My son was badly introvert and womt step out of the front door. So What I did is, I take him outside every day and I started to talk to people and ask him to say hello as well. The first time was very bad, he only lasted 3 minutes. But I keep on trying, increasing the time outside and always talking to people. I gradually increase the time spent outside and talking to people. I do this every chance I got a free time after work and on weekends. few months passed by, now My son is very easly socializing with his peers and no problem on socializing with new friends. Next step I will introduce him to kick boxing.

I love how you’re having a conversation with us and then get distracted by Street Fighter 🤣👌

You being concerned about your child and doing what you can to attempt to improve his life is what makes you a great father. Keep going!

One thing you should do is to spend as much quality time with him as you can. Something you cannot get back. He will treasure it forever

Just remember, you're a good father. You're taking the time to identify where your son struggles, and you're actively trying to help him along.

You have Street Fighter 2 on in the background. You’re already an awesome dad!

I was sheltered at home because I lived in a danger zone over here. But my best memories where hanging out with dad for streetfighter 2.

SF2! I want you to adopt me! My dad never took the time to do anything with my brother and I when we were young. You are a good dad.

best way to bond is to teach adult skills, teach him to fix things or go fishing, go on a nature walk, teach about the plants trails signs of danger. give him responsibility while he can feel accomplished doing it. when he has more superior skills than his kids his age, then he becomes the leader of the pact.

By watching this, i actually cried a bit, it reminded me of my dad, showing me wonderful games on his pc back when i was a Kid, games like Grim Fandango, Fullthrottle, Doom and many many more, developing a true passion for videogames in general. I have a core memory of my dad playing Street Fighter 2 on the SNES, he was using Ryu, my mom Chun-li. To this day, every time i play Street Fighter 6, and they hear it, or know i am playing it, my dad start to makes sounds that are similar to the "Shoryuken" scream Ryu does, saying stuff like "Inniuken, Sbrabbiuken" and always making me laugh. My mom always ask me if Chun-li is still a playbale character, asking me if i learned to play her. About the "Videogame addiction", i am 31, and i can understand the concern. I always played videogames since i was 6, my parents always gave me a certain amount of time per day to play with any videogames, and only after doing chores, homeworksm or after they finished to watch the tv and such. I think, since your son is 8 years old, some rules must be followed (without be too strict, like time to time instead of 2h let him play for 3, for example) and removed during the years, while he grow up. I am no parents, i wish, i am only sharing what my mom and dad done with me. never developed any addiction, the opposite, i even managed to learn some english, since back in the days localization and translating to other languages video games was absolutely not a thing, or at least it was a really new one. Keep in mind, my parents never gave me any restriction on WHAT i could have played, like horror games and such, however they always kept an eye on me, explaining me what i was looking, what i was experiencing, the goods and the bad. About the introvert part, i can't say much since i am not one, but i can see this improving the situation a lot, introducing him to the amazing world of fighting games, to tell him there's such a huge world out there, tons of tournaments, competitions and such, pushing him, gently and step by step, to try those, and approach the Fighting Game Counity (In short, FGC), always supporting and cheering him, and even playing with him, why not? Learning new things all together, growing up together :D If i may say sir, you are amazing, i thank you for the video and sharing with us your story :D P.s. If one day you would like to try Street Fighter 6, keep in mind it has "Classic" and "Modern" controls. Classic controls are like the one you are used in Street Fighter 2, Modern ones are simplified ones, if you find it those complicated :D

I’m 17 years old half Japanese girl living in Australia, born and raised here all my life. So glad I found your channel. I never have quite fit in in school due to my autism, which found out I had this year. I am currently doing eSchooling which is online schooling funded by our state government. My dad is white Australian and he often says he failed as a father for not getting to teach me basic things: bike riding, socialising, team sports, etc. I feel bad for him because there is nothing I can do or say to make him feel better because it’s true. But watching your videos gives me hope. I might show it to him later. Arigato and I hope things will get better for you and your son ❤

Great idea man! 😂 That game is a classic & seems to work on all boys no matter the era. To be able to play it with you, his dad, will probably be a memory he treasures the rest of his life. I still remember laughing playing Super Mario with my dad on the NES(regular Famicom for Japan).

