Since the dawn of Pong, video games have been reliable lightning rods for criticism. Shoot-em-ups and mobile puzzlers alike have been accused of everything from contributing to pediatric obesity to cultivating anti-social tendencies to promoting devil worship—not to mention the perennial furor surrounding video game violence.
There are some downsides to constant gaming, but the charge that video games are detrimental to society because they stop people from cultivating real-world relationships might be misplaced. At least that's the argument made by author Richard Garriott (a.k.a. "Lord British") the game pioneer behind the Ultima series, which laid the groundwork for all RPG gaming and MMOs.
I had a chance to speak with Garriott when he stopped by PCMag's offices to be a guest on our live video Q+A series, The Convo. While he recognizes the validity of some of these criticisms in regards to solipsism and sloth, he counters with some perspective.
"One of those criticisms [against gaming was] that if kids were inside playing on a computer all day long, they weren't outside in the sunshine exercising [their] muscles, much less interacting with other people. And to some degree that's true. We all need to manage our time, and that of our kids, in regards to how long they spend in front of their electronic devices. "
But Garriott points out how games can forge bonds that otherwise would have never existed in the modern world. "Look at how human culture has evolved. If you look at 100 years ago, chances are you worked near where you lived. And the people around you probably worked at the same place, or at least they worked in a similar nearby farm or nearby factory. You knew your neighbor well and have no problem going over to ask them for a cup of sugar. Your kids are in the same schools. Your feasts and famines as a community are shared.
"But in modern commuting lifestyle, that's no longer true. Now we are physically separated by those we have common interests in—whether it's work interests or private-social interests. Most of us, if we even know our next door neighbor's name—which often we don't—we most likely don't work at the same place, our children don't work at the same school. All the reasons you wouldn't feel comfortable going over to ask for a cup of sugar. To me, online games help fix that."
While social media may be the more famous example of technology helping humans bond across great distances, the shared emotional experience that video games provide may be even more powerful in this regard.
"[Online gaming provides you] with a teleporter to bridge the physical distances between us. They let you find people who share like interests. You do have honest-to-goodenss shared experiences which are truly meaningful… And what we've found is that the friendships people make online are the friendships that people are motivated to reinforce in the real world."
Have you made IRL relationships through online gaming? You're not alone. In fact, studies show that online gaming may be particularly good at allowing shy people to forge relationships they otherwise might not be able to.
Over the course of this wide-ranging interview, Garriott also touched on the role of drugs in the early video game industry; how nerds have come to inherit the Earth; why space is gross, but still worth going to (he paid $30 million to travel there back in 2008); and why The Singularity will probably happen.
You can see other interviews all our past guests here, including astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson; former astronaut Mike Massimino; Mr. Robot writer/producer Kor Adana; NASA deputy administrator, Dava Newman; World War Z author Max Brooks; adult film star, Joanna Angel; and many many more.