Ctrl Alt Defeat: Are Gamers Actually Lonely?

When we think about someone who plays online games, typically the idea of someone who is lonely and isolated comes to mind (who probably lives on a couch in their parents basement). And it is not just that people who turn to online games may be lonelier, there is a general concern that engaging in these spaces will further their isolation and loneliness. What does the research say? 

The relationships between video game play and social outcomes were first explored in the 1980s. Coining the term, “electronic friendship”, people first started expressing their concerns that arcade machines could be emerging as substitutes for social engagement. However, the research paints a far different picture. Online games seem to be less substitutions and more augmenting. People are not turning to online games to the detriment of their offline relationships but rather people are using them as spaces to supplement, or add to, their friendship networks. In a recent study, more than half of all game players say they play online games together with friends and a third play with their spouse/partner or other family members. Research has also found games to be linked to reductions in loneliness and increases in self-esteem, and life satisfaction. 

While someone may be sitting alone in a room playing games, it is easy to forget they are connected to hundreds or thousands of other players across the globe. Playing games is a highly social activity and games themselves are powerful tools for social connection. They let us engage in a shared, playful space with old friends down the street or new friends across the globe, nearly anytime, anyplace, and anywhere. These are not spaces of social disconnection but rather social reconnection, with new friends and old alike.