Boys are very competitive at 8 yrs. As someone suggested on this thread, take him out to meet people outside. Never easy being a dad. But he looks up to you and emulates you. You are the best role model he could wish for.

LUV HOW THE TALKING PROGRESSIVELY GOT LESS & LESS UNTIL IT WAS JUST A PURE DAD VS STREET FIGHTER VID 😂 BRILLIANT! =)

Best thing is to let him do a team sport.He will meet alot of people there.He is still very young so the best time is now.

If your son doesn’t like SF2, try to see if there are easier games for you to play with your son on his Switch. You can also take him to an arcade. At first he might be nervous around people but if you encourage him to play a game with you or others, he’ll gradually forget he’s in public. Also a potential spot to make friends. Once he becomes more comfortable being outside, you can introduce outdoor activities. Look for activities that your son likes to do in video games and apply that to real life. If he likes to make a cake, teach him how. If he likes to play a racing game, take him to a place where you can do that. Look for things in that Kirby game, that you can do with him in real life. Good luck! 🥳

Only advice I can give is sit down and talk to him, watch a film, cartoons anything different than usual. Sit down and talk with him. His comfort zone is video games so he is probably stuck in a way that makes him think he'll only have communication skills with someone that only plays video games or karate. Get him into general conversation for a kid of his age. And most importantly let him get into the habit of asking you questions, no matter how silly they may sound at first get him to be more confident.

Keep his confidence up, give him praise when he does something good but not too much praise. Get him into some hobbies. Tell him to be proud of who he is. Tell him the things kids say about him in school literally don't matter after highschool and so on. Tell him how important practice is. You gotta build up his confidence, it's the only way to keep him strong during the rough middle and highschool days.

I hope you get to bond with your son through this game. Never give up on him! Just keep on talking to him and encouraging him. I'm sure he will appreciate it and remember these memories when he grows up.

Remember you are his role model, and he's looking up to you in search for approval. The way to go is to have plenty of time together both at home and outside. Ie cycling, walking, sightseeing where he can see you socializing with other people (and if possible with other children as well) so he can take the action if he wants to. Crucial is asking how does he feel about the interaction (afterwards) and telling him this is all right if he feels awkward or there were any setbacks and the interaction did not go the way first envisioned. He is only a child, and in fairness this is crucial to tell him "it's ok to feel the way you feel" no matter what he says - good or bad - for he will be learning from that experience how to deal with it all, and what he learns now will stay with him for life. The worst thing would be to make him feel bad or disappointed in himself, making him feel he's your let down for that will cripple his social skills for life.

I grew up very neglected and sheltered. I was raised by a single mother who was scared to let me go outside because we lived in the projects of a very violent city in America. She also never spoke to me really unless to talk down to me or tell me about something im doing wrong. This led to me having very poor social skills because I didn't have much experience interacting with people. I did however play a lot of video games and I had friends online that I would play with and I got accustomed to living like that so I was fine with it. But it was different from interacting with people in person. I was very awkward and just didn't understand how to talk to people and much less to women. I had to struggle through that and what actually helped me, funny enough, was watching podcasts. It started out as something enjoyable to watch but I actually learned a lot of social skills from watching people interact with each other on podcasts. It took me until I was about 20 to be comfortable talking to other people and being comfortable with myself. If I could tell you one thing that would have helped me a lot sooner is just having my parents talk to me regularly. Just about life and hobbies and anything really. It would have been good practice to figure out how to understand people and interact with them. Try getting him to talk about the things he likes. I'd say thats a good start.

Becoming an Orthodox Christian has helped my social issues greatly. I’ve made about as many close friends in the past 2 years as I did during my entire life. The Church is like an extension of my family. It also helps to have so many wonderful people around you who pray for you ☦️❤️

I have a 5 year old. I'm no longer trying to measure up and be what is called a good father. I'm just trying to be her father. Each child and father is unique. I know it's not easy. Wishing all of you the best.

I dont know if this will even be read, but the strategy of teaching in a fun way is key not only to retain information but to also internalize that learning new things is fun which is probably the biggest problem with current school systems, that makes children hate learning. My recommendation if possible is to get your kid to get into social hobbies. I can be sports, chess, trading card games, etc, as long as its something that he finds fun, but that in order to play requires social interaction. It will help him socialize, argue, debate and develop a healthy competitive spirit.

