Social Media And Video Games

Social Media in Gaming

     It is an interesting phenomenon that has only been going on for a few years. Video games are becoming one of the largest media outlets on the planet, and with that, YouTube has been growing substanially with it. Having a YouTube Channel myself, and being an extremely active "viewer", I can honestly say that both support each other. One doesn't know if both of these would be as big without the other. From Let's Plays, to real journalist (and yes, I would argue that some "tubers" are journalist), to simply gaming news, it is quite clear that YouTube is something we gamers need to follow. 

Who reading this has seen Totalbiscuit? Who reading this has seen the Yogscast? Who reading this knows of machinima or TheGameStation? It is through YouTube that so many people are able to make a living through something they love, and it should be respected as such. Certain YouTube channels offer better and more concise information about video games than any other gaming magazine or channel on television. 

But it is not just YouTube that is providing video game content and news to people who may not have been interested in this media before. Sites like Facebook and Twitter are blowing up the idea of gaming. Facebook, for instance, brought video games to people who never thought they would be a gamer. And yet, there are some people who play Farmville longer than a "nerd" plays World of Warcraft! Clearly, social media is bringing games to people, and regardless, that's a GOOD thing. An article I read recently, for example, was about an older woman, about 70, who played online games, because it kept her "sharp". 

Sites like Twitter allow a video game companies PR department to talk to their fans directly! Just an example, a recent thing happened on Twitter, where TotalBiscuit said the FoV (Field of View) in a video game was bad. A person from the company actually addressed him and said they will be looking into fixing this issue. Years ago, this would never have happened. 

It is clear, at least in my eyes, that social media and video games will be in a loving relationship for years. We, as consumers, as gamers, as people who care what is going on around us, need to embrace this. We need to roll with it, and make sure that we support this union to our fullest extent.