Online Games Contribute to Developing Social Skills Among Gamers

The typical Hollywood cliché for a gamer is a youngster in a hoodie, rattling on his console in a dark basement. That is quite a contradiction to reality if you consider the findings of research done on gaming. For 72% of gamers in one such research, gaming is an excuse to spend time with others. That is not exactly the ‘playing alone in a basement’ scenario.  

Before online gaming, games were a medium that brought people together. People would join around at their poker tables and second-guess each other’s poker hands. Youngsters would connect their controllers to their consoles and play and banter with equal delight. 

Gaming is the Common Interest 

Studies have shown that gaming bestows a host of benefits that positively influence the gamer’s lifestyle and mental well-being. These benefits extend to social skills as well. In its 2023 Global Report, the Entertainment Software Association stated that 58% of gamers feel less lonely or isolated due to gaming. This indicates the social importance of gaming for avid gamers.

The study further observed that 51% of gamers play with other players online every week. 38% of the gamers not only play with other gamers but do so in person. When seen daily, these numbers are 26% and 15%, respectively. Add to this the fact that gaming communities are spread across age, gender, language and nations, making this social connection a universal phenomenon.

A Pew Research study sheds further light on the role of gaming in the development of social skills.  It showed the aforementioned statistic that 72% of teen gamers use gaming as a way to spend time with friends. Around 47% of these respondents even claimed to have made new friends online through gaming!

How Does It Help in Socialising? 

Gaming and its link to improved social skills have been observed over the years. Gamers have admitted to their preference for socialising through gaming and also acknowledged the help of gaming in making new friends. More in-depth studies have confirmed that these responses are based on solid ground.

Researchers from Edge Hill University and the University of York focused on the socialising aspect of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). 700 players were part of this study, with their gaming engagement ranging from one to thirty hours every week. Some of the promising findings of this study included a lower level of loneliness and a higher level of self-esteem among MMO gamers. This gaming participation also led to a heightened sense of social identity and the gamer’s strong self-identification as a member of the MMO community. 

Gaming can be seen as a catalyst for individual and broader social connections. The premise of a common interest has been a driver in building friendships and relationships. Video games provide ample scope for socialising, improving gamers’ social skills. The increased use of gaming during the COVID-19 lockdown proves this point. 

During the pandemic, millions of people turned to gaming as an escape from the loss of normalcy and a medium for socialising virtually. This aspect of gaming has, however, been true even in the pre-pandemic era. A study done by the University of Glasgow found that 69% of gamers showed improved scores in communication skills after gaming sessions. 

While the impact of gaming on social skills is evident, it would be interesting to know how gamers achieve this.

How Gamers Socialise?

For a typical gamer, socialising can be playing competitively with friends or even engaging with strangers in the virtual realm. So, socialising can be an interaction with someone whom you have just met online.

These engagements often tend to be either competition or collaboration. In multiplayer formats, gamers often collaborate with other online gamers to achieve a common goal. This also happens in popular poker apps like Pocket52 where players try their poker hands. In in-person games, gamers relish the idea of a friendly duel with their real-life friends. This has been prevalent since the days of Super Mario and Contra.

In a global survey by Unity, it was noted that 91% of gamers play crossplay games, i.e. games that can be played by different players across different devices. This leads to more multiplayer gaming and, consequently, more socialising. The survey found that 77% of gamers play multiplayer games, and 29% do so with friends.

Socialising is not only limited to devices. Gamers also throng to the increasing number of gaming events that take place across the world. While the World Series of Poker has been a popular favourite, other digital gaming and esports events like Gamescom and the Taipei Game Show are massive social events for gaming enthusiasts.

The Community Strengthens

Apart from the opportunity to socialise, games attract gamers for its inherent destressing effect. Two out of every three gamers would invariably credit gaming as the outlet for relieving their stress and anxiety. This, combined with the urge to socialise with like-minded gamers, will continue to popularise gaming as a social pastime.