Once upon a time, when the word video game was mentioned, people thought of an isolated activity people played in their homes. Gaming didn’t have any real connection to the entertainment world that was dominated by television and movies at the time. Today, things are changing, with gaming increasingly overlapping with reality TV, streaming platforms, and even movie-inspired storylines. While all these changes were taking place, gaming also became more social. Just like people have always watched movies together at movie theaters or gathered friends to watch a TV series at home, gaming slowly but surely became a social activity.
However, things began to change in the early 2000s when broadband internet access and consoles like the PlayStation 2 and Xbox popularized online multiplayer gaming. As titles started adding multiplayer modes, games became social gathering spots, and interactive gaming communities formed around the most popular gaming titles. Today’s games are social platforms where gamers connect, collaborate, and build friendships with others from around the world. In this article, we look at how gaming has become a social activity.
From Single-Player Adventures to Shared Worlds
In gaming’s early days, single-player mode dominated, and if you wanted to play with others, that was often limited to local multiplayer sessions like split-screen gaming. Single-player games like The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones took some of their inspiration from TV shows, blending interactive decision-making with the famous storylines. When you went on a quest in one of these games, you did it alone or with a shared console in a room with your friends. Even card games like poker, when played on a computer, were matchups against the computer, not a real-life opponent.
However, the internet changed all of that, bringing online connectivity to gaming that allowed players to visit online casinos or participate in massively multiplayer online games (MMOs). Poker has always been a social activity, whether played in a casino, parlor, or at a game night with friends. The internet made it possible for players to enjoy that same social atmosphere online. Virtual platforms have allowed gamers to participate in promotions like the Power Path, where they can test their skills in top online tournaments or even earn a spot on the European Poker Tour. This promotion uses a four-step system, and as players progress, they can earn tickets to the next level and passes redeemable for major online and live poker events. Social experiences that were once only available in the real world are now available online.
This shift made real-time interaction, cooperation, and competition among players worldwide possible, turning games into an activity that we could share with others. World of Warcraft, Fortnite, and Minecraft are just a few examples of this change, where millions of players can interact simultaneously, work together on building projects, or compete in battles.
Gaming: The New Social Screen
Back in the day, when people loaded a video game, they immediately started playing. While you can still do that, these titles have become virtual spaces for meeting, chatting, and socializing. If you’ve ever visited a platform like Roblox and VRChat, you know what we mean. On these platforms, users can hang out and chat without having any gameplay objectives in mind, in much the same way as on social media.
These platforms feature live events, including virtual concerts, movie screenings, and even collaborations with shows like Stranger Things or Squid Game, creating immersive experiences that bring TV culture into gaming. These also have features like voice chat, emotes, shared tasks, and live events—like virtual concerts and in-game movie screenings—all tools that allow gamers to keep in touch with old friends and make new ones if they want. In the same way, people watch movies together online when they’re apart. For many gamers, these online worlds are their primary way of socializing, giving them a way to connect whenever they want.
Streaming and Community Interaction
Gaming streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube have also done a lot to make gaming a social activity, and many would argue that they have turned it into a spectator sport. Some streamers even build content inspired by shows like Survivor, where they re-enact challenges in Minecraft or host reality TV-style competitions in Fortnite.
Gamers use these platforms to watch, interact with, and support other gamers in real time, creating communities centered on specific streamers and gaming content. Coming together to watch and talk about the games they play gives them a sense of belonging and makes it easy for them to build friendships based on common interests. Other platforms like Discord allow gamers to gather when they’re not tuned into a streaming session. This ecosystem has taken gaming from being a mostly solitary activity to a spectator sport and social experience.