In an age where the Social Media dominate the internet, where globalization has become just another commonly accepted fact I state that competitive gaming is now more social than ever. I have always considered gaming a social occasion and have met many interesting people through all my travel I have done with gaming. Some may argue that without the travel and the events competitive gaming wouldn’t be so social at all but I would strongly disagree. The core of the matter is that you can allow gaming to be as social as you want and if you allow for it, it can probably be equally social as going out with friends or hanging out at the pub. The social contact you can make with gaming is ever increasing and from my personal experiences travelling across the globe you can have more social contact with gaming then you would ever imagine possible.
However there is a little catch attached, if you don’t allow gaming to become yet another social tool the amount of social contact you will gain will be minimal to none. Just consider someone that goes to the pub alone only to have a beer, sit in the corner and not talk to anyone. How much social contact does he have? That’s right, virtually none. The same person in an online game would not associate himself with a team, respond to ingame chats and just sits at home fragging away at his PC. What you do both online and offline depends on the type of person you are and if you are outgoing, social and fun there is a good chance that this is how you will be perceived when gaming online and will thus lead to more satisfying social contacts during gaming sessions.
In an age where the Social Media dominate the internet, where globalization has become just another commonly accepted fact I state that competitive gaming is now more social than ever. I have always considered gaming a social occasion and have met many interesting people through all my travel I have done with gaming. Some may argue that without the travel and the events competitive gaming wouldn’t be so social at all but I would strongly disagree. The core of the matter is that you can allow gaming to be as social as you want and if you allow for it, it can probably be equally social as going out with friends or hanging out at the pub. The social contact you can make with gaming is ever increasing and from my personal experiences travelling across the globe you can have more social contact with gaming then you would ever imagine possible.
However there is a little catch attached, if you don’t allow gaming to become yet another social tool the amount of social contact you will gain will be minimal to none. Just consider someone that goes to the pub alone only to have a beer, sit in the corner and not talk to anyone. How much social contact does he have? That’s right, virtually none. The same person in an online game would not associate himself with a team, respond to ingame chats and just sits at home fragging away at his PC. What you do both online and offline depends on the type of person you are and if you are outgoing, social and fun there is a good chance that this is how you will be perceived when gaming online and will thus lead to more satisfying social contacts during gaming sessions.
It's a nice topic, Friendship in gaming. Well written.
It really hit home for me about a month ago how vast my social groups have gotten from gaming, while playing MW2.
I was playing with guys from my COD4 team when MW2 first came out and I invited in a friend of mine and they asked "how do you know him". I went on to explain that I once played in a team called RFC in Joint Ops where I met a player called Wheller. He went on to be a part of a social group comprised of my high school friends, his high school friends and other players we'd connected with during our time on Joint Ops, CSS, BF2, WoW etc and we all hung out in a Teamspeak server together.
After knowing Wheller for a while we met up to watch Crewe Vs Stoke. I brought along a school friend and he did the same. This was when I met Kitchen (Mike Hitchen, lol sick name :D) He was a sick CSS player and he became one of our big group of online friends.
We as a group went to multiple CLUK Lans (CLUK 11 was the first I think) and continued to play games online together.
Years later I've met them all many times and in that process have met their families too. Kitchen's sister is now engaged to a lad called Sean or 'Smez' who was the guy I had invited in to play MW2.
As I explained this to my COD4 mates It really put into perspective how my social group had gone from meeting one player on Joint Ops over 5 years ago, to knowing his friends, their friends, and their families to the point where I'm good friends with - Wheller's Friend's Sister's Fiance. lol, Feels strange to say it like that because really, he's just like any other friend.
