Games have always been a great way to get people together. For years, friends and families around the world have come together to play games. As boardgames increased in popularity over the 20^th and 21^st century, many would group around tables playing old favourites for hours on end. The old classics like Monopoly and Risk still have fantastic entertainment value and are loved by players of all generations.

But over the years, in addition to boardgames, video games have come into the mix. More people than ever are playing video games, which have become incredibly mainstream. Far from just playing a solo game, the online gaming experience has changed the way that people play games. With many people owning consoles and computers, online gaming has become one of the top forms of game play, with many people around the world getting involved.

This came with some concerns and misbeliefs around gaming. As more children began playing their games online, parents became worried that video games were isolating. Indeed, there was some widespread opinions that playing video games was a solitary experience, cutting people off from social activities and important connections. This, perhaps, was true for a time. Video games in the past were mostly for individual players; unless you had friends or family around the house it wasn’t the most social of activities. But things have changed over the years.

How has playing video games become more social?

Despite what some may think, in recent years the social aspects of games has definitely returned with many gaming providers ensuring social elements are included into all their games. Here are some of the top ways they’ve remained sociable.

Multiplayer modes

Multiplayer modes are the main way that video game have become much more social. This is because in a multiplayer mode (as opposed to a single mode) you can play with friends online at the same time, in the same game. Many games like Call of Duty have multiplayer modes — allowing you to drop in at any time and play with the thousands of people that will be online at the same time, from all around the world.

Multiplayer games can also include coop games (cooperative games) where you have to face challenges and follow a story with another player and help each other get to the end.

Many video games now have a multiplayer option to help keep the social aspect – this can be played with people your physically with or connect with other players around the world.

Headsets

Being able to talk to, and hear your friends (or even other players), through a headset can really transform the gaming experience. You’ll feel like you’re right alongside them – the sound alone can add an incredibly immersive element to gaming. And you can chat too as you’re playing which adds that social element to the game. Headsets have improved drastically over the years so you can definitely get a high quality one at a reasonable price.

If you’re living with other people, a headset is also a great way to reduce the noise of gaming.

Chatrooms

If you’ve not got a headset, chatrooms are another way that online games can be social. Via chatrooms you can message other people while playing the game — and even get to know strangers from around the world. Chatrooms have been around for quite a while now, but the technology is definitely here to stay.

Live gaming features

A live gaming experience is another way that online games have not only become social but incredibly immersive. Online gambling sites in particular now use this strategy of a live game feature on their sites, like wink slots live casino for example, who offer a wide range of live casino games.

One thing that players who love land-based casinos may be concerned about when playing online is missing the casino experience that you get from physically being there. Live casinos online replicate this experience through live video dealers, chat rooms and more. It allows these online casinos to feel almost like real ones; players can enjoy their favourite casino games and get a bit of that atmosphere without having to leave the comfort of their own homes.

VR & AR

Some of the most exciting technological developments in recent years, especially when it comes to gaming, is around virtual and augmented realities.

In a virtual reality you use a headset (like the Oculus Rift, for example) to be immersed in another world. The things you see and hear are projected virtually and you experience whatever world has been created for you. In augmented reality, you project images into your own world or space, so that virtual elements become a part of your reality.

VR games are becoming more popular, where via a headset, the game will transform and take the player to ‘another world’.

There have been some fantastic virtual reality games that players can take part in. Trover Saves the Universe, Star Wars: Squadrons, Half-Life Alyx, No Man’s Sky and Superhot VR are all fantastic examples of games released in the past year that have transported players into their stunning worlds. It’s easy to see the potential for VR to make gaming more social. Say if two players are playing a multiplayer VR game on headsets, they can experience this virtual world alongside one another.

Augmented reality offers similar opportunities for being social while playing games. Think of the hugely popular Pokemon Go game for example, which brought people together walking around their neighbourhoods and cities playing the game, trying to capture the augmented reality characters that appeared in their real world, through their phones.

There are many ways that video games are becoming more sociable for their players to interact with either family and friends or with people across the world. From multiplayer modes to live gaming and chat rooms, there is something for everyone to socialise and connect with others when playing their favourite games.