Social Gaming

Tomorrow at midnight the most anticipated video game of all time will be released, Halo 3. Lines at stores will be filled around the block, rain or snow. While many are anxious at the release, some even going to extreme bounds to get it a day or two early, I feel almost indifferent about it. At this point, theres so many things going on in my life its an afterthought.
But the game itself is now what this blog is about. Its about the social affect video games can have on people.
Starting my first job was strange for me. I'm a shy person by nature, so for a while I pretty much went to work, got my money and went home without really developing relationships with anyone at work. After a while at work, I began to here other people talking about halo a lot. I got in on the conversation and found just about every guy at my store played all the time, even people that I never expected. Eventually this led to playing with them and gave us something to start talking about. While games aren't the only thing we talk about with each other now, it was how it started and how we became friends.
With the release of online gaming some 5 years ago, it gave people the ability to play with each other from anywhere. My first online game was Halo 2, an incredibly popular shooting game for the xbox. After playing countless hours and playing with the same people you begin to develop friendships. The last 4 years of playing Ive become friends with many people that Ive never actually met. It sounds weird, but once you get over the fact the person isn't physically there with you, it becomes like talking to anyone else. Some of the people that stand out in my mind are Topher and Marc form New Hampshire, Patrick from DC, Rafi from Mass and Kyle from Manitoba, Canada. Ive never met any of them, but If im bored I can still call anyone of them and talk. You begin to realize, people are pretty much the same anywhere. I can mention something that happened local to me and they will always have something related or similar near them.
After playing the same game for about 3 years now, Ive realized its not really the game that makes me want to play, its the people playing it. I hate to end this blog abruptly, but I have to get ready for work and see my friends.