll come to mine, and we’ll take turns playing call of duty, any number of racing games, or just some cards. Yup, I’m going to group non-video games into this.
For as long as I’ve known, games have been a part of my life. From those day long monopoly sessions with my brother to the madden series on my dad’s old 386 to the Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) that I play now. It creates conversation. Very rarely do I find myself talking about the actual game I’m playing while I’m playing it. If someone else is there, we’re talking about everything else out there, from small talk to deep conversations. The game is just a gateway to that conversation. I doubt that I’d have some of the conversations that I’ve had if there wasn’t a game involved.
Maybe it’s the need for entertainment in human nature, I think it’s more the need for companionship that drives people to play together. I doubt the video game industry would have had the success that it is having if they didn’t introduce the social aspect that is almost required to have a successful game release now.
On the other hand, the ability to play games against people that aren’t sitting right there or that you don’t have ties to has resulted in what I feel is a detrimental gaming experience. Some people just aren’t the same when their on the other side of the controller or microphone. I personally don’t see a difference in myself anymore, although I know that I used to be more outgoing when it didn’t involve me having to do it in person. Maybe a gain of self-confidence is responsible for this, who knows. I do know that I’m pretty comfortable with who I am (otherwise I’d have had a lot more comments with ‘wtf’ being the main reply) and I don’t feel the need to change who I am to play.
Time to go be in WWII (Call of Duty).
–dez