What's in a game?

I am not an online gamer by any stretch of the imagination, but there are a few people who I currently work with who participate in this virtual world. A friend of mine, who I will call Alice, has made many comments about her experience with a certain online game where she chats with people from around the world. From what I understand, one creates or assumes the role of a character. This character then evolves and gains strengths, powers and status as the gamer developes his or her strategy. This is pretty much the extent of my knowledge of how the game works; however this blog isn't about games it is about the people.

As the character of the game one assumes an alter ego. It was through this alter ego that Alice found a new way of communication. Alice has found a new voice and has made numerous friends by using this game to break barriers that were holding her back in the real world. Since the time Alice first began playing her virtual game she has made contact with some of the other characters. Eventually, Alice became more and more brave and made a radical decision to met a few of these characters in the real world. As it turned out, not every contact was a good one for Alice; however, some of the people she met have turned out to be wonderful friends.

Today, Alice claims that even the worst of her experiences were still great experiences. Alice feels she would have never have had the courage to met new people if it were not for the chats in her virtual world that in turn created a link to the real world.