My son is 8. It simple you just have to be there for them and listen to them. Try to engage with him and plan fun little things to go do with him. Even something as simple as a walk they love that. Step up and be a dad and make your son know you’re there for him. Create core memories.

I'm a bit introverted. I was sheltered a lot by my mom. I don't blame her one bit, I totally understand the fears parents may face. Sometimes you just need to let your child fall and push them out of their comfort zone. It's the unfortunate society we are all part of these days, socializing is a very important skill. This is one thing you can't be lax on and must help your child overcome.

Honestly, I had the exact same issue when my son was seven years old. I am also like you in that I struggled with socializing myself. I realized I had to overcome my own struggle with socializing in order to model better social skills to my son. We are more active with church and do things with other families. I signed him up for baseball and I was a volunteer assistant coach. Right now, I am the den leader for Boy Scouts and I'm at Boy Scout meetings with my son. It is a lot of work and I'm tired. I'm similar age as you. I had my son when I was 40. But it really did help him and he's much more comfortable meeting more people as I became more comfortable myself. I think just another year or two and he'll be able to stand on his own and I'll be able to be less involved. As far as video games, limit his time to maximum one hour a day. Gaming is a trap and boys become too emotionally dependable on electronic devices for happiness. Much better for them to read books or watch shows (No KZfaqrs). Hope that helps.

You are best dad me and my dad played Mortal Kombat together and to this day I have never been in a single fight :) I am proud

Gaming is good and bad at the same time. You have to limit his gameplay time. He'll eventually get tired of playing games and pick up new hobbies. Distancing yourself from other people is also a good and bad thing. Your son is only 8 so he's fine right now. But as an adult to me I figured out I'm in my best potential keeping distance from others. Some how your mind gets focused when you have no distractions and not worrying what someone else is doing. I was the same way as your child. Don't worry, he'll make plenty of friends. Eventually he'll get tired of the game and do something else.

Try not to worry. Life usually has a way of working out. I'm sure your son will grow up to be a wonderful person. Especially with a dad like you who clearly cares so much!

Wow! I'm glad your channel popped up in my feed! I'm going to be 100% honest with you, You genuinely seem like a great father! You and your wife seem to be doing exactly what you need to to try to resolve the situation. Like you said he's only 8, We easily forget how weird the world can be at that age now that we are adults and have kids ourselves! I also think you incorporating video games he likes & especially Street Fighter is perfect! Just the fact that you take as much time you do to think about ways to Help your son goes to show how great of a job you're doing! But I truly think what you're doing is amazing in any kid would be lucky to have parents like you & your wife, Just keep it up! 🤘🏾🫡 I'm with you my Brother!🫡

8 years old is young and that's still normal. I had a friend like that in 2nd grade who was introverted and he eventually become much less so but I think it was somewhat due to my influence. I used to hangout and run around with all the neighborhood kids since I was 4 so despite at first being quite sheltered compared to those kids the constant interacting with them made me quite social. My advice is to have him have sleepovers and focus on getting a best friend, it's extremely easy for kids that age to bond over nearly anything. Tell him that or have people sleep over for his birthday or something and make it cool. The more he socializes with people the better he will do I am sure. I remember when I was 4 and still introverted tee ball/baseball did not really make me much more open and good at socializing. I would just sit on the bench quiet the whole time until I played and went home. Also I grew up on the SNES especially sf2, just try to play more types of games with him and I'm sure you'll be fine.

My 8 year old son is also socially awkward. We encourage him to join the local scouts group. We found this helps him and gets used being around other people. My son also love video games and concerns about video game addiction we only let him play one day a week. Good luck.

Socialization can come about all sorts of ways it seems to me, but always what I feel is needed is a place of security and comfort together with little steps outside of that place. Compounding experiences that prove to the child "Yes! Taking on new things, big and small makes me feel good and is relatively safe!"

you could try putting him in an art class if there's one available near you, he would make friends and love to draw hopefully!

If you want to socialise with your son through playing games you used to love such as Street Fighter, maybe it would be better for you to buy one of the newer games to make it more relatable to him and his generation but also because you both playing a newer game, will allow you to take your old familiarity with Street Fighter 2, and use it as a motivator to discover new things in the new game with your son. You both experiencing new things together will be great for him.

