Hey everyone, long time no see. I haven't been able to post for a while due to various reasons, but things have started to settle down a bit now so I will hopefully be able to start posting a couple times a week again at least.
That being said, let's start todays post! There will be plenty to talk about, what with E3 finally come and gone, but I wanted to focus on one thing in particular, and that's the social factors of games and how they bring people together.
Now, obviously at events like E3 or PAX or the myriad of other events, people from all over the world join together to see the latest and greatest in what gaming has to offer, as well as time to mingle with developers and others who help bring our games to life. These events are always exciting, especially with E3 opening it's door to the public this year and most likely in the years to come.
I personally enjoy going to the Sony E3 Experience in theaters. I've attended the last three years, and it's usually a great time. It's a free event, you get to snag a couple of cool posters or such usually, and it's fun getting caught up in the energy of the event when a big reveal gets shown on screen. I remember at the 2015 event and the event was just about over when Shawn Layden announced they had one last "...small title which requires no introduction." You could feel everyone gripping the arms of their chairs, and as soon as the Naughty Dog logo appeared on screen for the reveal of Uncharted 4, the theater erupted in cheers and applause. There's a distinct difference in watching a reveal from the comfort of your home and witnessing it in a crowd, and it's a great feeling to be swept up into when everyone around you is excited for the same reason you are.
But aside from large events like these, there's a myriad of other ways gamers can get together. There's plenty of people who like to schedule real-life meetups with people they've only talked with through games, there are people who have weekly D&D or Warhammer gatherings, there's gaming bars and arcades where people can go to watch live streamed matches of their favorite esports competitors, as well as plenty of others.
It's amazing the numbers of ways games can connect you to the rest of the world, and I think that this will continue to grow in the years to come. But how about you? Do you have any gatherings you like to attend? Go to Fireside Gatherings for Hearthstone? Do you like to participate in online gatherings for Twitch events? Please feel free to share below!