I've never been big on gaming personally; I remember a VERY long time ago sitting down with friends and playing World of Warcraft . . . I didn't really get it. But my brother loved games and was always playing and chatting with his friends, I would yell through the wall to turn it down and when I moved out of home I really didn't have games in my life for years, then I had kids and we found ourselves in a pandemic. . . . Never have I been so grateful for something in my life, social gaming has been invaluable for children’s social interaction during lockdown.
A recent study during the pandemic, found that for 71% of respondents their time spent gaming increased, with 51% reporting that gaming had positively impacted their wellbeing (Barr & Copeland-Stewart 2021). Another online survey showed respondents felt happier, less anxious and less alone thanks to social gaming throughout the pandemic (Clement 2021a).
Throughout the pandemic, my children have been big fans of Roblox and Minecraft. Roblox promotes itself as
“a global platform that brings people together through play.” (Roblox Corporation 2021)
and Minecraft tells us its
“one of the biggest communities in gaming” (Mojang 2021)
Roblox currently has 31 million active users, which is a dramatic increase from the pre-covid users in 2019 at 17.6 million users (Milakovic 2021). Minecraft on the other hand, as of March 2021, has a staggering 140 million active users (Clement 2021b), making it truly one of the biggest online gaming communities.
Psychologist Patrick Markey has examined social gaming and children throughout the pandemic and stated
“Video games can provide the necessary lifeline for many children who are seeking social experiences with their friends when they can’t interact with them in person” (Knorr 2020)
Of course, parents are grateful for the current benefits of online gaming, but we’re all looking forward to kids being able to get outside again and we’re worried about some of the negative consequences of social gaming. Studies show that cue-induced gaming urge in online gaming addiction is similar to the cue-induced craving in substance dependency (Ko et.al 2008). Whilst researchers have been unable to determine whether video game addiction predisposes individuals to use substances, it has been determined that the brains of children with gaming disorders changed in ways that might predispose them to addictive behaviours later in life (Hull 2021).
References
Attitudes to playing video games in COVID-19 lockdown according to gamers in select European countries as of June 2020 [image] 2021. on Satista, J. Clement, viewed 20 September2021, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/1222697/gaming-attitudes-lockdown-covid-europe/>
Barr, M and Copeland-Stewart, A 2021, ‘Playing Video Games During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Effects on Players’ Well-Being’, Games and Culture, viewed 20 September 2021, <10.1177/15554120211017036>.
Clement, J 2021a, ‘Attitudes to playing video games in COVID-19 lockdown according to gamers in select European countries’, Statista, 24 March, viewed 20 September 2021, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/1222697/gaming-attitudes-lockdown-covid-europe/>
Clement, J 2021b, Number of monthly active players of Minecraft worldwide as of March 2021, Statista, 3 May, viewed 20 September 2021, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/680139/minecraft-active-players-worldwide/>.
Hull, M 2021, 'Video Game Addiction and Substance Abuse', The Recovery Village, viewed 20 September 2021 <https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/process-addiction/video-game-addiction/substance-abuse/>.
Knorr, C 2020, 'How video games can help kids socialize during this isolated', National Geopgraphic, viewed 20 September 2021, <https://www.nationalgeographic.com/family/article/video-games-might-be-good-for-kids-now-coronavirus>.
Ko, CH, Liu, GC, Hsiao, S, Yen, JY, Yang, MJ, Lin, WC, Yen, CF & Chen, CS 2008, ‘Brain activities associated with gaming urge of online gaming addiction’, Journal of Psychiatric Research, vol. 43, no. 7, pp. 739-747
Milakovic, H 2021, How Many People Play Roblox in 2021 (Statistics), Fiction Horizon, viewed 20 September 2021. <https://fictionhorizon.com/how-many-people-play-roblox-in-2021-statistics/>.
Mojang 2021, Homepage, Minecraft, viewed 20 September 2021 <https://www.minecraft.net/en-us>.
Roblox Corporation 2021, Homepage, Roblox, viewed 20 September 2021 <https://www.roblox.com/>.
Hi Nerissa, really enjoyed reading your personal accounts in relation to the topics, I have 3 nephews and 1 niece between my different sisters and they all have been home schooled for most of 2020/2021 in Victoria, they are all avid gamers and enjoy playing together, even though they haven't been able to see each other in person, online gaming has enabled them to chat most days after home schooling and feel connected when stuck at home, I agree it has been really important as a outlet for social interaction during the pandemic 😀
Loved your blog post Narissa, great figures and graphics. It is interesting to hear a different perspective on gaming. I've always steered away from online gaming but it's wonderful to hear that in a difficult time your kids are finding enjoyment online!
Some really impressive figures and information here Narissa, i love that your writing is personalable and easy on to read and understand while presenting really fascinating insights. Your use of imagery compliments the information so well, it's really great to see more people interested in the positive effects of gaming for children building community and friendships
Loved reading your post Nerissa especially the layout and graphics of your post made it enjoyable to read. I really liked the quote where it mentions that video games can be used as a necessary lifeline for children who struggle to connect with friends in real life, which I think is very relatable in today's society.