Try and encourage your son to try new things. At the same time, connect with him through his interests and hobbies. He's not hurting anyone by playing video games, however, he needs to balance game time and social time.

Start by loving yourself and giving that same love to them since they are a part of you, get out of that bubble that you think was not capable of this or that thing, and start giving them all the love they deserve , Do not demonize yourself as if you were something strange and in the same way teach them that same thing, discard the idea that they have there in Japan of demonizing each other if they do not meet certain standards, and start treating them all equally , enjoy your children every day you can, time flies ,teach them from the heart and not from the eyes of others

Honestly the best thing you can do is put(force) him social situations and it will be uncomfortable for him but it’ll help so much. I did this through doing sales and now I’m sometimes surprised with my ability. I also sat and talked to my brother because he struggled with it and just talking through giving him strategies on starting conversion helped him a lot. Good luck man I hopes this helps and you’re son is lucky to have a great caring father

I might not be a father because I'm still quite young, but I can relate to your son in a way, I had very few friends in elementary school and was and STILL love to play videogames. But as you say, playing games together sounds like an excellent way for you two to bond and trust eachother both. My biggest wishes to your son.

I don't have any advice but we're all behind you. These are the concerns of a good father.

Tell him to ask questions of others and be kind. Ask more questions and listen with his heart. See what happens. Showing interest in others can lead to conversations that will bring people together

Haha street figter 2 turbo. My childhood. Still a classic game 30 years later.

street fighter, great video game and a classic.

"Round 2" back in the game lol. I love video games I was just playing Street fighter 3rd strike. Don't let anyone tell you what you have to do with your life. He will socialize when he's ready

I wouldn't be overly concerned with "video game addiction" so long as it isn't causing him to neglect his responsibilities. Games can be a great passion or hobby the same as any sport or instrument, etc. What matters is finding that passion for something and the love of improving at it. Joining my local fighting game community really brought me out of my shell as a teen, and before that some of my best friends at school were made by bonding over our shared interest in games. It's really great to see you gaming with your son to bond with him, they will be memories he treasures for the rest of his life.

My social anxiety started around the same age and without treatment it has resulted in life long trauma. Be careful of "forcing" him out of his comfort shell. Sometimes that can backfire and cause him to develop even more anxiety. I suggest getting the opinion of a child psychologist if he is still struggling.

A cool father that loves to play street fighter this is awesome😊

much respect for thinking about your child and being expressive about it! i would suggest making sure he is comfortable with you and your wife. if your son has a good relationship with father and mother he will have an easier time making friends. whether he makes many friends or just one friend is his choice, but he will feel comfortable in social situations if he is comfortable at his home. spend time together inside playing games etc. but also spend time outside hiking etc. for his physical development as well as social. maybe he didn't like soccer at the club but he will like playing it with you. do karate together. go fishing. it will help, i'm sure.

An I idea I came up with is to play games with him that are popular with kids nowadays. Videogames are a great way to start a conversation with someone, and it will probably help him make more friends. I made one of my best friends by playing video games together.

Don’t try to fix his problem, listen to him and sympathize that he is going through a Hard time

YES, this is perfect! such an amazing way to bond with your son. Keep this up and then maybe one day move on to more story oriented video games so that you can play with your son and work through it together :D its quite fun getting through hardships in a game together ALSO if Street Fighter becomes a favorite series maybe move on to Street Fighter 6? the single player World Tour mode is really nice

He forgot about us every 2 min to play😂 I really understand though 10/10

Had the same feeling with my niece and maybe worst, but as we had aswell, they will have their path, things will come eventually sooner or later, the advices you can give him are the best things, but at the end the choose its all theirs, good luck man

Hey, World Warrior! You are an old school Fighter. My 5 year old son is intro and I've been playing Burnout 3 with him on PS2. You should try your son on arcade racing games like Outrun 2. Not ones like Gran Tourismo. We have been going through all of the levels and getting gold medals on each. He is so good, it's impressive to see him drift. Good luck gaming with your son, I know it will work. To add, SF is a great choice as well because there is a good fighting game community. He will be able to compete, have friends, and rivals.

