Abstract: Physical games, both indoor and outdoor, play a major role in the formation of friendships amongst children and adolescents. But today, this form of play has been replaced by video games, where the relationships are often built through the computer/mobile screens, and this is especially true in the case of multiplayer video games. They have become a means for gamers to meet new and like-minded people. For instance, since the pandemic, the number of hours that gamers have spent gaming has increased considerably and the number of people who have played video games for the first time has also gone up. One of the reasons for this could be the very fact that these games help us build new relationships that could go on to be lasting, particularly due to the shared interests and the sense of belonging and community that they offer.
This study was done with the goal of better understanding the impacts of video games' growing influence on younger generations. The focus of this paper is to study the effect that video games can have on social interactions, exclusively amongst students belonging to the age group of 16-21 years. Its goal is to raise awareness of the beneficial aspects of video games that are often overlooked, as well as to examine if they influence player behavior and, if so, to study these changes in behavior, with a focus on social interaction. A survey has been conducted to determine the same.
We have also suggested measures to help and prevent people from crossing the line between recreation and addiction because, an innovation made for boredom could turn into an addiction, if not controlled.
The null hypothesis is that there is no substantial difference in social interaction between gamers and non-gamers.
Key words: Video Games, Social Interaction, Students
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DOI:
10.17148/IJARCCE.2022.11141
