TendHerb

28/01/2022

Gaming fosters social connection at a time of physical distance
As COVID-19 spreads around the globe, many of us feel we have no voice, no ability to affect change. There is nothing we can really do other than try to “flatten the curve”.

Recent news coverage has noted World Health Organisation support of gaming as a way to escape from the daily reality of exponential curves and tragic news stories. This narrative reflects rapid change in how gaming is perceived.

It wasn’t long ago video games were still being blamed for school shootings and real-world violence without evidence. “Game addiction” was touted as a new classification by the WHO despite the assurances of researchers and medical practitioners. Indeed, games have long been blamed for society’s moral decline.

Now suddenly, video games have become a darling of shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders. They are a form of social engagement that allow humans to safely follow our instincts to gather together in a time of anxiety. They allow us moments of escape and a sense of agency when we feel we have none.

Gamers as loners
The historical narrative around gamers describes them as anti-social, in service to the myth of the lone teenage boy playing in a basement, perched on pizza boxes in the dark, dimly outlined by the glow of the screen.

This stereotype was never true. Games have always been social, from the first multiplayer board game in ancient Egypt to the installation of Pong! in a bar in Sunnyvale, California, to the arcades and neighbourhood gatherings of the 1980s.

During COVID-19, people aren’t playing alone – they are using games to come together. Many are sharing their Animal Crossing connect codes to unlock multiplayer modes, and gathering in massive multiplayer games on PlayStation Network (which had over 100 million monthly users before coronavirus hit) or XBOX Live.

Players can share codes to meet up on online islands and play Animal Crossing. Sara Kurfeß/Unsplash, CC BY
The free game Call of Duty: Warzone One has spiked in terms of online multiplayer activity, drawing more than 15 million players online within days of its release.

The videogame industry is expected to fare better than other business sectors affected by coronavirus.

Players are finding not just an escape from the news of the pandemic or the same four walls of their home, but also social interaction, human contact, value in knowing there are others out there. It’s the reason the industry is rallying around , a promotion organised by gaming companies on behalf of the WHO that has gained more than 4.7 billion consumer media impressions (or times online content is consumed) worldwide.

Similarly, opinion pieces are now challenging our prior notions around screen time limits for children in isolation and the virtues of living online.

We can be heroes
As an academic and a researcher, I’m tracking stories of how these lockdowns are giving us a chance to bond with family members. I’ve seen a friend connecting in new ways with his 11-year old son, because they are both at home and playing Minecraft.

Several colleagues are pursuing active research into how games are helping people cope in this time of stress and panic, how they are sharing information, and how their interaction with games is a tool for social survival.

The use of Twitch, Amazon’s live streaming service for gamers, is up 10% globally and as high as 66% in hard hit areas such as Italy. The platform is also seeing users expand into non-game activities such as cooking classes, yoga or university lectures.

Games also give us a form of agency that is somewhat different than other media. They provide us a sense of control, the ability to be a hero or save the world. They give us the ability to explore, to compete, to solve. They can engage us in epic quests, allow us to solve mystery, conquer aliens, and more.

Australian charity CheckPoint, which provides mental health resources for gamers and the gaming community, is gathering stories of online connections during social isolation. They suggest gamers create an “interactive story” on their social media timeline, reach out to gamers they’ve lost touch with or try boardgames via an online tabletop simulator.

Although no one is suggesting games can give us real-life pandemic solutions, they can simulate a pandemic and help us explore response strategies that rely on cooperation. We can temporarily inhabit an alternate universe where we save the world from outbreak scenarios. They remind us we have agency and effect, that we can continue to strategise until we come up with winning solutions, and that there are often numerous ways to win.

Longer term, games can help more young people engage in science, technology, arts or maths careers or studies, and even engage both patients and doctors in research on health and well-being in new ways. All these outcomes seem critical to our long term future in ways they didn’t just a few short weeks ago.

COVID-19 may be the turning point when the world realises playing video games is potentially a form of empowerment that brings people together to solve real world problems. It may be a critical moment where we reflect on the importance and power of play.

28/01/2022

Social video games to play during the coronavirus quarantine
The campaign has recently been promoted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to encourage people to stay socially connected from home. Despite having recently classified uncontrollable gaming as a disorder, the WHO could be starting to see the benefits of online gaming.

Since the pandemic began, free-to-play games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone have been even more popular. The game platform Steam recorded a record of 20 million simultaneous users. Xbox Live has seen an increase in usage, resulting in numerous outages in a couple of weeks.

As people strive to stay social during a time of physical distancing, online gaming is seeing a boom in users. With a user base growing each day, and people looking to not only kill time, but remain social, what better way is there to stay in touch with friends and family during a period of isolation than video games?