I want to keep writing about how our social group now means a lot more than gaming and how we've been abroad on holiday together (Not Lanning, Ibiza :D) but this wall of text is already too long. So yea... Overall, great read and really got me thinking. Thanks :)
EDIT - Also wanted to add that to put it all in perspective even further. I'm now playing in a COD4 team with Icharus. Who was in that same Joint Ops team with me and Wheller so many years ago. It's mental really. I love gaming! :D
I personally cherish the moments I had traveling to the US, Korea and all across Europe going to gaming events or gaming related events and meeting the people I have played with online for so long. One could argue that I’m a special case (no argument there) but even when I was not so familiar with the gaming scene I spent around £300 traveling to i17t
No offence tho, but your at tek9 lol. Correct me if I'm wrong but you guys we're sponsored by several company's what makes it possible to travel to the US, UK, or .. (name it). I prefer coming to the pub/disco/or chilling at home with some friends and socialize with others and spend 50 euro's(?) then I go a weekend away and socialize with some other game people for 300(!) euro's.. (its not realistic for everyone to spend 300 euro's, you stating it like its nothing)
I think a friendship with 'real life' friend will hold longer then a friendship with your 'game/team friends' that maby life 50/100 km from you, or maby in a whole different country?
But yeah at the end of the day you're socializing.. I just prefer to socialize with people that live near me.
Just my oppinion.
I did spend nearly two years paying not only for my own travel but investing into TEK9. Sponsors came in the picture at a later stage but weren't always enough to fill the gap.
Yeah okay.. I totally agree with your story.
I just think the friendships with your game mates are not long term friendships like you could have with people from school or your football team etc.
I also only stated my thoughts/oppinion about it.
I guess it totally depends on where your interests lay, personally I dont want to invest money in this kind of things.
But I've respect for what you've reached with TEK9 and totally no problem with people that want to invest there money in this kind of things ;-)
well i agree with both here, i am going to cic7 with 4 guys i have never met, its going to be an excellent experience in my eyes and im paying for it out of my own pocket. but i feel its worth it as months of playing online with these guys has made me want to meet them in "real life" and have a laugh.
but like you say everyone cannot afford this and i barely can but if it is worth it one time id be willing to work my ass off and earn some more cash to be doing it again!
as in the article its down to you, how social are you willing to be? me personally i dont care that much about my cash so im willing to be a little silly and pay 400 odd euros to go over to holland and stay for 3 days cos i beleive that it will be a worthwhile social experience!
You totally missed my point..
If that didn't care why you dont take your friends with you to space then?
*answer*: Because you dont have the money for it.
Why wouldn't I go to a lan and invest money in friendships with game players?
*answer*: Because I wont invest my money in that kind of friendships even though I have the money for it, I'm just not interested in that kind of things like lans etc.
Once again.. I only stated my thoughts about it.
Volgende keer eerst wat beter begrijpend lezen voordat je hier gaat posten Freek
I don't mind speaking to people who also game that i know about playing CoD4 in teams and stuff but it's nothing to do with my views on it, it's the social view that it's unpopular and unsocial, in particular.
I'm not ashamed of it but I'm not going out of my way to tell people that i play CoD4 in teams and to be grouped as socially inadequate. I just like to keep my online life separate, excluding playing at LANs and such which I would attend if I wasn't skint
using lans to meet the people youve come across online is a good way to think about it, like ares said, lans were there as a social gathering in the first place, people need to realise that :)
Good read, I'm not ashamed to admit I've made some fantastic friends through gaming. People like Tim Denton, Adam Cheshire, Will Nye and Nick Carpenter are some of the safest guys I've ever met.
4. You are thrown in a world where race, sex and nationality do not matter anymore
For me one of the big draws to online gaming is the variety of people you can meet online. You can be chatting to an American player whilst fragging away against someone from Scandinavia and setting up a friendly FIFA game with your college friends.
Totally agree, I met once two guy's I used to play in css mix with close friend from school, they went several time to our place and we had lto of parties with our other friend and it always ended up nice. Though now it's been one year without seing each other maybe we are both to busy!
In the same time i have been gaming with the same people for the like of 5-6 years due to school, work and lack of money i never had the chance to met them all but sooner or later we will rent a house and have one full week of beer and fun together !
Though i never went to lan for the same reason but i hope someday i can do it to meet some of the player i enjoyed mixing with ;) !
