General Discussion

Hi eveybody i  like to see people opinion about this issue

yes but not to the extent that you can get in real life.

in some games you'll find yourself willing to go way out of your way even lose a bit for people and them doing the same for you.   Considering tallies aren't kept I'd consider that a reletivly close friendship.

I have found as soon as you aren't in the same guild or playing the same schedule, MMO "friends" are fair weather.  I've had people that I grouped with for months, chatted with them on vent, helped their alts, just ignore me the minute I left their guild.

The only people I've stayed in contact with are people I know in real life.

It's hard to stay in contact with real friends that move to a different state as well.   Though that only excuses the play schedule.

As for my friends, I've still talked(and had fun with it) to them after they've become my enemy in game due to converting.

Sure, I have three very good friends I've played games with for over six years so far. We still keep in touch even though we're not always playing the same game, much less in the same guild. We share the good times and bad, support each other as good friends do, staying in touch via phone and mail.

Geographically, we're spread in Michigan, England, Texas and Colorado. I consider the other three all close friends, the bond growing stronger over the years since we met in EQ1. Depending on the people, games can have the same effect as having pen pals used to be.

My aunt and uncle met, and subsequently married, when he was in the armed services in Viet Nam back in the 60s. She wrote him as part of a "write a soldier" pen pal campaign. Three kids later, they are still married and now retired together.

 So yes, it can and does happen.

It's going to greatly differ from person to person. For instance I'm an abstract person by nature as are all my friends. There are people I have met online in MMO's years and years ago that I still chat with. Some of these folks I have continued to play and group with in other games; sometimes not even being in the same guild or factions even.  I know folks who have gone to drive 5-8 hours on their weekends to help a buddy move; a buddy they met in an MMO.

Folks who are concrete really need the world around them to be that way. Because they're such, they have a hard time justifying someone online as a friend because they don't have daily, concrete interaction with them. While someone who is abstract doesn't have that issue because they don't place any or as much emphasis or recognition into the physical side of the situation.

While i have developed "friendships" (if you could call it that) online, they are at best fleeting and based on your current situation in the game. Its best to have real friends that you can see in RL and interact with, but not in a game.  While "game" friendships can develop RL, its a friendship based on a game not RL itself.

My advice also if you friends with opposite sex in game dont let it go passed the friendship stage or ppl can get hurt and let them know that you just want to be friends.

Yes, me and a handfull of friends met back at the release of Ultima Online. We started a guild way back when, I think about ten years now within the first year of UO. Our guild has grown over the years and the core of our guild have been friends all the long. We have also made other great friendships through the years and I know more will follow. When I start having kids, I hope that one of them will keep my guild going along with the other guild members kids and so on. Our guild has played a few online games through our time and have picked up some great people who become good friends. We also have never just random recruited people, its all register to join and if we like you, you get chosen.

It's a lot harder these days to find people that don't inspire the rage in me. Once upon a time you had to be reasonably intelligent to play MMOs, but now they're almost all designed so kids can play.

Some of my best friends are MMOs.

I agree with Morgyn, it depends on the person. I have never made any real friends in MMOs but I am a crochety old bastard. I had a RL friend and she always made alot of friends in MMOs and would continue these friendships out side of the game. So it just depends on you.

Yes. Making friends over the Internet isn't very different from making friends in real life. You just talk and hang around, it's not about looks or anything so basically the person shows his "true self" as a friend in a MMO.