A multiplayer match may begin with a squad looking for one more player, but the relationships formed around gaming can last much longer than the match itself.
For Veterans and Service Members, those connections can take on particular importance. A 2025 national survey from the Entertainment Software Association found that 77% of Veteran gamers viewed video games as a valuable way to connect with others, while 76% said gaming helped them stay connected with friends. Nearly eight in 10 said they played with other people at least once a week.
The survey shows how gaming can help Veterans stay connected with friends, family members, and other Service Members. Friends meet online after work, former unit members stay in contact across different states, and players who start as strangers can eventually become part of the same regular group.
The connection often begins with the game, but it does not always stay there.
Researchers at Doshisha University recently examined a Japanese Discord community built around competitive Splatoon 3 players. Members initially joined because they wanted to improve their skills and find stronger competition, but researchers found that many eventually stayed for the social side of the community. Conversations expanded beyond matches into everyday life, jokes, personal experiences, and support during stressful periods.
The researchers described the Discord server as an online version of a “third place,” a term traditionally used for gathering spaces outside the home and workplace where people regularly spend time together. In this case, the meeting place happened to be digital.
The study focused on one gaming community in Japan, but the pattern is familiar to anyone who has spent enough time in an active Discord server. Players may arrive looking for teammates, help with a game, or someone to fill the last spot in a squad. Over time, familiar usernames become familiar voices, and the conversation can continue even when no one is playing.
The same connection can carry particular meaning for people who served in the military.
Among Veterans surveyed by the ESA, 78% said playing video games with fellow military members strengthened camaraderie while they were on active duty, while 73% said gaming helped foster teamwork and cooperation. Seventy percent reported playing games with other people at least weekly during their time in the service.
Gaming can continue to provide a common meeting place after people leave the military, even when former friends and coworkers are no longer stationed together. There is no requirement to live nearby, travel to an event, or coordinate an entire weekend. Sometimes staying connected can be as simple as seeing who is online and joining a voice channel.
That idea sits at the center of American Legion Gaming, which identifies Connection as one of its core pillars and uses gaming to bring Veterans, Service Members, Legion Family members, and supporters together through digital and in-person communities.
The ALG Discord serves as one of those meeting places. Members can find others to play with, follow community news, and participate in events such as Community Friday, where conversation and gaming share the same space. ALG’s weekly gathering includes open discussion, community questions, and time for members to choose games and play together.
The game may be what brings someone into the room for the first time, but it does not have to be the reason they return.
Sometimes it is the squad that remembers when someone has been away for a few weeks. Sometimes it is the person who stays in voice chat after everyone else logs off. Other times, it is simply knowing there will be familiar people online the next time someone wants to play.
When that happens, gaming becomes more than entertainment. The match ends, the scoreboard disappears, and the people remain.
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