Videogames are top of the charts for pop culture entertainment

Thomas Hubbard

Synthesis & research writing

10/9/22

The pop culture topic I chose is video games. I really enjoy playing games.

Those rushes when I'm winning in a game just power me up. Especially when

I'm with my friends and we're at each other's house playing party games it’s a

bomb.

I read an article called “Social Development as a Benefit of Playing Video

Games.” 26 Aug. 2021, https://www.videogames.org.au/social-development/6

Speaks about how “Gamers have the ability to connect with players locally or

team up with people from countries around the world. A large proportion of

young people playing multiplayer games have developed good friendships with

people they met online.” because gamers know how to unite. For me, this article

was telling complete facts and that's coming from a gamer. I have my friends in

the real world but I also have friends from across the world. I have a really close
buddy who I have known since 8th grade and she lives in England. My friends

and my online friends always get on a party game and have fun.

Another article by Lenhart, Amanda Called “Chapter 3: Video Games Are Key

Elements in Friendships for Many Boys.” 31 Dec. 2019,

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/08/06/chapter-3-video-games-are-

key-elements-in-friendships-for-many-boys/ Lenhart talked about how “boys in

particular, video games serve as a major venue for the creation and maintenance

of friendships” which I completely agree with. My best friends in real life and I

bonded over video games and hanging out. I don’t know why we did it just

happened and it made our friendship grow since we all have that interest.

Lenhart also stated that “One middle school boy in our focus groups explained

that he and a gaming friend talked about a mix of things pertaining to the game

and their lives: “Like, we were talking about the game and then I’d be like, so,

what do you like to do? And we would just share thoughts. Stuff.” And that’s

how I met all my online friends and real-life friends. Gaming isn’t just something

to do when you're bored, it's a whole other world where you can find so many
new people to talk to along with being able to play your favorite games with

them.

The third article is “In-Depth View - Why Do People Play Social Games?”

Smart Mobile Gaming, 3 Feb. 2021,

https://smartmobilegamers.org/2017/08/31/people-play-social-games-depth/

The article has a lot of good points on why people play video games. Starting

with the fact that “Perhaps the most obvious being the ability to connect to

friends and family. With more than 75% of online game players reporting that

they play with friends and/or family members, it may come as no surprise that

video games have become a fun, playful activity to enjoy together – at home, in

another state or province or on the other side of the world!” Which to me

personally is a win in my book. Being into video games can open up a gateway

of fun for family, friends, and yourself. It's one of the getaways when things get

rough for me and I'm glad I had the chance to make so many friends because of

it.
 In conclusion, video games are a massive social construct that will be here for

a very long time for anyone to enjoy whenever they please.