I am not big into gaming personally, but a good friend of mine actually met her now fiancé through an online game, which really opened by eyes up to the social component of gaming.

In my non-gaming perspective I had imagine gamers to be stereotypical a guy in a basement, as depicted on South Park as an example, but learning that my close girl friend was a gamer and had a met a great guy through gaming, completely shattered this stereotype.

As it turns out, my friend is not unique, finding love through gaming is quite common and a recent article stated that 60% of amateur gamers admitting to meeting a significant other while gaming online (Dolden, 2021).

Indeed, the pandemic showed the positives of gaming in that it provided a sense of community and helped people feel less alone during lockdowns (Dolden, 2021). That’s not to say that gaming has some drawbacks, however when looking at the benefits gaming can cultivate a sense of teamwork, motivation and progress toward a goal  (Maputra, Y, 2020).

So while gaming is not my cup of tea, I have learnt that gaming offers many benefits to players, and some may even find love online.

References

Dolden, L. (n.d.). The Dating Game: Brits Find Love Through Gaming. TechRound. https://techround.co.uk/news/the-dating-game-brits-find-love-through-gaming/

Maputra, Y , 2020, Education Innovation and Mental Health in Industrial Era 4. 0, Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Warschau/Berlin, pg. 132.