Finding a Community Through Video Games
There was never a point in my life in which I hadn’t been playing video games. From the earliest point in my life which I can remember I owned an original Game Boy. As you can imagine, then, video games have shaped much of my social life, well into adulthood, Contrary to how gamers are portrayed in media, however, this does not mean that I have been anti-social, or even would define many of the friends I have had over the years as particularly counter-cultural.
Gaming has been nothing but a gateway into communities of shared ideals and experiences, communities which for the most part welcomed me. There is a school of thought about people who play video games which attempts to cast them as loners and outcasts, but in my experience many of the friends I have made are social creatures. I personally think most people are social creatures, and the only distinction between a gamer and anyone else is what they choose to be social about and who they choose to be social with.
For my part, my social circles are not exclusively other people that play games, as I also participate in writing communities, music discussions, political discourses, and a myriad of other things you might want to talk about with anyone else. What gaming has always provided for me, however, is an inroad with other people who I can then have some of these other conversations, as well as bigger conversations, with.
Rather than video games providing an opportunity for me to withdraw from the real world into a virtual one, games have instead helped me to be connected to other people in the world. When I discuss a favorite game, perhaps Nier: Automata, for example, that conversation can encompass a wide range of topics. I can discuss the emotional impact of a story, I can discuss the art of the game (which is beautiful, by the way), or I can discuss the gorgeous music in the game’s soundtrack. Other topics might come up depending on who I am talking to this game about, and in that way, through just one game I am potentially connected to several different people, each with their own interests in that game and other games.
Gaming has played an important part in my romantic relationships as well. Currently my partner and I eagerly await the release of Kingdom Hearts 3, on January 29, exactly a week from today. This game in particular has been something for us to bond over, we frequently discuss the series, both for it s story and for its gameplay. We have replayed the games a number of times, and each time we enjoy seeing the other progress through the games again. To illustrate our connection to the series, and to each other through the series, last Valentine’s Day we each got tattoos of Wayfinders. In the Kingdom Hearts series, a Wayfinder symbolizes the connection between two characters and the idea that whatever the circumstances these characters will always find or have each other.
I can’t say how my life would be different for never having played video games, who I might be friends with, or how I might see the world differently, but what I can say is that video games have enriched my life in many ways, and helped me to forge long lasting relationships, and to continue to form new relationships.
