Monday, November 16, 2009
Week 11/15-11/21, question 1
I'm a geek. I spend way too much time on the internet, and for a long time a good portion of that was involved playing World of Warcraft (WOW). WOW is an MMORPG, or massive multiplayer online role playing game. Basically you are playing this game online with thousands of other players all over the world. Within the game there are guilds, and these guilds are basically your online family. Through my guild I made several friendships that existed strictly online. The closest that we got to f2f contact was talking through Ventrilo (a program where you actually talk to one another, kind of similar to using the telephone). The friendships that I developed were very similar, and very not similar, to those that I have in real life. They were similar because I became close with several people; I found myself confiding in them, talking to them more than I talked to some people I knew in person, and they were easy to talk to; they had similar interests to mine, and we were able to get along. It was also very different because I never saw them face to face; I was never able to give them a hug; and never able to physically interact with them as I would my real life friends. In all honesty, I enjoy having internet friends. Yet, I prefer the interactions that happen when I'm physically with someone.
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Hi nessaw27--
ReplyDeleteI'm quite literally the only person in my family who doesn't play WOW every day, but I know exactly what you're talking about!
My mom and stepdad together play in a guild that has members from all over the world, while my brother plays with friends he met at his high school.
I've noticed that--possibly because of the distance--my mom and stepdad spend more time talking to their guild members than my brother does. My brother is more easily able to see his friends, while my mom and stepdad cannot.
Have you ever been in a local guild, or do you usually play with people who are from all over the world? :)
I agree that the in person physical interactions make for better friendships; when you get close to people on the internet and become friends, that’s the only venue where you’re able to “hang out” with them (unless you’re close enough to meet). Real life friends you can call up, play sports with, be interactive with, etc.
ReplyDeleteAnd like Katla with her family, I’m pretty much the only one out of my friends who don’t play online games. My friend is always on Xbox Live, chatting and playing against people on there. And I had a coworker once who became a friend who was always playing WOW too. Before work, after work, you name it. I’m unsure whether he talked to people online while playing it or just simply played the game, though.