Jason Dunn
07-10-2003, 03:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,111489,tk,dn070903X,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,111489,tk,dn070903X,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div>"Computer games are "woven into the fabric of everyday life" for college students, and they help would-be geeks and nerds get a social life rather than preventing them from doing so, a new study indicates. The Pew Internet & American Life Project this week released its report "Let the Games Begin: Gaming Technology and Entertainment Among College Students." Among its most distinctive findings is the fact that games, rather than being an isolating social factor nurturing geeks or nerds, are a more "social/socializing activity" than many outsiders suspect."<br /><br />Aha! I always knew there was an up-side to gaming! :wink: This article points out what most gamers already know: online gaming can foster friendships in the same way that playing a game of cards with your buddies can. A friend of mine recently moved from Calgary to Victoria, and it's amazing how much our friendship has remained unchanged. Most of our socialization time while he was in Calgary consisted of playing online games with voice communication software so we could talk to each other. The fact that he's moved hasn't impacted that - we play several times a week (almost finished Neverwinter Nights!) and we chat about everything just as we did when he lived in the same city.<br /><br />How have your relationships been impacted by online gaming?