I started playing video games when i was 7 years old and it has been an amazingly positive thing in my life. I was introverted and i’ve gained so much confidence through video games, and i actually have games to thank for my success in my career as a musician, because through games i learned to challenge myseld and to overcome obstacles and to become more patient, so when i learned i was really good at certain games and felt that the bigger the challenge was, the greater the prize, literally through those gaming experiences i have gaines the confidence to become a succesful musician.

Animals and nature and an Awesome father like you could heal anything 🕺🏿🫶

You can just focus on his abilities that he is good at and ensure him that everyone has their own special talents and skills, instead of what he lacks. ❤

Put him in activities and extra curricular where he works with people and gets energized and happy, feeling like he has a purpose. He will have something to do while also being around like minded people.

From the US west coast. During that time it can be hard for lots of kids. Highschool/jr high it should turn out better especially if they join a sport or creative club like band, track/cross country is pretty good as its the most chill as its a mix of boys and girls training together, you dont have to make any team or anything to stay in. My little brother was kinda bullied for a little but i just stayed his 'mentor' giving him ideas and saying stuff i kinda regret, like not joining a sport despite being athletic. On that note i would even talk about how talent/genes arent that much better than actually putting in training, those that train will pass up all the talented ppl who breeze through it. i wasnt breing preachy or anything i just brought up how i was fast but then raced someome who trained and they flew past me, thats my brother now as well since he joined cross country/track. I just stuck to skateboarding everyday, which i told him about as well, i had fun trips with it in HS taking busses, driving to la with group of friends, but i would tell him that i wasnt 'worth it' opposed to maybe focusing on sports instead to have more to show for/use in terms of college and future. I still love skating though and do it regularly. He will remember the kid experiences with you. I took my brother out to some icy/snow hill/mountain area with a slope that was pretty popular, he was like 11 or 10. He then took his friends out to that spot and brought up that they went to the pizza shop there that that we got on the way home. Just recently him being 18 i took him to hollywood street browsing the stores like music vinyl shops and now hes always driving out across CA with his friends and GF, recently they told me about how they bought some physcial cds at a similar type of store in san Francisco. Since you play fighting games, maybe take him to a local tournament for fun? I remember some kid wanted to play against me at a smash tourney cuz i was top3 best, of course i played against them as I was just there for fun to play against anyone. Maybe you yourself can get into more hobbies and take them along? Like taking some boxing classes or something? If i regret anything is the less time i spent with him as a kid playing games. I love games more than anyone else in the fam even with my dad being a classic gamer with jrpgs, rts, fighting games. Nowadays my brother doesnt want to play games that much anymore :(, at least the ones he isnt that much interested in. We play risk of rain, wizard of legends, terraria type of games whenever I see him playing. He never wants to play fighting games, even my dad kinda dropped off despite being an arcade kid, he stuck to xbox though so thats most likely why with sf5 being ps exclusive. In terms of fighting games and fun, definitely download mugen.

I recently had a baby and im already worry about my child's future social life haha, I think your child training martial arts is definetly a good thing, and you playing videogames with him is also great, some of my greatest memories with my dad are playing videogames!

Love how he stops his train of thought once a new round starts 😂 it’s clobbering time!

An activity that your son can make lots of good friends, socialize, develop lots of interesting skills like working within a team, leadership and be good to others, have the chance to travel and have friends all over the world is the Scout Movement. Even you can join the movement being a scoutmaster and have some good time with your son and doing several activities that he will never forget like light a fire at a campsite, campin under the stars and hiking in the mountains with a troop, etc, My kids and I, we have excelent memories of those times together in those adventures in the nature. The Scout motto “Be Prepared” in Japanese is “用意周到” (Yōi Shūtō). This phrase encapsulates the spirit of always being ready and prepared for any situation that may arise. If you want your son to have several good friends, have fun, and be prepared for any situation that may arise in his life, enroll him and yourself into the Boy Scout Movement.

when i was younger, i was really bad at keeping friends. one thing that helped me was going to the park and making random friends on the playground, because i yearned for a companion. it was easier to meet others because it was freedom without schoolwork. i know its a different world for the youth, but we all desire to connect and share! if you like streetfighter , and he likes the switch, find a way to play the new streetfighter 6 together! me and my dad used to bond over the playstation 3's uncharted series because of the action, story, and graphics. maybe this helps!

