After reading Bonnie Ruberg’s chapter on the communities in which video games create, I thought of my past experiences and the communities that I have been in. The vast territory that video games inhabit causes multiple genres of content to come about. However, even with the toxicity of the game culture nowadays, that are numerous amounts of communities that are created through video games that allow people to connect and relate with one another through mutual liking of a video game. What that brings about is a sense of identity for you and your friends who are included within your community. Just like how Bonnie Ruberg and three other colleagues built a virtual community for the intersection of queerness in video games, anyone can connect with others to partake in the shared liking of a video game; no matter the size or popularity. “All games are the products of the developers who build them, whether or not they are a part of the video game industry, and all games are played by a wide range of individuals, all of whom bring their own identity and unique set of experiences to the game” (Ruberg, 118). Video games allow for all to connect and play together. For me, I never thought of meeting anyone through playing video games until relating and becoming friends with a group of random guys while playing call of duty. It was very unique; I was a freshman in high school, a couple guys were in college, and lastly, we had thirty-year-old, all being different ethnicities as well. We never met in real life but met one day while playing and became relatively close for having never met. For the time we played the game together, a lot of great experiences came from a community created from a game that I loved to play. That is the beauty about video games. The sense of community they can create is awesome. I think about those times in high school and miss those days playing call of duty with a community I felt comfortable playing in.

Another community I was a part of that relates to Ruberg’s chapter was the Rooster Teeth community. Even though I wasn’t actually playing a game, watching others play gave me a sense of community as well. With the help of Youtube, Video game content creation is very accessible. I started watching Minecraft Let’s Plays and before I knew it, was a part of another community as well. All it takes is one game for people to like, and after that, anything can happen. Whether it is connecting with others through playing, or creating content for others to enjoy, video games create immense communities for people to feel comfortable in.