Board games remain popular but during times of physical isolation, they are hard to share with friends and family who don’t live in the same house. (Clint Bustrillos/Unsplash), CC BY
Before video games became popular, people would get together around the table to play board or card games. While board games remain popular with the rise of board game cafés, we are unfortunately unable to get together with one another at these cafés. When video games became multiplayer, they were — and many still remain — localized, “couch co-op” games.

But now thanks to online services such as Xbox Live, PlayStation Plus, Nintendo Switch Online, Steam, to name a few, we are now connected to millions of games but also millions of people. During this pandemic, the closure of movie theaters, the stoppage of professional sports and the general state of quarantine means that leisure and socialization is limited to what is found at home and online.

Online socialization: Pros and cons
Game analytics consultant Nick Yee says there are three major reasons why people play video games, one of which is the social element. Chatting with others, making friends and building long-term relationships are some the social activities that happen in online gaming.

Socializing online is what researchers Constance Steinkuehler and Dmitri Williams call an “online third place.” Popularized by American sociologist Ray Oldenburg in 1999, the third place concept describes a setting where individuals can gather and socialize outside of home and work such as coffee shops and bars.

The qualities of a third place — conversation, accessibility, playful mood, home away from home and more — apply to massively multiplayer online (MMO) games such as World of Warcraft (WoW). Online third places are a place where individuals from around the world can gather and socialize.

Read more: Critics who say online gaming is 'just a game' completely miss the point

But online gaming is not without its issues: homophobia, racism and sexism are prevalent challenges. Some online gaming communities have developed a toxic behaviour: one which includes cyber-bullying and general game disruption.

Through my research into online video game socialization, it’s clear that social connection can come through online gaming. You need only look at personal stories from within the gaming community to see that socializing through video games can make for strong and meaningful connection. Research to date has shown the capabilities that video games have for establishing online relationships.

Here are some ways to stay connected via video games during this time of isolation:

Games like JackBox Games make it easier for family members to play with one another at home and over long distances by using cell phones. (Shutterstock)
Play at home as a family
If you’re hoping to have a family game night with those at home or further away, look no further than JackBox Games. With six different party packs featuring a number of different games, all you need to play is a cell phone and eight of your most fun relatives.

Jackbox Games has even provided a handy guide of how to play through videoconferencing apps like Zoom or Google Hangouts.

Make new friends
If you’re looking to make new friends or connect to millions of strangers, try playing an MMO game like World of Warcraft. While a monthly service fee and a decent computer are required to play, the collaborative aspect of questing and fighting monsters in MMO games is the best in WoW. For cheaper options try The Elder Scrolls Online or a number of free-to-play MMO’s like Bless Unleashed and Neverwinter.

Get schooled

Minecraft is a family-friendly video game with an educational component. (Nintendo)
If you need to entertain the kids but also want them to learn, Minecraft is available on all gaming platforms. It is a family-friendly game that encourages creativity, teamwork, problem solving and much more. Minecraft is also offering an edition of the game with lessons available in math, science, language arts, history and visual arts.

Game on, grandma and grandpa
Finally, it is important to highlight the most vulnerable population, the older adults. About 53 per cent of the population older than 65 have access to a smartphone. Rather than a gaming console, try a mobile-based game like Words with Friends or Candy Crush, which are both addictive and social.

An 82-year-old grandmother and a 26-year-old man became best friends over Skyrim, a role-player game, reports ABC News.
It is important to stay socially connected at a time of physical distancing. Online video games offer us a chance to stay connected as we physically isolate.

28/01/2022

Three ways for Sony to avoid getting left behind by Microsoft
Sony has had a rough few days. The Japanese tech giant has lost a whopping US$14 billion (£10 billion), or about 9% of its total value, since rival Microsoft’s announcement that it is purchasing popular videogames maker Activision Blizzard for nearly US$70 billion.

While some of Sony’s loss is arguably due to short-term panic selling across the wider market, the company is clearly in a corner. PlayStation is Sony’s largest, most profitable and fastest-growing business, and the loss of a key supplier of games content to its arch rival could make its consoles less attractive to gamers around the world.

Sony share price

Sony share price chart
Trading View
Pulling the Activision content from Sony consoles would be a huge decision for Microsoft, of course. Activision’s hefty cash price partly reflects all the present and future profits it earns from PlayStation – the new PlayStation 5s are expected to outsell Microsoft’s Xbox Series consoles by about two to one in 2022. And note that nearly eight years after Microsoft bought Minecraft developer Mojang, that game is still on PlayStations.

The latest takeover will also take at least a year to complete, and Microsoft will inherit the ongoing investigation and lawsuits against Activision by US authorities over alleged abuse and harassment of female employees, among other HR issues. That could clearly cause problems down the line.