1:40 - I hope he has the opportunity to try gymnastics. Japan has an awesome gymnastics tradition. 💪💪

Getting real focused on the street fighter was so funny lol

Well the best thing you can do is listen to him. I wonder how you feel about telling him how you feel too. Perhaps you can both learn this skill together. It could be fun and funny. Something to bond over.

Love street fighter, my All time fav. ❤ good luck with your soon. He will get past this. just keep working on him, and it will turn out just fine.

Parenting is hard. Thank you for being so open minded. Playing sport is great, good for socialisation but we all have different starting points. I like how you're meeting your son where he is. You are his first reference of socialisation. Playing street fighter together, you can talk to him, see what he thinks -- socialise. Then, you can invite his friends over. He will feel confident as he is familiar with this and have something to talk about with others. Make street fighter represent fun and discipline. Then maybe, try to relate it to something real - like karate finals or more accessible is the ufc. The ufc is great because there are story lines that are easy for kids to follow and relate to. Then, he will be more comfortable and eager to jump into karate. Or maybe he is a brazilian jiu jitsu enjoyer? Much to learn!

These things take time. You must be patient. Seeing you talk about this issue shows us you care about your son. I wish I could help you, but my story was different with my son, and the culture is different in Japan, so I don't know how to give good advice, except be patient and take time to expose him to mild social situations and guide him through interactions with other people, even small interactions. That will help him get accustomed to it, maybe frustrating him less. It's like practicing a Shoryuken. Please be safe and healthy. Your english is good. Love to you from North America.

It's extremely important for kids to have friends their age to regularly hang out with, otherwise they'll never develop their social skills, and once puberty hits, they will start to suffer from the lack of those skills for the rest of their lives. You should try to talk to some of the other parents at his karate club. It's important that _you_ socialize with them too. If the other parents think you're quiet and "weird" or something, they will probably not let their kids hang out with your son. If you want to help your son, you need to improve your own social skills as well. He's already 8, there isn't _that_ much time left for him to learn to form friendships. If he doesn't learn that skill before puberty, he will have a very painful youth, and that will determine the rest of his life as well.

SNES - Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was my first ever real console (not counting C64 :D and apart from Gameboy). It was awesome and I completely flipped out when I received it for Christmas.

Try playing video games with him. Basic Social Skills starts in the Family. So try spending time with him, either going out for a walk or Play video games which he likes. I know you can make it dude. Good luck to you.

Praying for you and your son, please give him the patience he needs and I assure you he will grow to be stronger and more social!

Make sure to come across as you "want" to play the games with him. Definitely don't make it seem like you are only playing so he has someone to play with. My father made that mistake, and I ultimately decided to just play by myself, although I always wanted to play "2 player."

How are you hope all is well .. take interest in what your son is interested in and definitely play with him. I think it's important to be in touch with the time he's growing up in. Playing video games with him is definitely going to build a bond a great back and forth between him and you... There are many simplified fighting games for your son that are available like dragon ball Fighterz.. very intuitive and feels rewarding for a child.. I have an 8 year old and 17 year old they both played videogames with me and made some good friends through online first.. but fast forward they are social and into a lot of things.. my best advice is just show interest to what he has interest in.. maybe making some online friends his age and age related games Wil be very helpful.. Im sure he will come out of his shell.. nothing too much to worry about. We all grow at different times. Also just keep doing what you're doing and being a supportive father.. it's worth everything

Street Fightet at background... I liked you already... Dont worry, he will be fine.

Baseball was a very big part of my childhood

There are a ton of new fighting games that are easy to pick up and play and do cool combos and stuff but still have a lot of depth if you wanna get deep into it. Street fighter 6 is a perfect example and If you would like a list let me know. Also you are a 10/10 father for putting yourself out there like that and seeking help. The kid is in good hands.

May I suggest Socialising visiting open Air space,maybe play games outside or invite players to your home from your Son school classes?

Remember the golden rule, you cannot let him win!

are we going to ignore the fact that he boot the game up, select characters, and got into a set in 14 seconds

That's a great idea, introduce fighting games to your son. Next try King of Fighters or any of the SNK classics

I definitely would not be helpful... because i live in the US and socializing is dangerous here. Not even joking unfortunately. Id rather avoid those situations altogether.

