Gaming and Relationships

gamingproject

Im carrying out a study on gaming and relationships and was looking for true gamers opinion.

do you feel that gaming has altered your social life in any way, better or worse, and if so why?

do you think that certain stereotypes affect gamers in a social way?

and finally,
do you prefer socializing with friends online or face to face ?

i would really appreciate if people answered my questions, and feel free to be as honest as you like!!
thank you !!!

helimachoptor

gamingproject wrote: »

Im carrying out a study on gaming and relationships and was looking for true gamers opinion.

do you feel that gaming has altered your social life in any way, better or worse, and if so why?

do you think that certain stereotypes affect gamers in a social way?

and finally,
do you prefer socializing with friends online or face to face ?

i would really appreciate if people answered my questions, and feel free to be as honest as you like!!
thank you !!!

Would survey monkey not be a better option

Black Swan

Hi gamingproject,
You are welcome to post your gaming and relationships survey here in our Researcher forum. It should be noted that such surveys may or may not be welcome outside of our Science, Health & Environment category on the boards.ie site.

Best of luck,
Black Swan

Digital Solitude

Video games instead of tabletop op, correct? Or perhaps both. This is answered for video games, can edit in PR change it if you have a wider spectrum.

1. Better, I live in Galway, my best friend lives in Maynooth, a phonecall during the week so we can co ordinate in team games or laugh at each others mistakes in Strategy/Competitive is more interaction than is normally done. I could ring him up for a chat, but I don't think either of us would prefer that. 90% of my boards posting is gaming related, and I feel I have a few "online friends" for want of a less pathetic term.

2. Stereotypes like what? The negative stereotype I'd associate with gamers is the fat, neckbeard virgin who lives in his mothers house, which is pretty much cited 100% online. IRL, one look can tell you I'm not a fat neckbeard so that stereotype is immediately nulled. I'm not sure I understand this question, could you rephrase it?

3. Face to face, having the online aspect is great for groups where its not possible for you to meet up all the time but meeting the lads for a few cans can't be beaten.

Tigger

I'm a table top gamer and I think you'd have to see the intelligent attractive people that turn up to our meet ups to really get how much gaming hasnimproved people's social lives

Black Swan

If you are looking for highly subjective, anecdotal, and qualitative data for your study, the below is submitted. When answering, I am assuming that you are asking about computer gaming, and not gaming in general.

gamingproject wrote: »

Im carrying out a study on gaming and relationships and was looking for true gamers opinion.

Not sure to what extent I may be labeled a "true gamer," whomever that person may be.

gamingproject wrote: »

do you feel that gaming has altered your social life in any way, better or worse, and if so why?

For me there are 2 types of gaming: (1) for entertainment; and (2) serious gaming simulations to improve human performance as funded by research grants, which relates to my career and research interests, and develops both independently and in highly interactive research teams. So gaming and serious gaming has generally been "better" for my social life and career, provided that I don't get too caught up in single-player, which has sometimes occurred immediately following the release of a new single-player game.

Single-player entertainment games obviously don't engage others in live human social relationships. To the extent that these single-player games eat up time that I could otherwise dedicate to interacting with family, friends, or professional colleagues, such time takes away from social interaction and is somewhat isolating. Alternatively, multiplayer games can and do sometimes introduce me to new persons that I might not have met in another venue. Sometimes I've discovered new friends in this way, whom I can interact with when gaming and in other social networking ways like IM, email, discussion boards, etc., which allows for expanding virtual human interaction and relationships.

gamingproject wrote: »

do you think that certain stereotypes affect gamers in a social way?

Are there gamer stereotypes today, or are such labels dying overtime? Gaming has become so widespread that to assume there was a clear distinction between gamer and non-gamer seems a bit spurious or misleading to me. Where do you draw the line, which to me is arbitrary and capricious, especially since there are now scholarly studies that suggest there are as many boys and girls growing up playing computer games of some sort; whereas such gaming used to be dominated by men, and in the older aged groups this continues today, but the women are catching up quickly.

Many gamers have assumed and played opposite gender roles when gaming, and it's questionable if any of us can establish opposite gender authenticity when doing so. I've certainly tried it when gaming, but wonder if to an opposite gender outside party I would appear absurdly inauthentic?

gamingproject wrote: »

do you prefer socializing with friends online or face to face?

Not sure that this makes for a valid or reliable either/or nominal measure for me. They are not mutually exclusive relationships, because I do both, and socialize with friends virtually online and face-to-face. I enjoy my online friends, some of whom would be geographically undesirable given the distance we would have to physically travel to meet face-to-face. Online allows for an expansion of social networks and relationships, both for friends and professional colleagues. For those in closer proximity, we communicate both face-to-face and online, depending upon the circumstances and needs. I cannot clearly say that one is better than the other, as they are commingled for me to a large extent, and the context and content may suggest when face-to-face might be more appropriate than online (e.g., romantic intimacy face-to-face preferred rather than online).

Not sure if the above comments have any value to your study, but if you have additional questions, I will revisit this thread and reply.

babi-hrse

I was a gamer if there can be such a label
I used to play arma 3 after work for hours into the early morning after a working a shift in a part time job that took up most of the day.
I'd have full on long conversations and talk to people I'd never met in person from my chair as we played. It was full on. I'd debate going out to the pub getting a taxi home and stumbling to bed. I'd sometimes just stay in and have a better night in without leaving the chair.
Course this became very easy to do and addictive. I broke out of it and got into a in depth releationship that left little time save for casual gaming. Doing real world things are things you'll remember when you age. Gaming will just be the same same.
Everything in moderation

Fathom

Game some. PC not Xbox or PS. Online multiplayer. 2-3 times per week. Gaming persona different than face-to-face. Virtual and real lives different. Gamers game each other. Part of the scene. Neither good or bad. Just is. Adds to life. Stereotypes old news. War Games film era. Not today. Everyone plays. Not isolated few in command bunkers.

omah

I find if I spend a lot of time in the week gaming and not as much time meeting friends face to face, I feel unbalanced. So, for me personally, I have to be careful about the balance.