Video gaming has become an integral part of our lives in recent years. According to Newzoo, an analytics company, the video game industry has about three billion active gamers. This is almost half the entire population of the planet. Every year this figure increases by an average of 100-150 million. The video gaming industry generated more than $175 billion in revenue in 2021. This number is expected to continue growing in 2022 and beyond.
It’s important to note that the age of gamers is also increasing. While at the dawn of video gaming it was seen more as an entertainment for children, today a significant proportion of gamers are adults and accomplished people. And not just men, as one might think, but also women.
How does the love of video games affect relationships?
Unfortunately, video game addiction can greatly affect a person’s personal life, and this addiction is much more common than many people think. Modern psychologists believe that about 10-14% of computer users are avid gamers with signs of video game addiction. But there are experts who talk about much larger numbers. Harvard University psychologist Mareza Orzak believes that among people who play computer games, between 40% and 80% are addicted.
It’s believed that the male audience spends twice as much time on video games as the female audience. But the older and more educated a person is, the less time they spend on video games, preferring to manage their time for greater balance.
But why do so many people get so attached to video gaming anyway?
The reasons can be very varied:
- Lack of positive and interesting events in real life. Games become the easiest and most affordable way to diversify your routine.
- Psychological trauma in childhood or adolescence, a latent inferiority complex and other deep psychological problems.
- Difficulties in relationships with the opposite gender, due to which the person needs to distract themselves from the failures in their personal life.
- A simple excess of free time. The person just needs some kind of time killer, and video games become a good solution for that.
As a result, the gamer increasingly drifts away from reality, spending more and more time in the game world, destroying their social ties, becoming withdrawn, irritable and apathetic in reality.
Is love for gaming a burden on personal life?
After reading the above, you may get the feeling that the love of games and relationships are simply incompatible. But in fact, everything is not quite so simple. Sometimes it’s true, but sometimes the truth is quite the opposite — it is thanks to video games that many people get to know each other, make new friends and even find their true love.
To begin with, it’s worth mentioning that there are thousands of multiplayer games in which players interact with each other in one way or another — not only in the game chat, but also by voice. And video chat apps like Discord allow gamers to communicate via video. These can be completely diverse people, but they are united by one idea, act in a team, get to know each other and communicate. Often such communication in the game develops into something more.
Among the most popular online games where players can communicate with each other, we can identify Crossfire, Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto 5, Fortnite, DOTA 2 and others. In fact, there are hundreds and even thousands of them, and it is quite easy to find like-minded people playing them.
If for you a game is just a game, and not a dating site, but gaming is still an integral part of your life, there is another great way to make new acquaintances — themed dating sites and online video chats.
Sites, dating apps and video chats for gamers
Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increased audience interest in niche dating sites. Now you can easily find a dating service, for example, for vegetarians, for lovers of extreme sports, for single parents, and so on. Obviously, such a huge niche as video gaming could not be ignored either.
We suggest you take a look at some interesting dating services for those who cannot imagine their life without video games:
- Gamer Dating — a community site for 18+ people who love computer games. On it, you can find other members nearby or around the world, look for partners in your game team, chat, meet and start relationships.
- Kippo — a combination of an online game and a dating service. Here you create your own unique avatar and plunge into a fully realized gaming space. You can walk the streets of a virtual city, chat with other gamers, spend time together and basically live your whole life in Kippo.
- LFGDating — according to the developers, the safest dating service for video game lovers. Here you can also find companions for games, new friends and your true love.
- SoulGeek — a dating site for geeks, fans of computer games, science fiction, horror, fantasy, anime and comics. The site has a very unusual audience, but if you are a geek, then SoulGeek is a place where you’ll feel very comfortable.
The only disadvantage of such dating services is that they take a lot of time. You need to register, fill in your profile data, add a photo, present yourself creatively, and so on. For many, this just doesn’t work. There is a great alternative for these people — online video chat.
Video chat describes online platforms that connect random users via video, giving the chance to meet and communicate on any topic of interest. We can recommend three video chat sites:
- Bazoocam — a classic online video chat with a basic set of features. It is interesting primarily because there are built-in mini-games that you can play with other participants.
- Chatrandom — another popular video chat site, where themed chat rooms are of particular interest. They gather like-minded people and communicate on their favorite topics. There are also “rooms” for video game lovers.
- CooMeet — a Bazoocam alternative with a gender filter, thanks to which the service connects men only with girls. It saves a lot of time and effort, allowing you to communicate with the opposite gender without unnecessary difficulties, for more information check here https://coomeet.com/bazoocam.
In fact, you can find video gaming fans in other video chats. But if you are looking for the most convenient, popular and safe sites, we advise you to pay attention to those we have listed.
Video gaming and relationships can coexist happily
So what conclusion can we draw in the end?
The love of video games can lead to polar opposite consequences in different situations. One person may become inward-looking and try to escape from reality. On the contrary, thanks to games, another might make new acquaintances, find true friends and even meet their love. Experiences can be very personal..
We’d like to give you a little advice. If you feel you’re starting to get addicted to gaming, try to spend less time in the game. Set a time limit for yourself and don’t go over it. And to socialize more actively, try switching to online games where you need to communicate and interact with other gamers. Also, don’t forget about those dating sites for gamers — you’ll surely like them!
