Recently I was surprised by the vehemence that a fellow gamer felt towards online friendships. I was put on the defensive about my belief that you can care about online friends that you have never met. Needless to say, I have a lot to say on this subject.

I have many dear friends who I have never met. I love them as if I knew them in real life. I listen to their stories about their lives and their experiences. I offer advice and help. I cheer them on when they need encouragement, give them straight talk when they need it and have cried with them when they are hurt.

I wouldn’t know who they were if I met them in the grocery store. I may not even know their names. Neither of those things means that I cannot feel something for them. They are not just headless voices behind the pixilated toons they drive. They are people, with real problems and real joys. They are each unique and each dear to my heart.

I wonder how we can become so jaded as a person to not see the people behind the pixels. How is that we forget that our words and actions, even over the internet, affect more people than just us? Sadly, as is often the case over the internet, arguing with this man was like arguing with a brick wall. He had his point of view and I had mine. I dismissed him from my concern and wished him well in what ever it was he was doing.

To all my virtual friends out there, I send my biggest hugs and kisses. We may not know each other on the street but some how over this vast digital landscape we have found a friend. I know you even if I do not know you. Thank you for being my friends and may we spend many happy years gaming together.

XOXO,

Gingir