As more and more video game titles are designed to be played on a massive scale online, a lot of players – both newbies and veterans alike – are wondering about the pros and cons of such a move.
This is not exactly shocking because since the Internet became commercialized, pretty much every aspect of our modern life has been transformed – in some cases, dramatically – by this amazing new technology. There’s definitely a lot of disruption going on, and the gaming space has not been spared.
There’s still a lot of holdouts who doubt the advantages of playing online. In their minds, the drawbacks to socializing and playing with people from all over the world far outweigh the benefits whatever benefits online gaming brings to the table.
To clear up a lot of the misconceptions, here are just the basics of the advantages and disadvantages of online gaming.
Advantages
You get to socialize on a massive scale
One of the most common drawbacks of the traditional gaming is the fact that they’re not very social. You buy a cartridge, you pop it into your console, and you have yourself a grand old time. It’s very solitary and can be quite lonely.
Even if you have a buddy with you, and you’re both playing on different controllers, there’s something that’s missing. There’s a different dynamic when you know that whatever moves you make on the screen are going to be seen and reacted to by people from all over the world.
This is one of the biggest advantages of online gaming. It helps us socialize not just on a local or regional level. In fact, you can easily get into a game room, as well as a game environment, where people from all over the world can share their interests, cooperate, and trade ideas.
Make no mistake. If you want to become a better team player, you have to interact with other people. It’s one thing to know the controls; it’s another to get along enough with everybody so that you can coordinate group objectives.
This is what took Call of Duty to a whole other level because you get to have fun with your virtual friends online. This is a great way to break down many barriers.
It helps with concentration
Believe it or not, a lot of modern games employ game design strategies involving leveling up – as well as intricate puzzles – that actually improve cognitive function. On top of all of this, you are able to handle pretty tough mental tasks on your feet.
That’s right. Your brain is able to function more quickly. You probably don’t need me to remind you of the great advantages of being able to think faster.
A lot of the open-world games out there also force players to memorize certain parts of the game, as well as game maps, so that they can get to their objectives faster.
Some games even challenge people to level up their planning and problem-solving skills. There are many ways, of course, to solve a problem, but some are more efficient and less resource-intensive than others. Video games challenge you to do this in a graphical way.
Finally, mental challenges that happen within a video game push us to be more mentally active and concentrated.
Online gaming can enhance your analytical skills
When you’re playing online, a lot of the game titles push you to solve problems quickly. Otherwise, you’re not going to make it to the leaderboard, or other people are going to leave you behind.
This might seem like a small thing. It might not even mean much to a lot of people because they think that they solve problems on a day-to-day basis. But think about it.
The challenges that you face at work are actually very predictable. In many cases, they’re routine. This is probably not the first time you’ve seen those challenges and have had to deal with them. In many cases, you’ve probably been working on a project for several months straight, and, finally, things are beginning to slowly fall into place.
Well, it’s a different dynamic with games. The challenges are there, and they need to be resolved right here, right now.
This has a profound effect on your ability to think quickly but think of alternative solutions in light of the resources you have available to you. Not surprisingly, people who play a lot of games increase their analytical skills to the point that they can quickly figure out which is the most efficient path to take in real-life situations.
It helps you relax
Now, this might seem pretty shallow. But, as you probably already know, there is anxiety, depression, and overall mental health crisis gripping the world.
If you feel alone, anxious, or simply on edge, take comfort from the fact that you are hardly alone. In fact, depression – according to the World Health Organization – is actually the most widespread global pandemic.
It’s very easy to define a pandemic in terms of COVID, the Black Death, or other horrible diseases. But depression afflicts tens of millions or more people every single year. And this is not just a case of somebody feeling the blues. This can lead to such a profound sense of disconnection that people choose to end their lives, or they take out other people. It’s rough.
Those are just extreme examples. There are people who are depressed that they become abusive and are quite toxic to be around. It has many manifestations. And, at the end of the day, it’s everybody else who suffers. You never suffer alone.
This is why it really is such an awesome thing that online gaming enables people to reach out and, regardless of what they’re going through, share this common virtual world where they can relax in, as well as participate in.
They get this sense that they are part of something bigger. And, for at least a few hours, they are not alone.
It can help improve your income
Back in the day, people were expected to get a job right after high school and college. And, for the next 30 years, that’s going to be their livelihood. Well, things have changed.
It’s not uncommon for people to just become freelancers. On a day-to-day or even week-to-week basis, they have different employers from all over the world. This is an amazing thing because you get total freedom.
You work on your own terms, based on your own hours, and based on your own work style. The only thing that matters is whether you meet the deadline and your work meets a minimum quality standard. Other than that, you’re on your own.
The millennial generation and succeeding generation, like the Zoomers, have simply fallen in love with this work model.
There’s a lot to recommend because, let’s face it, we live in a globalized economy. A lot of companies go out of business. Jobs disappear overnight. Job descriptions change on an almost monthly basis.
It seems that the traditional employment model is on its last leg because it’s just too rigid. Freelancing or virtual assistant type of work seems to be the future. But there’s an alternative. You can be a content producer.
There’s a reason why there are a lot of multi-millionaire streamers. You look at them; they’re just a kid playing a video game. But every single month, they’re making hundreds of thousands of dollars. This is one of the main attractions of video games because it is shared entertainment.
When you play an online game that you find exciting, you best believe that there are other people who find it equally exciting. In fact, they share your enthusiasm so much that they would love to watch you play.
Now, they’re not exactly handing you money, but they might as well do the same because, for every 1,000 views you get on your YouTube channel, Google cuts you a nice, fat check, especially if most of your traffic comes from the United States.
And Google is just one of the platforms out there. There is Twitch and other streaming platforms.
People can donate. Viewers can also sign up for all sorts of subscriptions. There are just so many ways you can make money off online gaming.
There’s even a new category of games called “play to earn.” I’m talking about Axie Infinity, Crypto Blades, and similar games. You earn crypto just by playing the game, and then you can trade-in your crypto for real cash.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for really organised crypto players to make north of 3,000 dollars per month from their pay-to-earn gaming activities, as well as their YouTube channel videos’ passive income.