Loneliness in Online Gaming
Surprisingly to some, online gaming started to form back in the early 1990’s’; with LAN (Local Area Network) parties. Unlike today’s capabilities, however, which allow for gamers to compete and play alongside friends from outside their homes (even way beyond their postcodes) LAN parties required players to connect directly via the same internet modem and therefore was a way for people to socialize in person. This was huge for the industry, in particular when massively competitive games such as Halo 2 hit the shelves, and many took solace in this new revolutionary way of combating being physically alone.
Modern-day sees millions (estimated 1 billion worldwide) turn to online gaming to relax, destress, and often connect with friends from around the world, albeit just vocally. It’s no surprise then that there is always the question as to whether this digital rabbit hole we are heading down is a positive contributor to our mental health or if it actually risks damaging our ability to communicate face to face and therefore heightening feelings of loneliness.
Research held by Ipsos MORI showed that as of June 2020, at the height of the global pandemic, 18% of those asked stated that they were indeed playing more online games with friends and family than the month previous (with the UK reporting 26% in the same month). Around this time hugely popular streaming apps such as Zoom and Teams were on the rise also, with groups of people coming together to socialize in ways that they previously might not. With the inability to meet in person, these were all seen as responsible and enjoyable alternatives which helped many that were suffering from differing volumes of loneliness and get through a tough time, mentally.
However, when being asked "…to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements? Playing video games has made me feel less isolated; Playing video games makes me feel less anxious; Playing video games helped me feel happier" only 25% of the UK participants agreed that video games (in general) had positive mental health effects. This suggests that playing video games offline long-term can be detrimental to one’s mental health and indeed tied to feelings of loneliness but reinforces that online gaming could be a positive influence. This is supported by research from behavioural psychologist (and video gamer) Geert Verheijen of the Netherlands, who states that ‘while playing video games alone can increase loneliness in children, interactive video gaming with online friends can help ease loneliness.’
Also, the UK government recently rolled out their ‘Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme’, which allows individuals, with lower-end internet connections, to boost their broadband signal and improve their connection speeds. Although this is not likely to have been brought forward to simply allow people to play Warzone at high speeds, it can be argued that it was curated to improve the way of living for many underprivileged households that financially could not afford it themselves. The Yorkshire Post reported that ‘Children living in poverty are twice as likely to be lonely’ (Office for National Statistics), giving a strong indication that the scheme could be a plausible method to boost the opportunities that children have to keep connected to friends and family. Online gaming is most likely the preferred choice of online contact at this age too with the Guardian reporting ‘seven in 10 5-15-year-olds were playing games online in 2020 and boys, in particular, using this as a way to connect with their friends.’
Charlie Robertson, 41, a long-time gamer and sufferer of diagnosed depression, tied to social anxieties, spoke to us about his views on online gaming vs aspects of loneliness.
