Friendship machine

Did you know that there are now 2.6 billion gamers in the world? By 2021, that number is expected to rise by 125 million. In terms of revenue, the video game industry has become bigger than the movie and music industries put together. Video games are sweeping the globe, quickly becoming a primary shaper of culture.

In an age of seemingly increasing social isolation and loneliness, communities are being formed and friendships forged in video games. But can you design for friendship? Do virtual connections have a meaningful impact on humans? What is the cost of loneliness?

In this course, the University of Iceland - in collaboration with leading game developer CCP Games - will guide you through the most interesting insights to emerge from the world of video games. Themes include friendship, loneliness, and the societal implications of a new type of human connection rapidly being formed in the 21st century.

What you'll learn

• By the end of this course, you will have greater knowledge of the science behind friendship and meaningful connections, and how video games are developing as an entertainment format, the positive and negative impact of video games, how video games are developing, the risk of loneliness, and social isolation in society. All this combined with several intriguing stories about players in the CCP community.