Ready Player Two

How video games bring us together worldwide

Story by Natalie Brown

Published Feb. 13, 2026

Photo courtesy of Jazmin Tabuena from corelens.

Seattle native Kira Branch was playing Valorant with a friend when a third joined their party.

They hopped into a game and quickly found themselves playing together regularly.

It didn’t take long for Branch to connect with the new member, Sage Greely. They enjoyed each other’s company so much that they began playing one-on-one, eventually branching out to other games and streaming shows together over Discord, an online chat platform.

After about two months of playing games together, they decided to brave the roughly 250-mile gap between Greely's hometown of The Dalles, Ore., and Seattle to meet in person for the first time. Then, about a month later, the two started dating. 

Greely and Branch’s story is just one example of how video games foster connection, whether in person, online or across continents. Often, players bond over shared excitement for a game, a beloved series or a highly anticipated release.

For Greely and Branch, gaming filled the distance when they lived in different states.

“Calling and gaming with each other was one of the only forms of quality time we could indulge in without taking time to commute three-plus hours to see each other,” Branch said. 

A little more than a year after the two started dating, Greely closed the gap and moved to Seattle, where the two now share an apartment. Now, after nearly three years together, the couple still feels that video games are an essential part of their relationship.

“We play a lot of video games together,” Greely said. “It's one of our main ways of hanging out with each other still. It was especially important when we lived farther apart.”

Bellingham resident Zane Neill has also felt the impact games can have on maintaining friendships as life changes. His relationship with his friend Jaedyn is a prime example.

“When we lived together, my friend Jaedyn and I played games all the time,” Neill said. “League (of Legends), Dying Light 2, The Forest, Minecraft — they were a part of everyday life.”

When the two friends eventually moved apart, they realized that gaming meant more to their friendship than they had thought. 

“It was hard not to be able to see each other all the time anymore,” Neill said. “But playing games together online was a great way to find time to talk and interact without being able to be in person.”

Whether they were exploring open worlds, fighting side-by-side in a shooter or coordinating strategies, gaming helped them stay close.

“Mining together in Minecraft or fighting side by side in League was a reminder that we still had each other, even though we weren't under the same roof anymore,” Neill said. “It was comforting to know we could still have such a strong friendship despite the distance or our busy schedules.”

Through their time spent playing video games, Neill felt they could also maintain a social connection, keeping track of life changes.

“It's a great way to keep each other up to date on what's going on in our lives,” Neill said. 

For Joshua Cary, president of the Western Washington University Game Design Club, video games have long been a gateway to new friendships. Growing up, he played games at the Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island.

“I got to familiarize myself with people just because I was playing games with them,” he said.

Cary believes games bring people together quickly, smoothing over awkwardness and creating openings for conversation. At the community center, people naturally gathered during free time to play whatever was available.

One of the most memorable moments of connection for Cary came with the release of Hollow Knight: Silksong in September 2025.

“When it first came out, for the first two or three weeks, it was just me talking with my friends about what was happening in our games,” Cary said. “It was a way of connecting that didn't have us be in person or play with each other. We both play games, and now we get to talk about that with each other, and that's the really cool part.”

While online spaces can foster meaningful relationships, Branch and Greely acknowledge the risks that come with talking to strangers behind a screen.

“Some people aren't careful, and you can easily be taken advantage of online,” Greely said.

With the ability to hide behind a screen or pretend to be someone you're not, Branch and Greely agree that internet safety is as important as ever. 

“I just urge people to be careful and keep your eyes open for red flags, even if they’re the smallest flags ever,” Branch said.

For many, games are a way to form friendships, meet new people and even find love. With awareness and care, players can build lasting connections across cities, countries and continents.

“Games are how we met, how we spent quality time together from a distance, and even how I first introduced him to my best friends,” Branch said. “They continue to be ways we spend quality time together, whether it be playing online multiplayer games, co-op games or streaming separate games for each other.”

Declan McKenzie, a Western student, said their favorite part of playing video games is the sense of community many gamers feel.

“I love enjoying a curated artistic experience and bonding with people based on the shared or different experiences we’ve had,” McKenzie said. “Even with single-player games, there's a very communal nature to discussing and sharing games that I’ve enjoyed.”

Across the world, video games bring together like-minded individuals to discuss theories, gameplay tips, content and build a community for gamers of all personalities.

“Australia, Toronto, Portland, Chicago, London — so many places around the world,” McKenzie said, referring to locations of some of their online friends.

From roommates to lovers, from living in the same country to living thousands of miles apart, video games connect us in a variety of ways. Gamers can find unity in video games in all sorts of ways, such as taking to social media to share sadness over the death of a character, or stating pride over beating a boss alongside a friend, like in Elden Ring, or a competitive streak over Street Fighter or Mario Kart. 

No matter what, video games provide a tie that links game lovers and connoisseurs together, and proves that no matter our distance, origins or lifestyle, we all can find solidarity with each other through something as simple as Pong to something as complex as God of War.