Well, I have been absent for a little while due to RL pressures and I have neglected this blog...
But, I'm back now and raring to go, getting back into my game, irc and forum surfing. So what shall I talk (rant) about today? Hmm, not much actually.
My gaming time has been severely restricted of late so nothing has really had the chance to annoy, irritate or even impress me. Actually that's not strictly true. Something has impressed me... my online friends!
Within my circle of friends there has been a few "traumas" lately. A bereavement, a separation and a serious illness, and don't forget the financial squeeze that everyone's feeling. However through everything my friends have suffered we've all been there for each other, be it forum posts of support, a quick text message, a lengthy email or even the occasional phone call.
People seem to forget that these games we play online foster strong communities, sometimes forged through a common love (or hatred) of someone or something. These communities aren't some virtual concept or construct, only the medium by which they were created is virtual. To quote (Raph) Koster's Theorem "Virtual social bonds evolve from the fictional towards real social bonds. If you have good community ties, they will be out-of-character ties, not in-character ties. In other words, friendships will migrate right out of your world into email, real-life gatherings, etc"
People don't seem to get this concept. We aren't just people that play a game together, we're friends. Maybe this doesn't get communicated to the "outside" world enough or in the right way?
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