Anderson 1

Brandon Anderson

Emily Litle

ENG 1021 002

12 March 2023

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201215-how-online-gaming-has-become-a-social-

lifeline

The impact of covid on society as a whole, will need to be researched for many years.

Lack of interactions with family and friends, led many to become depressed and even more

withdrawn. Online gaming was one way that gave everyone an opportunity and the ability to

stay in touch with family and friends, as well as meet strangers, and even find love.

Online gaming, and often gaming as a whole, was given many negative connotations.

Some being that those who play often, are lazy and anti-social. For many years the way gamers

were referred to, was at the level of bullying and harassment. Gaming is a way for certain

personality types to be just the opposite of what others had termed players. You interact with

way more people during game play and exploration than you would in a weeks time in normal

daily work and living. It was mentioned how those that would be considered outside of the

general age for play in certain games, became a door for many to interact with their

grandchildren during covid. While they couldn’t visit them in person, they could still video chat.

It also changed the dynamic of the communication. Many platforms for social media, are just a

video chat. It is normally trying to catch conversation happening, and keeping the focus of

those on the other line. This afforded more than just talking during the interaction, but
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something to do together. It would be similar to visiting someone and playing a game of cards

or putting a puzzle together, instead of the same old boring talking.

If the grandparents and other family who didn’t speak enough of how helpful it was

having this outlet, the gaming companies spoke for us. Billions of dollars in revenue were

created during the pandemic for them. Again reaching well beyond the typical genres they

have in their fold. It was stated that there was a revenue increase over eighty percent for just

one company. The reach crossed not only age lines, but cultural and racial as well. To the point

special forums were created so those of the black and female community, so protections

against racism and sexism could be addressed. These I am sure were problems before covid,

but now had a more impactful statement, as many were joining online gaming for the first time

ever. It gave them a way to connect. As the money kept rolling in, and algorithms were

watched, additions to games and game play included those of different walks of like that were

not common before covid. I know it was good for their pockets as a company, but in this

instance where it would normally be looked down on for a company exploiting a situation, this

one was met with open arms by the community. This brought joy and much needed

connection for people around the world during the lockdowns. In a time where people were

loosing hope because toilet paper was sparce, some of that stress could be taken away. They

know that after dinner that night, they would be able to play and “hang out” with their friends

and family.

This also brought the perspective of how similar online gaming is to real life. I

mentioned in the last paragraph how a special forum to protect and inform those of a specific

category was set up. The fact that there can still be toxicity, is then relative to general every
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day life. Hate and dislike for others was still spread in the community. Also that though it was

an outlet and a way to see those you play with and stay in touch, you are essentially still

trapped behind a screen. The realization of that adding some stress. It makes me wonder

about eye damage statistics. Though there was negatives to the gaming, it brought happiness

and joy for the majority of it. People got to meet strangers from all over the world. Creating

new bonds and friendships. Some of these relationships going many steps further. Not only

were connections made, people fell in love with one another. Of course since the ability to

have formal functions and activities in person were restricted all the way down to funerals,

weddings then took place online. Some of them inside of the games they played. Something

looked down upon outside of a pandemic, brought someone a lifetime of joy during it. I think

that is ultimate irony. I agree with the direction of the author. I do not play video games often,

and rarely online. I have lots of friends and family that do, and see how many of them were

able to still kind of get together, through gaming. I don’t want to go in to a lockdown situation

again, but if we do, I feel I would give it a go. There is no harm since these games and the

forums have a strict admin guard and the rules are generally followed, and of course, enforced.