Topic: The social side of gaming

Gaming has often been seen as a anti-social hobby ( or way of life for some of us ) . Single player experiences locking people up for hours or even days on end, and some games like Minecraft being endless creation tools for players.

However! Gaming has also been such a social part of peoples lives. Multiplayer matches online, couch co- op LAN meet ups, and most recently games like Pokemon go have bought in huge social gatherings at Pokestops and Gyms. There's even a Pokemon Go dating website ! Gaming despite the mainstream media way of looking at it, is incredibly sociable. This thread is for everyone to share their favorite social moments of gaming . Made new friends? Discovered new social groups? MADE NEW ENEMIES!?!?! Whatever your story feel free to share it here

My most recent story:

On day one of release in the UK I had to wait in a Doctors office for an X- Ray. While i waited 2 hours! I played some Pokemon Go, a just in range gym and some Pokestops kept things interesting for me, and surprisingly a lot of other people waiting in the surgery. So many people looking at their phones, you'd think how is this sociable? Well they may have been looking at their phones but everyone was talking to each other about the game. I had conversations with people of several different age ranges, young and old male and female. Everyone was chatting to everyone. I think that's a rare and amazing thing for a game to do, and was very impressed to see it on its first day ( well official UK day)

I think mobile phones are bloody terrible if you ask me.

Ten years ago, they were purely used for texting and making phone calls.

Nowadays they are a miniature computer that has zombified the human race.

Pokémon Go might get some folks talking, but you are still spending most of your time looking at a digitised screen.

The advent of online gaming means 'sofa gaming' is slowly becoming a relict of the past.

I might sound like an old man, and I am in some ways however, the word 'social' in the same sentence as 'games' is not what it used to be (in the good old days).

I can see where your coming from. Mobiles are horrible for making people anti social. People will sit on theirs where i work at lunch rather than chatting its sad. Pokemon go was more an example of making people sociable while doing that. Ive gone on Pokewalks with friends and thats a nice social side to it. I agree with you on online too. I miss the good old days of coach co op. However ive got friends across the country and i musy admit its nice being able to chat online and play games even when we can be in the same room. Its just annoying how coach co op is almost completely gone

Gaming is neither social nor anti-social. I have friends who would never leave homes for a walk if they do not have fellow-thinkers who share their interests. They can talk about favorite games for hours. On the other side I have an acquaintance who left in the middle of the party to catch the nearest Pokemon.
Overall I agree that mobiles and social networks often prevent a pleasant chit-chat and getting to know another person better.

Gaming is as social as you make it. I'm a pretty asocial person and my gaming habits reflect that. I don't want to play online with random strangers...usually so I either game alone or with friends. I don't buy xbox live or ps plus for that same reason (the "free games" benefit has little effect on me and I hate sony's model for it anyway) and view them as overpriced. However a social gamer may only play with buddies (usually online) and likely considers the online passes to be as vital as having a controller.

Honestly I think gaming is recognized more as s social endeavor now than ever. You get updates for when your friends are on line and what they are playing. Even when you game alone your stats are recorded and broadcasted for the world to see (achievements are so silly), and most casuals play annual franchises with a heavy online component. Shooters and Sports games. Much of the console war arguments I hear now are based upon picking the box that the majority of their friends have. While single player experiences are dying out or having multiplayer shoehorned in. While not eradicated I think the stereotype of the basement dweller male gamer is loosing potency.

@Ryu_Niiyama Agreed - it can be as social as you want it.

My fondest memory of modern-day social gaming was during a very early experience of Left 4 Dead 2. I didn't know the levels at all so had no idea where to go. I was playing with at least 2 others who sounded like they were eastern european, but spoke some basic english, and were clearly better at the game than me. Somehow all three of my in-game companions got killed and I was the only hope left of making it to the saferoom. We were all in hysterics as I kept getting it wrong and eventually got killed just yards from the saferoom door. They accommodated my uselessness, made it fun, and friend-invited me on Steam, even inviting me to join a game next time I logged in. Were I more social I could easily have established online friends there, but I can't really be bothered, so I didn't. But L4D2 man, such a great game for online coop with strangers.

It just so happens that less social people are drawn to gaming because of the enjoyment you can get on your own. So I suppose gaming does offer an easy way of avoiding socialising, but that's not a criticism in my book.

@gcunit I think that is a reflection on how gaming has become more social (which is what I was getting at but I think I expressed myself poorly) in general. Gaming is geared more now towards having online communities and playing with friends. However, when I was a kid (woohoo I am old enough to make the uphill both ways references now!) it was either local gaming (and even that had very few multiplayer games) or you gamed alone. I'm pretty certain that if I weren't already a die hard gamer I would not be able to start now...just because I would be put off by the fixation on multiplayer that seems to be in fad now. I do sometimes wish I was a bit more of a social gamer, since honestly this site is where I am the most "social" about gaming but I'm an extreme introvert and it is hard enough to get people to understand my personality in person, let alone online.

I know I make a lot of frenemies through Splatoon and Smash