I dont agree with this, ppl that have more online friends than real one are those who failed at life somehow and got into an online community just not to stay alone and still have some kind of social contacts. This tend to be boring as fuck as they dont go out because their online friends are way too far away from their place to hang out and chill with girls, drink and stuff. Surely, I'm gonna get flamed for my opinions but it is a fact, and the time has come for you nolifers to get a life.
your the one posting online about this, showing that you actually care enough to spend your time reading this! does this not infact make you one of what you think are these "no lifers"?
and i go out all the time with people i met through a gaming society at university whilst going out with my old school friends to ... so to be honest fuck your life. please go and get laid instead of flaming others for not?
2. It's not a fact at all. It is, as you said in the same sentence, your opinion.
I started gaming online because I enjoyed the idea I was playing games (Which I enjoyed doing anyway) againt people all over the worl, that intrigued me. I didn't feel lonely and ddin't feel I was lacking social contacts either.
I have online friends. I have Local friends and I have lots of friends around the country who I met online and now I'm as good friends with them as I am with my more local friends (School, College, Uni). As a result I'd say the amount of online friends I have is larger than my loca friends. But I don't seperate them like that they are all just friends.
Saying that you only have more online friends because you fail at life is fucking stupid.
I don't understand how you can compare your ''online friends'' with real life friends. I mean if u meet those ''online friends'' almost each day then you can call it friendship through social media or whatever, but going to LAN's and meet some people and talk with them on Xfire has nothing to do with social contact. Social contact is going out with your friends, doing things with your friends etc and learning things about life. Not talking to 50 persons on XFire or meet them once @ LAN's. Im also gaming many times, but you can't compare mine friends that I have met online, with mine real life friends because their priority in each thing is a much different then those online friends. I mean I talk with online friends to, but seeing that as a social grow in my life isn't clever. You need to cross a line between social media and real life social contact and learning important things in life. Going to LAN's or something you can see it as going to a party with friends, but I wouldn't call it a Social Highlight. Going to a party with friends is not the same concept as gaming with friends, surely you can game with your friends but if you do it always, I would rather go to a party or somewhere else where you can meet nice girls ;)
PS: Video game addiction, or more broadly video game overuse, is excessive or compulsive use of computer and video games that interferes with daily life. Instances have been reported in which users play compulsively, isolating themselves from, or from other forms of, social contact and focusing almost entirely on in-game achievements rather than broader life events.
lmao so you call '' The Party 7 '' with more then 1000 people not a LAN ? ^^ I participated in several LAN's, but still you must accept the fact what I wrote above ;) gl anyways with your life
I agree with you on the 'real life' stuff, even more while you play a competitive game when you can meet people.
Some people need to see the first reason of lans: meet people, too much ppl whine because they have to pay to attend or that the cash is too small.
good read
It really hit home for me about a month ago how vast my social groups have gotten from gaming, while playing MW2.
I was playing with guys from my COD4 team when MW2 first came out and I invited in a friend of mine and they asked "how do you know him". I went on to explain that I once played in a team called RFC in Joint Ops where I met a player called Wheller. He went on to be a part of a social group comprised of my high school friends, his high school friends and other players we'd connected with during our time on Joint Ops, CSS, BF2, WoW etc and we all hung out in a Teamspeak server together.
After knowing Wheller for a while we met up to watch Crewe Vs Stoke. I brought along a school friend and he did the same. This was when I met Kitchen (Mike Hitchen, lol sick name :D) He was a sick CSS player and he became one of our big group of online friends.
We as a group went to multiple CLUK Lans (CLUK 11 was the first I think) and continued to play games online together.
Years later I've met them all many times and in that process have met their families too. Kitchen's sister is now engaged to a lad called Sean or 'Smez' who was the guy I had invited in to play MW2.
As I explained this to my COD4 mates It really put into perspective how my social group had gone from meeting one player on Joint Ops over 5 years ago, to knowing his friends, their friends, and their families to the point where I'm good friends with - Wheller's Friend's Sister's Fiance. lol, Feels strange to say it like that because really, he's just like any other friend.
