Social Gaming (Not an Oxymoron)

The other day the point of Gaming as an Anti Social exercise was raised. As an avid gamer myself I decided to look at my own gaming habits and see how this related to me.

In this new tech culture it seems that everyone is connected to everyone else, wireless networks connect households to the greater Web and online community. My flat alone has 7 computers networked not to mention the Playstation and other gaming bits and bobs. We are constantly gaming together and it is in my experience that it brings us closer together as a small household, be it as entertainment, a source of friendly competition or a common ground for conversation.

Online gaming can be a social experience, sure there may not be the physical interaction but that is not to say there is no interaction at all.
First and foremost online gaming is a platform where instantly you are linked to others who have at the minimum, one common interest with yourself. As a stepping stone one can see gaming as a facilitator for new relationships.

For example I used to play World of Warcraft (WoW), which is categorized Massively Multiplayer Online game (MMO for short). I found myself using it not only for entertainment but to socialize, with in game chat I fount myself logging to have a chat and catch up with my Guild mates (a guild being like a player association working together for co-operative play) with the actual gaming being used as a background for this conversation. My flat mates can attest to me blabbering away into a headset talking bout the most ordinary of things and general banter in addition to game related talk. Even after quitting WoW I still regularly talk/chat to those friends I made whist gaming and regularly play other games with them.

I hardly think that games are anti social; in fact I consider games to be just another forum to meet people without the physical boarders that restrict us normally, as the Internet expands so does our interactions with the ever increasing pool of online gamers.