A new role for gaming

Video games have long been a source of not just entertainment but also a way of connecting, communicating and sharing social interaction with friends and family members. That facet of gaming has taken on a new importance over the last two years with many people becoming isolated due to pandemic lockdowns.

Gamers have for many years been perfecting the art of creating communities around video games, but it is only since the pandemic that this aspect of gaming has become more noticed and mainstream.

In a world of mental health issues and long-haul social distancing, gamers have always been in possession of a tool that has now become some help to those who had never previously thought to make use of a gaming controller. That includes those who play the best NJ Online Casinos such as Resorts Casino, which offers many games such as blackjack, slots and roulette.

Gaming exploded exponentially in growth during the last two years, demonstrating that many people were able to find a new outlet that allowed them to forge badly needed connections during lockdowns.

Millions of people all over the world have turned to technology to fuel diversions from the tumultuous world we have been in since 2020, making use of not just video games but also the likes of Zoom chats and Netflix party film screenings.

Gaming is no longer niche

The popularity of gaming exploded during the pandemic, not just reaching people who had previously been occasional players but even those who had never played before.

In late 2020, a study by American business research firm NPD found that 80% of consumers had played video games over the previous six months.

Sales in gaming have also boomed at a time when many industries have found themselves in serious trouble.

The concept of socialization within gaming has been new to some, but of course, comes as no surprise to gamers. They have, for many years, been making use of the technology to build online friendships and stay in touch with existing friends, in great contrast to the traditional mainstream media stereotype of gamers being loners who have no friends.

The pandemic opened the eyes of non-gamers to the fact that people could be brought together by gaming, allowing them to learn about games as a form of social connection at a time when opportunities for face-to-face communication had been limited by the pandemic.

Twitch, an online site where people watch gamers play games within live webcasts and can chat with the streamer as well as other viewers, has clocked up billions of hours of viewed content during the pandemic. It has expanded its platforms beyond just gaming into book launches, music concerts and forming new gaming communities including those for veterans and LGBT gamers.

One thing that is certain is that gaming has helped both experienced gamers and newcomers to stay connected, sane and social during a difficult time, digitally maintaining relationships and communities and becoming increasingly accessible.

Even the World Health Organization believes that gaming can be crucial to help with nurturing bonds, with intergenerational gaming creating direct psychological and social benefits.