People who regularly play video games often identify as gamers. Gamers range from casual players to passionate enthusiasts and professional gaming competitors, or esports players. Many gamers enjoy socializing in gaming conventions and online communities. Gamers can also participate in gaming journalism and video game reviews.

As video games have evolved to include multiplayer and online features, gaming has become more social in nature. The gaming community has become more interconnected as a result, with gamers forming organized groups or clans that compete against other clans in professionally set competition events or in casual social playing. These gaming groups often have their own merch, internal language and acronyms, dances, characters and internet communities.

Some studies have shown that gaming can help improve cognitive skills, especially problem-solving and spatial navigation. These skills can be transferred to other activities and real-world applications. Other benefits of gaming include increased social skills, improved anxiety and depression, and reduced stress levels. Some of these benefits are attributed to the social interaction in gaming, as well as to the gratification and entertainment that gamers feel from their accomplishments.

The compulsion to win can lead to addiction. This can have negative consequences, such as neglect of other parts of life and problems in personal relationships. The sedentary lifestyle associated with video game addiction can cause physical problems, including obesity and deteriorating health. It can also contribute to social isolation, as gamers spend hours in their rooms without interacting with other people.

Repetitive stress injuries are common among gamers. These injuries are caused by repetitive movements that can affect muscles and tendons, causing pain, inflammation and numbness. They can occur in any activity that requires repeated motions, but are more common with repetitive use of the hands and arms, such as typing or playing a video game.

In addition to physical injury, some gamers experience psychological problems such as depression and anxiety. A study published in 2009 showed that individuals who spent an excessive amount of time playing video games tended to have lower self-esteem and more negative emotional expressions than those who did not play video games. Other problems that can result from an excessive amount of video game play include deteriorating social skills, poor job performance and strained relationships with family and friends.

In recent years, major debates have surrounded the cultural impact of gaming. Some of these debates have focused on whether gaming can promote violent behavior, and others have centered around the role of women and minorities in games. Regardless of these issues, most people agree that gaming has influenced culture in some way. The future of gaming will depend on how much it can be integrated into other aspects of society and how it continues to evolve to reflect new trends in technology and socialization. It is important to keep in mind that video game companies are still business enterprises, and profit will continue to be the primary focus of the industry.