A lot of high school students play video games, with it being a popular and high-grossing form of entertainment globally, but how does that happen?
Video games, which exploded in popularity around the late 70s, are popular across all walks of life for a reason; they offer a very diverse range of entertainment that most people are able to enjoy. Video games offer another mode of connection, especially as the world becomes more online.
“I really enjoy character designs and seeing really cool characters,” said sophomore Emerson Zavela. “But they’re a good way to play with my friends, but a lot of them don’t live near me.”
People’s initial exposure to video games comes from a variety of different sources, many of which include family, friends or even online communities. In recent years, it has become increasingly common for families to bond over playing games together on a console.
“My dad [got me into video games],” said sophomore Noah Braunecker. “I play a lot of similar games that my dad plays, and I started playing Minecraft with him when I was like, eight years old, and I play games with him to this day.”
The influx of streamers and “Let’s Play” content has allowed more and more people to be introduced to the game space, creating a more diverse community of players and putting gaming on a more widely enjoyed global scale.
“YouTubers [got me into video games], I can’t lie,” said sophomore Aarya Rippetoe. “I see a bunch of people playing them, or seeing, like, secret hacks and tricks, and I’m like, ‘wow, that’s really cool, I want to play too.’”
Playing video games also fosters connections between varying groups of people. While gaming is often characterized as a youth-centric pastime, despite the history behind the form of entertainment, there are teachers here at BHS who also play video games in their free time.
“I play actually kind of a lot of niche video games,” said math teacher Caralea Anderson. “I like to play things like “Slay the Spire” and “Monster Train”, and I think that’s like a card-based strategy game that’s all on top of my head.”
