There was this idea that gamers were anti-social. That they would sit in front of a screen and spend more time alone than with others. But now that has been blown wide open to the point it is not even a stereotype anymore. Between streaming and online gaming, it is almost exclusively social. There is chat that gets filled with people talking and teams being formed with strangers. There are still single-player experiences but the co-op and social aspects have really blown up.
But I would argue even retro games had a lot of social aspects to them. Sure, I have lost myself to a single-player game or two were I could have been socializing but I also have memories of games like Mario Party, Street Fighter and Tetris Attack. Gaming is a good back to fill the gap between people you don't know and gives you something to talk about. Or it can give you a way to co-ordinate with a friend and work together. Who else has memories of sitting around playing a 64 title?
And now we have students bringing phones to class so they can play fortnite with friends. A squad based game where you have to work together. How is that different then a sport? (well minus the exercise thing :p). Gamers are very social, the activity itself is embedded in interacting with others. And not only friends but strangers around the world as you
Plus with esports we have a community activity where we are watching and cheering for the same teams.
Go gamers.
