One way to lead a healthy lifestyle is to have strong social skills and be able to get along with the people around you. In fact, a study from the University of North Carolina discovered that socialising is as important for longevity as diet and exercise. The ground-breaking research found that social relationships reduce health risks at every stage of life and it hammers home the need to maintain healthy bonds with those around us. In the past, gaming may have been viewed as detrimental to social development but, in the online world, times have changed drastically.
Since broadband internet brought much faster connection speeds in the early 2000s, online gaming has been on the rise. In 2009, the global revenue from the industry was just over $20 billion but, in 2019, that figure is projected to be nearly three times bigger at $55 billion. These numbers highlight just how many people are playing games online and show how online games have provided a platform for a modern form of socialising.
Players often don headsets nowadays in order to communicate with others and many games require collaboration and teamwork in order to succeed. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) such as Guild Wars II and World of Warcraft have enabled players to enter a different world and become someone else. Within that world, they meet other players and have to work alongside them. This can often lead to lifelong friendships being formed. A 2007 study in the CyberPsychology and Behaviour Journal found that MMORPGs provided highly socially interactive environments and that social bonding was a key factor in players’ enjoyment of the game.
2,000 Years of Call of Duty
The online casino industry is another huge sector which has realised the importance of socialising while playing. Sites often strive to recreate the kind of atmosphere and experience found in a brick and mortar gambling house, and interacting with other players and croupiers is a big part of this. Most online casinos now have live links to real games of roulette and blackjack. Players can use a game guide to find out where the best live casinos are and most of these will provide plenty of opportunities for social interactions at the same time as playing.
Console gamers have ample chances for social gaming with most modern titles offering some kind of online mode. One of the best-known game series in this regard is Call of Duty, where players have to work alongside others to be in with a chance of winning. The series from Activision has been around since 2003 and is one of the most successful games franchises of all time. Interestingly, it has been found that gamers play almost 2,000 years of Call of Duty collectively each day.
There are many different game genres to suit diverse people, each with their own ways of socialising within. If you feel like trying out some new ways to get social interactions and lengthen your lifespan in the process, you may want to make room for some more gaming time in your life.
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