Welcome, once more, to the MMO related weekly column, MMOries of a Gamer. This week I’ll talk about one of the important aspects of online gaming for a lot of players: friendship. Human relations through MMOs, can be strong and even last for years. So come along with me, after the jump, and let me tell you of my experiences with regard online friends.
When I began playing MMOs, maybe the most shocking thing I found was the fact of sharing the game with other persons, controlling their characters. It was so new to me. Interacting with them, using emotes and talking to them through the chat window was fun and made me feel the gaming experience like I never had before.
One day, I was desperately trying to find someone to craft a new armor for me. My character was a ranger, using chainmail armor, but I couldn’t find anyone for hours.
“/OOC- WTB new chainmail armor set, please, send me a tell.”
I kept telling that on the Out of Character channel for hours, with no response. But I’m patient, so I persisted and someone finally sent me a tell.
“Hello there. I know someone that could craft that armor you need for a good price.”
“Oh! Thanks for answering my call. Who is that crafter?”
“Go to the city bank, I’ll send him there so you both arrange the business.”
“Thanks a lot!”
I forwarded to the bank and met that guy. He was very kind and crafted the armor for me quickly, for a very low cost. I could afford the price and got my shiny new chainmail armor. I was so happy. I wanted to thank the guy that sent that crafter to me. I told him to meet me.
After some minutes traveling, we both met, close to a low level dungeon’s entrance. He was a ranger, like me, and we started to chat about our class and how to play it properly. The conversation was long, and I felt that guy was worth adding to my friends list. After some time chatting, we parted.
But the day after, he called me again, and later I called him. We started to become friends, talking about lots of things, during our playing sessions. We weren’t in the same guild, we were different levels and so many months passed till we hunted monsters together. We talked about the game, about real life, about friends, our different countries. We became friends.
I don’t know him in person. I never was with him in real life, only through the game we played together, 10 years ago. We didn’t play any other MMO together, but we’re still friends. We keep in touch through email and I know if go to the US, he would try and manage to meet me, like he knows if he comes to Spain, I would offer my house for him to stay.
Have you ever wondered about this? How is it possible to make such good friends, playing an MMO, when you’ve never met them in real life?
MMOs have something special, on the social aspect, that no other videogame had before: feelings.
With MMOries of a Gamer: Friendship, I wanted to express a possitive idea to all of you, avid gamers: your gaming life (if balanced, of course) can be precious, fun and special; the good friends we’ve made prove it.
Take care of your friends, all of them. And if you play MMOs with them, help them, always, cause they are the most precious “loot” you’ll ever get.
Tr frnds dn’t hd bhnd vtrs. Gt lf.
I’ve definitely had experiences similar to this one, and I agree on the powerful impact it can have on your perception of MMOs (both positive and negative).
The definition of the word “friend” differs greatly between people; personally, I prefer the written word over verbal expression when it comes to communication. With this in mind, I often integrate within an online community more readily than an “IRL” one.
No matter how complex computer AI becomes, NPC interaction will never immerse you in a game world to the degree that human involvement does – assuming that the interaction is within the context of the game, as opposed to discussing sports or politics.
There’s really something to be said about the truly organic nature of MMOs, from constant patching & developer dedication to the potential for a profound friendship to emerge when you least expect it – much in the way that one does IRL.
It’s been really nice to read this, because it’s a wonderful topic: friendship in MMO’s. Because you can be alone at home but knowing that your friend is in the other side of the screen wainting for adventure, and it’s something with no price!