Is gaming less social than it once was?

In your opinion, has playing video games become less social than it once was? Do you still talk video games with others in person or does most of it take place online?

I don't know the answer (which is why i'm asking). BUT, here is the case for each:

**Back in the day: All games played together were played in the same room using the same TV or in an arcade. This meant the in-person interactions were much more than they were today.

**Today: Online gaming has surged and arcades are dying. The billions of hours spent online today means connecting with more people and socializing with others.

Have you changed the way you play or talk about video games?

Not really. The types of games that people talk about may be different, but online gaming has made gaming more social than ever.

No. Just cause we all don't sit in the same room much anymore does not remove the social interaction one have with others.

No. It might might be different, but I I think we're actually more social nowadays

Well ... I used to have many gaming friend which isn't the case anymore and of course multiplayer games used to be many people on the couch passing the controller or playing split screen ...

Now we are each in our own home playing together and with complete stranger sometimes. It isn't the same feeling that is for sure.

I just pummeled my friend ten straight matches in a row in DoA...... and I did it to his face...... twas fun. :)

It depends on which platform are you using. In my opinion, using playstation, wii and xbox can be more social than using mobile as a game platform. Mobile games are less social because well, you can use it anywhere, you can play with your friends even if you are far away from each other and you do not need a controller and tv to use it. That's just my opinion.,

I think you can still get together with friends, gather a bunch of tv's, and game online in the same room or house over your wifi(assuming you have decent internet w/out bandwith issues) and that can be very fun. And LAN is still a thing(pc forsure). But I do still think there is alot less of that happening now in this generation of consoles in the push for little or no co-op in games. I have a hard time finding a game that my friends all would like to play together because there are so many out there to buy, and it's like we each buy the ones we want, but never the same game. And if we do find a game we agree to play, we don't really get to deep into it and it just seems hard to find a game that really keeps us going in the multiplayer aspect. Yes, my buddies aren't really much into shooters, which is fine cause i love MMORPG's, it's just that there are so many of them and you only have so much time per day and so on. If any of you have advice on a good MMO, I need some suggestions.

Hmmm... games that have multiplayer but ignore split-screen are shooting themselves in the foot in that they're preventing this type of socialization you mention in the "back in the day". In this sense I'd say they could be considered less social, given that most multiplayer these days is with strangers who are anonymous, if it isn't with your friends.

On the other hand games like MK8 or Smash don't prohibit this type of social gaming, though they do have the multiplayer-with-strangers aspect.

Really I'd say games are equally as social as they were before. Games that allow you to play with your friends in the livingroom like they did years ago still exist, and they're still fun. While a lot of multiplayer happens with strangers from other parts of the world, in practice (and relevant to us) they're more like a more advanced AI to play against (especially if you mute them :3 ).

An interesting point with the muting. I know playing Halo online, I'd sometimes decide not to play with a headset (mostly without team play). I love that smash and mk8 were better local - nowadays I think online is the priority. It seems like this type of thing also applies to how Facebook increased socializing but also decreased it by making people look down at their phones. Maybe the answer isn't more/less social, and that it's just different.

I'd say it's more social then ever, these days it's hard to even find games with a sole focus on single player. Look at gta v for example. Split screen couch gaming isn't as prevalent anymore but it does still exist, especially on the wii u and I'd say if anything the way we socialize has changed, not just in games, but life in general.

Much less, without a doubt. It is especially, painfully clear in MMOs, the dying breed of games.

It depends what you mean by social. Is spending spending lots of time alone in front of your computer playing with lots of online friends social?

Probably. I know I care a lot less about who I play with than when they were sitting on my couch. Now everybody is replaceable. Don't like the guy in your team, guild, etc? Just find someone else. Can't seem to play well as a team with your current group? Find a different group. Before I would try my best to improve my team skills with my friends because 1) they were my friends 2) there was no other option if I didn't want to play alone. Now there's just so many people to choose from it doesn't matter any more.

Even the sense of accomplishment is different. Having someone sitting next to you squirming in their seat with concentration trying to play well was quite funny; also the high fives when you did well or the playful banter when you completely beat them sometimes was more enjoyable than the game itself.

Yeah I think so. The lack of local multiplayer games on the PS4 is really quite sad. The Wii U is the only console that really still has this!