From Virtual to Reality.

Internet relationships are a very interesting thing. There are many different ways in which a person can become aquainted with someone else via the interent. There are Dating sites, chat rooms, online games, online forums, or perhaps even introduction by mutual friends on facebook. Whatever the means of introduction that was used, once someone is befriended, one begins to formulate different ideas about this person. I have talked with many people online, the vast majority through gaming, and while we do have great times playing these games together, in reality--we probably do not have much in common at all.

A good question to ask about these people that you meet online is, what are they REALLY like? Who is the real person? Perhaps your best friend from an online game is a thrice divorced fifty year old man who is an alcoholic and extremely overweight. You even may know this, and while you can have a great time with him online, in a real life setting, you might be asking yourself, "What am I doing here?" The real test of friendship comes when the setting is change from the internet, to real life. An idea of this person has been forumlated in your mind, and you dont really think about it when you are interacting with them over the computer. If and when the situation changes to real life, it may be very startling. Perhaps your friend has a stutter, a squeaky voice, is 7 feet tall, in a wheelchair, or very overweight. When you finally meet them in real life, these facts may be eye-opening because they are not what was expected.

The real question that I am posing is, what determines the extent of a friendship? I 100% think that my online friends are truly my friends, even if we do not really have much in common in real life. When you open up to someone else, and they open up to you, it doesnt matter if you are on the phone, or chatting, or next to them in person--it is still real. I have come to invest much time into some of these online relationships, and even though I have never met any of my online gaming friends, I do fully expect it to happen someday. I know that I have made some false assumptions about some of them, but I hope that even if they aren't the prettiest face, or the most socially normal, I can look past that and see the real person that I became friends with.