Video Gaming's 'Bad Boy' Image is Getting a Make-Over

Long maligned by sociologists and teachers as a negative influence on our Youth and Society, many experts are recognizing current video gaming trends, and in particular, online gaming, as a new social gathering place... a 'virtual pub' where everyone knows your username.

[ClickPress, Tue Dec 12 2006] No longer is video gaming pursued strictly by introverted adolescents, isolated in darkened rooms, causing their parents grave concern for their social development. Online gaming is connecting players, rather than isolating them. Gamers of all ages can join their friends online, through a high-speed Internet connection, and play together, chat, and generally have a good time.

University of Wisconsin/Madison Speech Communication professor, Dmitri Williams, argues that online games are becoming a "third place", outside of home and work for informal socialization and the formation of "relationships of status and solidarity." This sense of being connected, is not restricted by geographical limitations.

Not just the online component of gaming is evolving, but the hardware manufacturers and game developers are recognizing the value of making games with a cooperative, socially interactive element, whether they are played online, at a LAN party, or locally on a home console. New consoles, like the Nintendo wii, reflect a shift in attitudes toward designing for group play.

For persons that would like to join the gaming revolution, but don't know where to start, Video Game Locker, a new Internet company, specializes in all aspects of online gaming.

About Video Game Locker:

VGL's goal is to promote pro gaming and cooperative online gaming as a valid social interactive function. Their primary focus is on helping
the beginner join the rapidly growing ranks of cyberathletes.