"Friends List"

I've read a post where some discredit the friendships created on-line because they aren't "real friends". I've heard this from people I know, as well.

Most people will tend to be skeptical about the people they meet online (which I think is the sensible thing). How much of what they say do you believe, how sincere do you think they are. As a play FFXI, I've had experiences all over the Board - teenagers and young adults playing the sympathy card looking for attention (and appearing desperate) because they aren't getting any attention from home, gamers just looking to play the game and not looking for any meaningful connection, adults who enjoy messing with people's minds, and gamers who aren't looking for connection but welcome them anyway.

The connection with the majority of these is similar to that of colleagues where I would consider assisting them if asked. I suspect that the majority of on-line relationships would fall into this category - that of colleagues - a "professional" and friendly connection that does not move beyond the actual game parameters. AKA - in-game stuff only, no personal investment involved, as we cooperate and assist each other to achieve our goals.

But I've also made friends with a few with these people, and when I say friends, I mean the kind of relationship where I would help them out in-game with requests, and we would feel free and comfortable enough to talk about more personal things. These are people that I respect and trust to honour my privacy, as I would theirs. These are the people that I would not hesitate to add to my "friends list".

I have also made a few good friends that I wouldn't mind meeting in real life, and know we would get along great. These are people that I have known for years, and have stayed in contact with on a regular basis in-game. These are people that I would trust to lend my most valued in-game gear to, and not be afraid that they would run off with it. These are people that I trust would lend an open ear, and would stand by me in times of crisis, just as I would do the same for them.

There's only a handful that would fall into this category, and they fall into this category because of time - that we have known each other for so long, and have enough personality and view-point similarities that we know we would get along very well in RL. That is how I know I've found a real friend.

On-line friendships can be superficial, but there is always the potential to find that one gem. I am lucky to have found several, and that is the main reason I continue to play FFXI. Friends make the game even more fun. :)