MORE THAN A GAME

PRODUCTION STUDIO, FLIPBOOK, REVEALS THE DIGITAL COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE KEPT PLAYERS CONNECTED DURING LOCKDOWN

If there’s one form of entertainment as contentious as the influence of music and TV on society, it’s games. Does it provoke violence? Cause addiction? Diminish social interactions? Like everything, moderation is key, but the benefits of games are often overlooked. Physical benefits to individuals, such as improved spatial awareness, have long been cited. The charity Special Effect has used intuitive technology to allow people with varying disabilities the chance to play and learn through games. Similarly, research into online gaming has found positive results. In a study on the “social side of gaming” by the University of Hamburg’s Department of Psychology, researchers found that building relationships through online gaming significantly bolstered social capital, a term used to describe a shared sense of identity and friendship felt by an individual. They also found that many of these relationships develop into offline friendships too.

Likewise, Project Massive, a previous survey by the Human Computer Interaction Institute, found similar results. Some 39% of respondents stated that the social experience was their primary reason for putting weekly hours into online games, with 69% indicating that they communicate with fellow players outside of the game online. The modern connectivity of gaming has transformed the genre into something entirely new, often outcompeting television as the home’s primary entertainment. 2020 has seen several notable examples of positive online gaming communities that have formed in response to widespread social distancing.

The Nintendo Switch release, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, has taken the world by storm, spilling out into the world of memes, social media and celebrity culture.

The game’s success saw a record 11 million online players worldwide and celebrities such as Elijah Wood have even been seen inside the virtual homes of (happily) surprised members of the public. With an appeal different to classic online shooters or MMORPGS, the inviting world of Animal Crossing offers a positive respite from isolation.

And what about the digitised Travis Scott? Revealing himself within the third-person shooter, Fortnite, the rapper performed a virtual concert to thousands of players who, in turn, reacted with the franchise’s now-notorious signature dance moves, offering individuals the chance to replicate social interactions experienced in the physical world.

Games were already woven into the fabric of modern society and lockdown has merely emphasised their place at the heart of our culture. Gaming is not necessarily an alternative to ‘IRL’ interactions. Instead, it can be seen as an enhancement of them. Without online gaming communities, the advent of the world’s stringent lockdown measures may have caused far more social harm.