I want to keep writing about how our social group now means a lot more than gaming and how we've been abroad on holiday together (Not Lanning, Ibiza :D) but this wall of text is already too long. So yea... Overall, great read and really got me thinking. Thanks :)
EDIT - Also wanted to add that to put it all in perspective even further. I'm now playing in a COD4 team with Icharus. Who was in that same Joint Ops team with me and Wheller so many years ago. It's mental really. I love gaming! :D
edited 2010-02-26 11:32:07
No offence tho, but your at tek9 lol. Correct me if I'm wrong but you guys we're sponsored by several company's what makes it possible to travel to the US, UK, or .. (name it). I prefer coming to the pub/disco/or chilling at home with some friends and socialize with others and spend 50 euro's(?) then I go a weekend away and socialize with some other game people for 300(!) euro's.. (its not realistic for everyone to spend 300 euro's, you stating it like its nothing)
I think a friendship with 'real life' friend will hold longer then a friendship with your 'game/team friends' that maby life 50/100 km from you, or maby in a whole different country?
But yeah at the end of the day you're socializing.. I just prefer to socialize with people that live near me.
Just my oppinion.
edited 2010-02-26 13:19:14
I just think the friendships with your game mates are not long term friendships like you could have with people from school or your football team etc.
I also only stated my thoughts/oppinion about it.
I guess it totally depends on where your interests lay, personally I dont want to invest money in this kind of things.
But I've respect for what you've reached with TEK9 and totally no problem with people that want to invest there money in this kind of things ;-)
Nice article btw :)
edited 2010-02-26 15:53:32
but like you say everyone cannot afford this and i barely can but if it is worth it one time id be willing to work my ass off and earn some more cash to be doing it again!
as in the article its down to you, how social are you willing to be? me personally i dont care that much about my cash so im willing to be a little silly and pay 400 odd euros to go over to holland and stay for 3 days cos i beleive that it will be a worthwhile social experience!
edited 2010-02-26 14:29:02
If that didn't care why you dont take your friends with you to space then?
*answer*: Because you dont have the money for it.
Why wouldn't I go to a lan and invest money in friendships with game players?
*answer*: Because I wont invest my money in that kind of friendships even though I have the money for it, I'm just not interested in that kind of things like lans etc.
Once again.. I only stated my thoughts about it.
Volgende keer eerst wat beter begrijpend lezen voordat je hier gaat posten Freek
I'm not ashamed of it but I'm not going out of my way to tell people that i play CoD4 in teams and to be grouped as socially inadequate. I just like to keep my online life separate, excluding playing at LANs and such which I would attend if I wasn't skint
Good read Stephen.
For me one of the big draws to online gaming is the variety of people you can meet online. You can be chatting to an American player whilst fragging away against someone from Scandinavia and setting up a friendly FIFA game with your college friends.
Freakin' 3rdies :(
except if u are portuguese <3333333333
In the same time i have been gaming with the same people for the like of 5-6 years due to school, work and lack of money i never had the chance to met them all but sooner or later we will rent a house and have one full week of beer and fun together !
Though i never went to lan for the same reason but i hope someday i can do it to meet some of the player i enjoyed mixing with ;) !
and i go out all the time with people i met through a gaming society at university whilst going out with my old school friends to ... so to be honest fuck your life. please go and get laid instead of flaming others for not?
PS i bet your shit at online gaming?
edited 2010-02-26 22:15:45
2. It's not a fact at all. It is, as you said in the same sentence, your opinion.
I started gaming online because I enjoyed the idea I was playing games (Which I enjoyed doing anyway) againt people all over the worl, that intrigued me. I didn't feel lonely and ddin't feel I was lacking social contacts either.
I have online friends. I have Local friends and I have lots of friends around the country who I met online and now I'm as good friends with them as I am with my more local friends (School, College, Uni). As a result I'd say the amount of online friends I have is larger than my loca friends. But I don't seperate them like that they are all just friends.
Saying that you only have more online friends because you fail at life is fucking stupid.
^ THIS
PS: Video game addiction, or more broadly video game overuse, is excessive or compulsive use of computer and video games that interferes with daily life. Instances have been reported in which users play compulsively, isolating themselves from, or from other forms of, social contact and focusing almost entirely on in-game achievements rather than broader life events.
edited 2010-02-27 19:12:33
edited 2010-02-27 20:59:10
Though did you really had to put 'social' so maney times in it?