You could also take him to a street fighter local if he enjoys the game. It could be a good opportunity for him to socialize

This usually starts at home. Growing up many men are usually working a lot and away from the home. As a parent you must stay engaged even when you’re tired after work. Kids nowadays tap into video games at a very young age and they forget that there’s life outside. If you have family members with kids around his age try to get them around each other more. Even if they are playing video games together that takes team work they will eventually start to talk to solve problems in the game.

You're doing a good job! I really love that you play SF with him, get the newest one so he can play with you AND maybe make a connection with other kids who are also playing it (it also has a Modern control scheme that is easier if he struggles with special moves/combos). Balance in all things. Don't throw video games out, but don't let them become his whole life either.

Atleast put the kid in boxing he may have trouble socializing but his confidence will go up and it will deter any bullies

Street fighter is a game that can end wars and bound others

I enjoy the uncut video style

Hobbies help sharing common interests with kids. But no online video games. Have him play games with other kids in person at someone's house or invite them to your house. If you are concerned with addiction allow it only in social situations and limit it when he's playing alone

Teach him how to play and then take him to an arcade. Make him experience things that he likes or feels comfortable with, as long as there are other people around he will eventually open up and socialize. At first go with him and play with him. After some sessions you should try to get him to play with other kids and see how it goes. Just remember to be patient.

Send him to jujitzu class to wrestle around with other kids, builds confidence and forces him to be close and socialize and not scared of people.

私の経験では、柔術か柔道を習わせると（空手はあまり効果がありません）。身体的に強くなり、学校で恥ずかしがらなくなり、より自信を持って行動し始め、他の子供たちにいじめられるかどうか心配する必要がなくなるにつれて、彼の性格が現れます。

you gotta work on those shoryukens ! your son will be fine, many kids go through an awkward stage before the socializing skills are forced to kick in. I wasn't social at all until I was like 10. it was just me and my brother and no other kids.

Just play with him don't worry about not being good you are actually learning together so it's a better experience.

My son is 8 as well. He has made a lot of friends with girls more than boys. He has "girlfriends" and walks them home after school. He has some friends that are boys as well, but he is a smaller kid, so he has some that try to bully him, but he holds his own there as well. My point is maybe your son should try to make friends with girls first as they are more welcoming and kind and will not look to fight how boys do. He can maybe talk about roblox or any video games he plays and play with them online. Roblox brings kids together and fortnite as well, so he can use that to make friends online as well and talk on microphone maybe and gain confidence, helps to then transfer that to in person too Another thing is that you are his best friend and you can just enjoy gaming and go to the park and movies and that kind of thing with him and talk to him about this stuff a little like give him ideas how to socialize. If he feels confident by you telling him how great he is, he will maybe have enough self esteem to go and look for friends more in school. My son is very nice about wanting to give his friends gifts for their birthday and also brings snacks to share at lunch, of course kids love to do this and get more popular by having some food or toy or giving them to others, ones that they like. My son is shy with adults, very shy at times, so I understand your concerns, all kids have some areas where they need to improve, socializing is a common problem for many. Video games also made my son have a high vocabulary and also advanced in math. They read many words in games and calculate damage, money, experience points in games and more, it is very helpful for kids. I noticed some kids in his class that are not allowed to play much video games are actually behind and not as smart. My son is going into gifted and rates in 95-99% percentile in testing since he was in kindergarten til now. We never stopped him from gaming. It can be addicting, so of course we make him stop to do homework, eat, sleep, go out to park and outside activities, but he can play daily a few hours, its OK. It helps a lot and can be a common thing to enjoy with friends and use it to make friends.

One time my wife was going into labor and screaming in pain. I told myself I wasn’t dealing with this non sense and left her in the car, then I went back in the house and played street fighter for a few hours.

I grew up playing video games at home and sometimes with my brother, but I got my social skills from playing card games like yugioh at the local card shop and working at McDonald's. I met my first girlfriend at work. Give it time.

Play some games together, and take him and his friends hiking, fishing, arcade gaming, etc so he can develop better social skills.