Gaming and the COVID-19 Pandemic

As an avid gamer, I’m very familiar with the all-too-common phrases from parents about my gaming habits. From Mom telling me to “put my Nintendo away and go outside” to Dad worrying that “I should be spending more time with friends.” Their concerns were similar to most parents with teenage children, worrying about the effects of video games on my social health and academics.

But with the novel coronavirus setting the entire world into a time of uncertainty, where social isolation is prevalent, we turn to media and entertainment. Video games provide comfort and support as we battle a social capital standstill. While parents of teens worry about video games negatively impacting their children, they can find comfort in research that shows how collaborative video games positively influence individuals. Online gaming could prove to be a great source of social support, as well as a means to create prosocial environments (social behavior that benefits society or other individuals other than the individual themselves) both on-screen and off-screen.

Games such as ‘World of Warcraft’ (WoW), ‘Among Us,’ and even ‘Call of Duty’ encourage group play through collaborative tasks, adventures and characters that naturally compliment different players’ abilities. These Massively Multiplayer Online-Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) allow thousands of individual players to come together to play in an immersive and detailed environment filled with adventures and quests. In games like these, prosocial behavior is encouraged and rewarded. Players have a sense of obligation towards other members of their ‘guild’ (groups of players that play games together) as they go through quests and raids, offering a social structure in which prosocial behavior is essential to success. These types of collaborative and social games can be particularly useful for users with physical disabilities that hinder their movement outside the home, or in the current socially isolated state of the world.

These MMORPGs are highly social environments that allow for strong friendships to form and many of them utilize chat features and messaging boards to connect players. The “ Social Side of Gaming” expands on the benefits of collaborative gaming on video game players, stating that sharing online space within games enhances the formation of social capital and fosters friendships offline. Some researchers attribute this type of gameplay to the idea of being “ alone together,” which in times of social isolation and social distancing can be a positive psychological and cognitively clinical advantage. In simpler terms, gaming can reduce the stress of isolation and help facilitate social interaction and friendships in teens.

Being alone together within games allows players the autonomy to choose their gameplay while also providing a rich social environment. Many players utilizing MMORPGs indicate that a very social environment is their primary factor for choosing to play these types of games. The academic research also suggests that the “gameplay within these virtual worlds is enhanced because players not only use them as the game originally was intended to be played but also as arenas in which to explore new relationships, new places, and themselves.” Online gaming also contributes to a higher social capital amongst groups in games with more interactive play, thus creating social ties that extend outside of the game itself. This shows us that online gaming creates bridges for social networks that then create outlets for social support and social capital.

Many of these online interactive games allow players to be “more of themselves” than they otherwise would be as their offscreen self, adding to the enjoyment of the games and creating a social benefit for those who may not be able to do so in real life. In these uncertain times, it seems to be reasonable to relax on video game restrictions and allow teens the ability to connect in whatever way they are able to. The social atmospheres and ability to collaborate with other individuals just might be the key to this new online world we are collectively experiencing. It might not be a good old-fashioned hangout with friends, side-by-side, but for avid gamers it feels just the same.

Parents reading this might still be a little skeptical, and content creators might wonder “so what next in gaming creation?” So, here are some tips for parents to help relax their minds and even bond with their gamers a little more, and some advice for content creators on what to include in your next game.

Actionable Insights

Here are Actionable Insights for Parents on Video Games and their Teens:

• Not all games are created equally. Check the age rating on any games you might get your kid.
• If you are able to, play the game. Understanding the dynamics of the gaming world will help you understand the social world your kids are in.
• Take an interest in what your child is playing. Ask about the characters, the narratives and objectives, and if there is a multiplayer option, play the game with them. The more invested you are in their play, the more information you get about your child’s social needs.
• Use content restrictions on games for younger children. Many MMORPGs have filters where you can designate the age range of other players that your child can interact with. (i.e. only players between the ages of 13–16 can interact on the game)

Here are Actionable Insights for Content Creators of Video Games:

• Write diverse characters that rely on interaction and prosocial behavior to succeed in the game.
• Create reward systems that increase the likelihood of helping behavior and punish antisocial behavior.
• When writing NPC (Non-player Characters), take a special interest in developing side quests that encourage everyday helping behaviors (i.e. an older woman asking a character to retrieve her chickens or deliver her mail for her).
• Create info guides for parents on your game to help facilitate communication between players and caregivers.

Michelle Leccese, MA Psychology

Originally published at https://www.scholarsandstorytellers.com on December 21, 2020.