As everyone around the world is urged to stay indoors during the recent surge of infected cases, feelings of isolation, boredom, and loneliness are likely to set in. to combat the potential social and mental impacts of physical distancing, lots of young adults are turning to recreational activities such as video games, online casino in Canada and other activities.
Video games were once widely perceived as inherently anti-social. However, the World Health Organization, which has warned about the risk of too much gaming, launched a campaign called “Letsplayaparttogether”, partnering with major gaming studios to encourage people to stay at home. Even before the pandemic, the video game market has always been far more enormous compared to the music and film industries.
People turn to video games for various reasons, which may include, entertainment, escape from the present reality, and so on. Not only does the gaming world provide these opportunities; it also creates space for people to come together and stay connected, in some cases some even meet their best friends online via game chats.
All these are very crucial since we are in a time when people might be feeling increasingly isolated and lonely.
Advantages of Gaming
Video games have a number of social and psychological benefits. They include:
- Report of stronger sense of identity.
- Higher level of self-esteem and decreased feelings of loneliness.
- Communicating and staying in touch.
- Form of distraction.
Disadvantages of Gaming
While it may be useful for battling loneliness and isolation, there are some potential risks. As communications experts Kishonna Gary and Emma Vossen have noted, online spaces can be breeds negativities such as toxicity, harassment, etc. these can be combated by introducing parental control, this allows parents to be able to control the contents their children might come across while playing online games.
Despite all the concerns listed above, and the appropriate precautions, video games remain fun and practical way to maintain our social relationships.