Do video games enable (anti-) social behavior?

Does (Online) Gaming make us more social, or does it hold us back in the non-digital world? Since the dawn of video games — especially multiplayer online games —, parents engage in discussions with their children that contain statements like: ‘Go outside into the real world and socialize with other kids’, thus comprising the persuasion that gaming is an anti-social activity. Arising from this observation, this article discusses the pros and cons of (online) gaming to demonstrate how video games can be beneficial for socialization, while also considering the other side of the coin: the threat of addiction and anti-social behavior. The connection to the 'online-offline nexus' (Blommaert, 2020) plays a big part in all these effects.

Video games: the social and the anti-social

If you used to play video games after school anywhere from as early as the 80s or 90s up until  today, a parent or guardian has probably regularly urged you to stop playing video games, step into the 'real world' and socialize with other kids. During my own high school days, parents never seemed to grasp the concept of me socializing right then and there, in my bedroom, in front of the tv, while playing video games. During those days, when me and my friends weren’t playing video games online, we would talk about them in person. My personal history might already give away some clues regarding my bias towards the topic, and thus suggest that I think there are definitely positive social skills that can be learned by playing video games. But is this though actually correct, and are my personal experience then representative of the experiences of others? In this article, I explore ways in which gaming can contribute to socialization both online and offline against a backdrop of negative stereotypes and potential dangers.

Articles like this one on the website of The Telegraph are illustrative of the ways in which playing video games was previously often understood by older generations. It states that gaming is indeed anti-social, and that it does not stimulate the brain in the same way math does. Interestingly enough, there are mentions of academics in the article, yet no links that direct readers to an actual journal or study. Other more recent articles claim that: "Gaming is a direct path to antisocial behavior", and that "We need to be more present than ever in our age. We need to stop gaming." (Marble-Smith, 2018). 

Videogaming brings out our aggressive nature.

Videogaming influences our cognitive-emotional constructs. (Gentile et al. ,2014)

In a study that focuses on the long-term effects of violent video games, Gentile et al. (2014) tested whether or not prolonged exposure to violent video games can change the subjects'aggressive and empathic behaviors or constructs. According to Gentile et al., violent video games indeed have an effect on people's aggressiveness, regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, and other characteristics. The threat of aggressive behavior is one of the most common arguments against gaming — particularly against violent games like first person shooters. Interestingly, the study does not go into details as to how aggressive and empathic behaviors increases are observed to come to fruition. The researchers, however, do state that their conclusion is not exclusive to gamers who already show a lack of empathy, or already have aggressive tendencies. According to them, all gamers are at risk — or at least subject to — changes to their cognitive-constructs when playing violent videogames. Considering the idea that the digital dimension and material dimension of society are inextricably intertwined, and can thus not be understood as separate from each other — what Blommaert (2018) called the 'online-offline nexus' —, it is reasonable to expect that changes that are seen in relation to (online) video games can absolutely ensue anti-social behavior in other parts of people's (offline) lives.

Living in the online-offline nexus

As Blommaert (2018) so eloquently puts it, humans now live in an online-offline nexus. We, for instance, no longer meet our friends and participate in events in a solely offline zone, but are also constantly connected to the online world. Our social lives develop in the intersection of the online and the offline. It is at this intersection that skills from both dimensions of the online-offline nexus can impact various parts of our lives, including the ways in which socialization occurs.

"There is not much virtual about the online world, it is very much a real world."

Jan Blommaert talks about the online-offline nexus in a video on YouTube, mainly stating that even though people will use the words 'real world' to highlight that they talk about the offline dimension of society, for most people the digital — or virtual — is very 'real' as well. This digital dimension, however, is also still quite hard to properly understand and define, which is why this topic of becoming more social through digital experiences might also be somewhat difficult to grasp. Some of these difficulties are mentioned by Blommaert. He argues, for instance, that because of online anonymity, people might behave or react differently in digital environments than they would in the offline world. This can create instances where instead of becoming more social because of digital experiences and interactions, an individual might use social norms that are acceptable in online environments in offline situations, which might result in this person being more harsh than what is considered 'normal' in the offline dimension — and thus being interpreted as anti-social, or rude. 

Prosocial video games

However, if video games have the ability to affect our cognition, this must automatically entail that beneficial effects are conceivable as well. According to Greitemeyer and Mügge (2014), this is indeed the case. They make a distinction between violent games and "prosocial games". The latter are types of video games that, like the name implies, attempt to encourage social behavior. Greitemeyer and Mügge do the dirty work for us and gather data from 98 studies that analyzed the effects violent and prosocial video games. Their analyses of the data from these studies shows that the effects of games on the (anti-)social behavior of their users vary, depending on the type of content the videogame present to their audiences.

They also come to the conclusion that there are a lot of discrepancies between similar research projects. One of the major ones being the real world effects of the different types of video games, but also the question whether there are any long term or short term effects at all. What they know for certain is  that the overall outcome of aggression and prosocial behavior increases or decreases by playing the right — or wrong — type of video games.

Video  games breaking the language barrier.

The concept of socializing online becomes even more interesting when we look at the international linguistic landscape that is shaped by popular games. Different kids from different cultures all know how to dab, do the floss (a.k.a. the Fortnite dance) and use international jargon when talking about games or certain strategies within games. This creates an understanding between kids about various gaming related topics, even if they come from entirely different backgrounds and cultures. One kid could be speaking Japanese, and another Dutch or French, and they would still share detailed knowledge and experiences regarding certain gaming phenomena.

