Gaming as a hobby has changed a lot over the years. On both a personal and social level. It wasn’t too long ago that gamers were seen as outcasts of society. Relegated to arcades. Mocked by most entertainment mediums. But views on gaming have shifted as it has become the most popular hobby on the planet. With over 3 billion gamers out there.
If you’re someone who has always been hesitant about getting into gaming then you should know that now is the ideal time to become a gamer! For a myriad of reasons. So whatever your hesitations about becoming a gamer, we hope we can alleviate your worries and help you enter into the greatest hobby on the planet!
More Accessible Than Ever
One of the biggest reasons so many people were alienated from gaming was the high barrier to entry that it used to have. A lot of older games, especially those on PC, were overly complex. With clunky user interfaces and hidden mechanics. And while older consoles were more accessible they still featured hefty price tags and often were harder to get ahold of.
Modern gaming is extremely accessible. PC gaming has become far more intuitive. Consoles, while still expensive, feature a lot more accessibility features for disabled gamers and are far less hard to get ahold of. And there are far more options for casual gamers. Mobile gaming has become huge in recent years. And even if you don’t have a console or a powerful PC there are a wealth of games you can play in your browser.
Gaming Variety
In the early days of gaming there wasn’t much variety in the types of games you had to choose from. You were limited to shooters, driving games, adventure games, or puzzle games. Don’t get me wrong I love all these genres. But I understand that a lot of people want something different from their gaming experience.
These days we are blessed to have a huge variety of games to choose from. Every year indie developers publish some of the most creative titles. Disco Elysium is a prime example of this. It is an RPG that challenges everything you know about the genre. Taking players on a surreal journey of self discovery and surrealism.
There are also a lot more games targeted at casual gamers as well. Titles like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, Euro Truck Simulator, The Sims. Not everyone has endless hours to sink into a huge game. Sometimes we just want to unwind for an hour or two. Gaming developers are recognizing this more and creating titles that are ideal for this mindset.
The Huge Social Scene
The stereotypical gamer of the past was an anti-social nerd who never ventured outside and refused to socialize with others. But this stereotype was never true. Gaming has always been a very social hobby. Arcades, the birthplace of gaming, were designed to be social spaces. With most titles featuring multiplayer modes.
And gaming has never lost sight of this ideal. Modern gaming is an extremely social hobby. With most titles putting an emphasis on multiplayer interactions. Apps like Discord offer gaming integration. Allowing gamers to build communities and bond with like minded individuals.
We have also been treated to a huge increase in the number of social focused games in recent years. Titles like Among Us and Town Of Salem have been amazingly popular because they provide a social atmosphere with the backdrop of an engaging game. While virtual reality technology has led to the creation of VRChat and Rec Room. Allowing gamers from around the world to enter a fully immersive social space where the only limits to what they can be or do is up to their imagination.
Only Up From Here
If none of these reasons have fully sold you then maybe you should consider the fact that gaming is only going to get better as the years progress. Technology is improving at a rapid pace. Games are becoming more immersive and fully realized with each new technological leap.
We briefly touched on VR technology. While it is still a bit clunky in areas it has made huge strides over the last few years. And we can only imagine how immersive VR games will be in another two or three years.
The social spaces surrounding gaming are also becoming more inclusive and diverse as the years go on. There is a lot of work still to be done. But it is on a positive upwards trajectory. So you can be certain to find people who share similar interests and heritages to you within the modern gaming space.
