The Social Game
We’ve all seen the comics, memes, and
jokes about what it’s like to interact with gamers during online play. There’s
the obnoxious frat boys hitting on a girl during a round of Halo, the guy who
gets way too into a match of League
of Legends, and the ever-popular little kid screeching and swearing his way
through a Call of Duty game. It can get pretty ugly out there.
Imagine the world’s surprise when a
little game called Pokémon Go launches seemingly out of nowhere, and all of a
sudden it seems everyone’s playing it. Not only that, but they’re having a good
time.
Now the naysayers, grumps, and jerks
who’d dare try to stomp on the game and everyone’s fun are the outliers in the
community. Wherever I go, I see people enjoying themselves while walking around
catching Pokémon, and there’s an endless amount of online stories of strangers
connecting because of the game.
It goes even further than the realm of
video games, too. This week I’ve had the pleasure of watching the Cipher Hunt,
a worldwide scavenger hunt organized by Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch,
sending fans on a quest to find a hidden statue of series villain Bill Cipher.
The community has come together as one as we trek across continents in search
of the next clue.
Even more so, I’ve seen an influx of
people encouraging positive behaviour in the gaming scene, aside from Pokémon
Go. People post on Overwatch message boards of how they encourage young kids
they met on voice chat to keep practicing at the game to get better.
Lighthearted, uplifting games like Undertale and Stardew Valley are all the
rage right now, a shocking difference from about a decade ago, when the latest
Gears of War was all anyone could talk about.
I’m sure there’s still lots of lousy
people in the gaming scene that’ll muddy our name again before too long. My
brother, an avid League of Legends player, often has a new story of someone who
just couldn’t handle a loss, blaming it all on his teammates. Part of me
wondered why people even put up with this. Then, it dawned on me. As games, we
love competition, and that can bring out the more aggressive side in us,
whether we know it or not.
Think about it. Pokémon Go features
slight friendly competition at best, in the form of taking over a gym belonging
to another team. Other than that, you can show off what Pokémon you caught
nearby to other players, talk about where the best spots are to catch and use
PokéStops, and just generally have a good time. Same thing goes for the Cipher
Hunt. We’re not competing to be the first one there. We’re working together to
find a treasure for the whole fanbase. This results in a positive experience
with no one getting upset.
Now compare that to a first-person
shooter or a top-down MOBA, where it’s all
competition. People yell at each other, blame others when they lose, and
things can get more than a little out of hand. Overwatch seems to be an
exception to the rule, and while I theorize that the game’s colourful art style
may have something to do with it, I’m not quite sure yet.
Basically what I’m trying to get
across here is that as gamers, we’re kind of stuck with this notion that we’re
all whiny babies who can’t stand to lose and blame others for our faults. Competition
isn’t a bad thing, don’t get me wrong. But we could stand to cool down a bit
and remember that it’s just a game we’re playing. Like Pokémon Go, we’re all
just here for the same reason: to have fun, and maybe win a few games while
doing it.
Song of the Week
In keeping with the Pokémon theme of
this week’s editorial, I’ve chosen the Zinnia Encounter theme from Pokémon
Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire. It’s one of the most underrated pieces in the
series, and if you haven’t heard it before, I hope you enjoy it.
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