This gives Sony breathing room to respond boldly to this existential danger. Here are three suggestions:

1. Buy Google Stadia
Sony’s biggest threat from Microsoft is actually Xbox Game Pass, a Netflix-like subscription that allows users to download or stream hundreds of titles at just US$15 per month. Game Pass has 25 million subscribers and is a boon for price-sensitive PC and console gamers, frequently offering blockbuster titles on launch day.

Every time Microsoft buys a videogame maker, it has put their entire games catalogue on Game Pass, giving gamers a fear-of-missing-out (or FOMO) similar to what makes many people continue with their Netflix subscriptions. While Game Pass’ profits are still questionable at this early stage, subscriber numbers are rising exponentially.

Sony’s similar service, PlayStation Now, has just 3.2 million subscribers. Despite a much bigger catalogue of games and a competitive monthly price of US$9.99, its streaming performance and availability is among the worst of its peers: Sony is still using tech that is nearly nine years old, from its purchase of a startup called Gaiki.

When a market-leading business is replaced, the upstart almost always starts by selling to neglected budget users – witness how digital cameras defeated Kodak, for example, or how Netflix took on DVDs and BluRay by aiming squarely at the lower end of the market. By allowing Microsoft to get entrenched with budget gamers, Sony has exposed itself to an emergent business model that it might not be able to compete with.

The fastest way of catching up might just be to buy Google’s struggling Stadia streaming service. Stadia’s performance and reach is among the best, and its failure can be distilled down to a lack of content and a business model that charges users separately for games and platform access. Combining Stadia’s tech with PlayStation Now’s vast catalogue and simple price point could put Sony back on the offensive.

Phone with Stadia app in front of a gaming screen.
Google Stadia is great tech but struggling. Dennizn
2. Grow out of semiconductor dependence
The world semiconductor shortage has hit console sales by slowing down production. Sony, however, has a slight edge from having decided to increase production of its legacy PlayStation 4 consoles. These are much older than Microsoft’s equivalent Xbox Series S, meaning they use simpler chips and are easier to manufacture.

Yet this advantage is not sustainable, given the semiconductor drought will likely continue for a number of months, and the increasing appetite for gaming. The solution is to let gamers stream titles to devices other than dedicated consoles, but PlayStation Now is far from ubiquitous. This shows a clear lack of will by Sony to reduce dependence on its console business, which in turn is critically dependent on semiconductor manufacturing. Whether by buying Stadia or making a step-change investment in PlayStation Now, Sony should aim to make its titles run on most, if not all, smart TVs, phones, set-top boxes and computers.

There are, it should be said, some green shoots for Sony on other platforms. The company’s latest open-PC release, God of War, has sold quite well and received rave reviews from gamers and critics. Yet, thanks to Sony’s “exclusivity” strategy of prioritising the release of its games on its own console first, God of War was on PlayStation 4s four years earlier.

God of War game in front of PC keyboard
Sony’s PC version of God of War has been a success. Ralf Liebhold
By contrast, Microsoft publishes all its new titles on PC and Xbox consoles simultaneously, focusing on user-base growth and not just console sales. Sony insists it will continue with exclusivity, having relied on it to sell many more PlayStations in the past. Yet not only does Microsoft’s multiplatform approach lower marketing costs and immediately spread the cost of games development across a much larger user base, exclusivity makes little sense when new consoles are in short supply. Sony would be better off copying Microsoft’s strategy.

3. Lead the metaverse movement
Microsoft has been at the forefront of the metaverse movement, which plans to merge our digital and physical realities via an augmented or virtual reality (VR) headset. Such technology could be as important an innovation as the internet was in the 1990s, and the Activision deal gives Microsoft control of gaming worlds such as World of Warcraft and Call of Duty which could be the key to mass consumer adoption of VR.

Sony’s PlayStation VR was actually the world leader in these headsets until 2021, where it unofficially lost the crown to the Meta (formerly Facebook) Quest 2 device. Despite this early lead, Sony’s position on the metaverse movement is unclear. Its upcoming PS VR 2 headset will still be tethered to the PlayStation 5 console, despite customer appetite leaning heavily towards untethered, free-roaming devices.

Gamer trying out a PlayStation VR headset
PlayStation VR is no longer number one. Christian Bertrand
Sony has long been cautious about new markets and usually waits for others to develop them before swooping in. But that is unlikely to work against competitors as large, networked and powerful as Microsoft, Meta and Apple (which is also rumoured to be developing a VR headset). Sony needs to move fast and with a clarity of purpose – otherwise the next decade will see it lose even more ground to these tech giants as they recreate the very reality we live in.

28/01/2022

28/01/2022