A Case Study in How Computer Games Give You Friends

I've always been a fan of Sid Meier's Civilization. After the original SimCity, it has to be have been my greatest addiction over the years. My father was none too impressed with my obsession, during the years that I lived at home. "There's so much more in life to do," he'd say, as I sat for hours after school conquering imaginary worlds. He was probably right. At the time, it was just me vs. the computer, locked in epic battles that didn't exist outside of Civilization II.

Upon arrival at university, I'd like to say that it all changed. But it didn't, at least not right away. Not until I got wind of the development of Civilization III. Hungry for information on the upcoming game, I went online - and found Civfanatics.com. Apparently I wasn't the only one enthralled by the game. The site had reams of information on Civilization, and it also had a forum. While I was there, the forum had approximately 20 000 members - of which maybe a couple thousand were active at any given time. And in addition to discussing the game, there were also off-topic discussions on current world events, history, politics, economics, and philosophy. Huzzah! Intelligent debate! Oh, well, yes there was plently of mindless prattle too, but... Intelligent debate! I spent a year or so there, arguing, learning, and listening. Eventually, the dynamic shifted, and now there isn’t much in the way of intelligent debate… or, rather, the noise level has become intolerable.

But, before that happened, several of the major players left and started their own forum – invite only. The Speakeasy was born. So now a couple hundred of the most interesting and least belligerent of us have a friendly space to bullshit and debate. We generally know each other well enough to harass and sympathize life’s goings-on.

Hence: Computer Games = Friends

... at least in this case.