Many games fall under the category of social games: “Peak,” “Ark Raiders,” “Helldivers 2,” and “Fortnite” are all popular multiplayer games. Despite each having unique themes, a big reason they are popular is because they allow for cross communication. 

Many shooter games have some sort of communication or social aspect to them. “Helldivers 2” is a game that encapsulates this aspect perfectly. “Helldivers 2” is a game about going from planet to planet, liberating different factions. The progress of liberating a planet is shared between everyone playing. This mechanic heavily encourages working together with others to complete a mission; with that, the harder missions that boast more rewards and progress towards liberation almost always have to be done with others requiring communication. 

Socialization in gaming allows people to communicate in a familiar setting. This allows for better social interactions and social skills development. According to BuiltIn, in a study done by Edge Hill University and University of York, it was found that players who played Massively Multiplayer Online games had lower loneliness levels, more social competence, and higher self esteem. The benefits don’t just reach out to higher communication levels though, online relationships can be helped by gaming too. According to Oh! Epic, in a study conducted by the University of Washington, multiplayer games are better at relationship bonding than most other activities. A big reason being the active participation aspect that makes couples work together more than watching movies or other bonding activities.

Communication is no doubt a big part of gaming and also has its benefits, but it does have its downsides; a big one being the issue with pedophelia. For a while, pedophelia has run rampant over social media and video games, primarily in games with open chat features. Roblox is by far the most publicized platform struggling with this issue. Roblox’s primary target audience is children; it has thousands of kid focused games, age ratings, and an overall cartoony style. With a mass amount of kids flocking to the app, pedophiles run rampant. With that, open communication games all hold the risk of this major issue; it’s one of the leading reasons so many people are against open communication in video games.

Ultimately, socialization in video games is a big part of the culture as a whole-it is an almost necessary part. But with its benefits come its detriments. Though improved social skills and confidence are good things, people should still be weary of its downsides.