 

Gaming connects us not only on a digital level but also in the non-digital world. The following is an example of the online-offline-nexus Blommaert (2018) was talking about. For instance, a friend and I were on a metro in downtown Boston when we noticed a kid playing Fortnite on a phone. The friend and I talked about the game for a bit in Dutch. Yet some words — like the names of weapons and locations — are English. So when the kid heard us use these words, he instantly recognized them, although we were speaking mostly Dutch, we were familiar with the game. What followed was a conversation between us, the kid and a woman — who turned out the be his mother — about the consoles and devices we used, and about how the kid is, according to his mom, 'obsessed' with the game.

Gaming connects us not only on a digital level but also in the non-digital world.

People regularly appear to assume that digital media are making us less social, as we become more consumed by the online dimension of our lives. Yet my personal experience indicates that there might be a level of socializing that is actually being enabled by these online games and transcends nationality and language, at least to a certain degree.

Laying the foundation for a sense of community.

Though various games can provide people from different cultures and backgrounds with common words that can spark conversations, prosocial games are the ones that have been specifically identified as having a potential positive influence on social behavior. A big reason why prosocial games are linked to social skills, are the communities that are connected to these video games. These communities can sometimes consist of thousands of people on a World of Warcraft server. On other occasion, they can be made up of a small group of just a few gamers with whom you are tasked to cooperate in an effort to beat the opposing team. Prosocial games like these can help people to develop leadership skills and teach people how to effectively communicate about certain issues, ideas, strategies and mediation skills. These are coincidentally also important skills in other parts of the online-offline nexus.

The communities themselves also lay the foundation for a sense of community (University of Jyvaeskylae, 2007). This is because the skills that are acquired — but also the general interactions in these communities — can mirror those in the offline world. People may be faced with all kinds of challenges that require them to reflect on past mistakes, or to work past certain disagreements with other players and NPCs — Non Playable Characters — to reach their final objectives. Processes like these might strengthen understandings and relationships within the community, as players regularly need to cooperate. Furthermore, the beauty is that companions in these games can be from all around the world, but that they might still experience the same interest and common sense of comradery because of the ways in which certain online games are structured.

A fine line between positive and negative impact.

As was previously hinted at, video games and online gaming can have a positive impact on the development of second languages. Gaming can also create a sense of community and teach gamers some valuable skills that they are then able to use in non-digital environments. However, the growing percentage of people that become addicted to gaming is a clear problem. This group of gamers may learn important skills — like other gamers —, but might spend their time mostly on playing video games, thus ending up too isolated to find any  opportunity to utilise the knowledge and skills they have developed in virtual environments to socialize in the physical dimension of society. When these gamers are exposed to violent video games, there are risks involved. According to Greitemeyer and Mügge (2014), for these gamers, violent videogames can cause aggressive cognition and anti-social behavior when they transcend to other parts of the online-offline-nexus.

Currently the World Health Organizations recognizes ‘Gaming Disorder’ as a mental health condition. In 2018, they stated that of the about 2.2 billion gamers, between 3 percent to 4 percent are addicted. Gaming addiction, or gaming disorder, is characterized under the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as patterns of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior, both online and offline.  The WHO says this is manifested by "impaired control over gaming", meaning that gamers find it difficult to control the amount of hours they play continuously and/or the frequency and intensity of their sessions. They also have a hard time stopping at any giving moment.

The WHO also describes the "increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities". Of course, this counters the idea that gaming can make us more social. When gaming interferes with a person's social life, it is clear that this type of behavior should be interpreted as anti-social. Furthermore, the WHO also mentions "continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences. This behavioral pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning". This is the direct escalation of the first two points made by the WHO, and will result in gaming becoming an anti-social part of a person's live. In this case, the pros of video games are clearly outweighed by the cons. As mentioned before, social skills learned online lose a lot of their relevance if an individual withdraws from other potential social situations. Though this is an issue that affects a relatively small part of the gaming community — and thus does not discredit the benefits gaming can have —, it is important to note that addiction is a real phenomenon, especially if we considering the fact that games contain ever more features of gambling.

In the end...

In the end, both my personal experiences and research suggest that (online) gaming can have a positive impact on socialization and interactions, which can transcend national and cultural boundaries. However, video games can also produce anti-social effects that can seep through into various parts of the online-offline nexus. In relation to this, it should be be noted that the content of video games matters. It is also important to note that when an affection for games becomes an addiction, the (anti-)social consequences are severe. As such, the importance of controlling and supervising the gaming habits of children should not be disregarded. Taking all this into consideration, the conclusion of this article boils down to this: Videogames are not only tools that can help people learn languages. They can also learn people how to use language as a social tool. When content is moderated and used in the right, prosocial way, video games can benefit every dimension of the online-offline nexus. 

References

Blommaert, J. (2018). Jan Blommaert on the online offline nexus [Video]. YouTube.

Blommaert, J. (2020, 22 juni). Jan Blommaert on “the online offline nexus” [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQm-knjvj4Y

Gentile, D. A., Li, D., Khoo, A., Prot, S., & Anderson, C. A. (2014). Mediators and Moderators of Long-term Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggressive Behavior. JAMA Pediatrics, 168(5), 450. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.63

Greitemeyer, T., & Mügge, D. O. (2014). Video Games Do Affect Social Outcomes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(5), 578–589.

Marble-Smith, K. (2018, 31 maart). Gaming is a direct path to antisocial behavior.

Matthews, B. A. (2001, 20 augustus). Computer games make children anti-social. The Telegraph.co.uk.

University of Jyvaeskylae. (2007, September 20). How Does Online Gaming Affect Social Interactions?. ScienceDaily.

World Health Organization. (2018). Gaming disorder.