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BENEFITS OF VIDEO GAMES AS A SOCIALIZATION AND RELATIONSHIP ENVIRONMENT
Aug 26, 2019 | Blog, Digital Citizenship, Digital Life Skills, Videogames
Despite the fact that the popularity of video games does not stop growing day by day, many people still have a negative view of them. One of the biggest clichés still heard is that someone who plays video games intensively is someone with little or no social life.
Benefits-videogames-socialization
Nothing could be further from reality, at least in the vast majority of cases. Something that links the gamer with the world of videogames is that this form of entertainment and leisure is also a good way to have a social life.
Video games have helped many adolescents to overcome difficult times, they have been a channel for creating lasting friendships, being a critical point in the development of their communication skills. They have favored their skills for work, teamwork and, in general, they have been an inspiration in different aspects of our lives.
PROSOCIAL QUALITIES IN VIDEO GAMES
Whoever plays video games does so with at least one person, usually someone with whom they share or forge a certain friendship. Something that drives us to continue playing is being able to live experiences with people we know (or not) against whom we can "play some games" or with whom we can do our duo or premade to live adventures in cooperative mode. These experiences can be developed in competitive multiplayer games or adventure games where tests must be passed with the help of other players in platform games or to defeat the AI (artificial intelligence) that is presented as the final boss.
Another reason why video games are an environment in which to create relationships and socialize is because many of them are programmed with characteristics that reward collaboration and a good attitude between players.
The games have programmed “social” features where we can add people with whom we have enjoyed playing or connect with those we know in person to be able to enjoy a game together. Cooperative games reward good teamwork and communication to overcome challenges due to their design, where playing alone is not enough to achieve the goal or win.
Massively multiplayer games have a whole platform for social interactions, commerce, brotherhoods or clans, and chats where we can express ourselves in writing and through “emotions”. Thanks to these resources it is possible to improve the experience in games and carry out social activities.
Apart from non-violent games, we also have these prosocial characteristics in more competitive games such as Shooters, in which, through a good use of communication methods, you learn about leadership, strategy and empathy, helping all of this to obtain a increased playtime satisfaction.
Beyond the connected environment, we must not forget the events, parties, championships, clubs ... that is, other activities that seek and require the physical presence of the participants.
Perhaps the greatest evidence of the socializing component of video games is, unfortunately, that there are cases in which, due to the specific characteristics of the person at a certain moment, they are trapped in abusive use and, exceptionally, in dependency. Therefore, what is important is moderation. For a person with difficulties in their offline relationships, this context can be of great help but, due to the same circumstances, care must be taken that it does not constitute a unique context for their emotional and social life.