Since the PlayStation brand was birthed in 1994 it has earned itself a loyal population of fans. To-date there have been four consoles and two handhelds released within the PlayStation family, and there are countless gamers who have purchased and collected each. Although visual fidelity has improved tremendously over the past 20 years, arguably the most substantial difference between the PlayStation experience of today and that of 20 years ago is how PlayStation gamers connect with one another.
The standardization of online access with the PS3 back in 2006 was a revolution for PlayStation. Gamers with similar interests have forged unbreakable bonds with one another, sharing a passion for games from studios such as Polyphony Digital, Naughty Dog, and Media Molecule.
With the advent of the PlayStation 4 era, gamers are now able to socialize and connect in ways that makes PlayStation much more than just a brand about playing games, it’s about sharing a passion for video games. There are several ways it accomplishes this, which are outlined below.
An Online Identity: The Profile
On the PlayStation 4 everyone has a profile. This profile serves as a face for each gamer’s online identity, allowing for others to get a first impression of other PlayStation gamers by seeing the games they play as well as a brief About Me synopsis. This is extremely important because there is a barrier between gamers when playing online. In many cases, they’ll only hear someone’s voice and see their online alias, which doesn’t quite give enough information to get an idea of what their interests are, or what PlayStation games they love. The profile system remedies this by bridging the gap between the virtual world and reality
Either an avatar can be selected, or they can choose to use an image directly from a social media account—mine auto-updates with my Facebook image. On the PlayStation 4 it’s even possible to share a real-life name so that others can call one another by their first name rather than their alias.
What Have You Been Up To?: Recent Activities
On the PlayStation 4, the Recent Activities section under each gamer’s Profile is an information-rich place. It serves as a log of major events. In many cases, it’s the best way to see what others have been doing on their console lately. That might mean that they’re streaming on Twitch, or just picked up a new game that others may want to join them in playing.
There’s more to it than that, though. Trophies earned are shared in this section, making Recent Activities a great way to share accomplishments. Shared content is even published here, making epic experiences highly shareable.
Staying Connected: The Friends List
The Friends List has been around for a number of years. PlayStation gamers began building a roster of buddies as far back as 2006 when the PlayStation 3 came out. These friends have progressed through major evolutions in the PlayStation brand together; while in 2007 they may have been playing Resistance: Fall of Man together, today games like Destiny tend to dominate social circles.
The big thing to note about the PlayStation 4 is that its Friends List capacity has been raised from 100 up to a staggering 2,000. No longer do highly sociable gamers have to decide who gets to stay on their friends list, and who gets cut.
One of the greatest things about the Friends List is it not only shows what level everyone is, indicating how much of an active participant they are on acquiring trophies, but also what game they’re playing at any given time. At the moment Destiny is a PlayStation gamer favorite, and if there is someone who isn’t familiar with the game they may have their interest piqued by seeing it commonly played by others. Chances are, thanks to the Friends List, they will research the game and see if maybe it’s something they want to try out and play with their friends.
Meeting New People: Players Met
One commonly overlooked feature on all of the PlayStation platforms is Players Met. Essentially, it populates with the profiles of other players during online matches. When PlayStation gamers have positive interactions with others, all they need to do is note the alias of the other player and then find them on the Players Met interface to be added to the Friends List.
Sometimes it’s not necessarily about adding a Friend, though. There are moments where gamers may want to communicate information to other players, including tips or questions. The Players Met is a great resource for those situations.
Let’s Play: The Party
The PlayStation 4 has made drastic improvements to how parties are handled on PSN. It’s simple to create one and invite friends, serving as a simple-to-use medium for voice communication.
Made better, in the latest PlayStation 4 update, 2.0, Share Play was added. This allows PlayStation gamers to have a player from anywhere in the world drop in during local multiplayer experiences, as well as allowing them to take over a game entirely. If they like the game, they might just choose to buy it and either begin a trophy hunting war, or team up for some online action.
Friendly Competition: The Trophies
Trophies serve as more than just objectives for leveling up on PSN; they are also great for friendly competition. The Compare Trophies is a great way for gamers to see how they fare against others on their Friends List. It might just be enough to make them work harder toward a goal.
Trophy hunting tends to add great value to games by bolstering their game content. Incentivization comes from the social side of things; knowing that a Platinum Trophy will pop-up for all to see in the Recent Activities section has certainly been enough for the more competitive types.
Community: Live from PlayStation
One of the greatest addition to the social ecosystem of PlayStation this generation was the integration of live streaming into the PlayStation 4. Now, anyone with an internet connection can broadcast their game experiences for the world to share with them. Even better, it’s accessible at the click of a dedicated button on the DualShock 4 controller.
Viewers don’t have to be anonymous, though. It’s easy to find a friend who is streaming from the Live from PlayStation interface, and use that as an opportunity to see what they’re playing and chat with them.
The End Result: A PlayStation Brotherhood
PlayStation is known for its compelling exclusive titles and high value hardware. Because of this, it has a large fan base, one that is rich with diversity. Even then it’s easy to find others that share the same interest, especially on PlayStation 4 where there are a handful of features that keep PlayStation gamers connected unlike ever before. It’s like one big PlayStation brotherhood.
