The video game ate my friends

My sister sent me this little image with a cute little poem about someone addicted to their computer. I chuckled, like most people, and clicked away without a thought. Then, it dawned on me: I have a lot of Internet friends. People I have never, and probably will never, meet in person - yet I converse with them daily. People who seem thrilled when I'm online to chat with or get advice with. People who I know in person, but talk to way more online than every in life.

It's amazing to me. On one hand it's thrilling to know that I converse with people in Britain or Australia at times. People in California and Canada. I can talk to family that I rarely get to see, just through a series of 1s and 0s.

Then, on the other hand it seems oh so depressing. My friend base is digital. If I had a day to call a friend up to hang or watch a movie, play a video game, my list is amazingly small.

Then you have the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) addicts. These are people who live a whole double life on World of Warcraft or Everquest. I've read stories of people, real people, losing jobs and family because they spend hours upon hours playing these games.

I play Call of Duty. A first-person shooter game. And I get addicted to that enough. I can't imagine if I actually started playing a good MMO. Which is why when a friend asks me to play, "Hey I have 4 accounts and you can play one for FREE!" I kindly say 'no'. There is no financial disadvantage. However I know that a good raid can take hours and days.

Now you'll ask the question: "So Tadd, you going to go get some real friends?"

Probably not. It's the life of an introvert for me!

At times like these, you have to ask .. What would Jesus do?

I tell you .. He'd heal for +120 HP and then hit the horde with his Mace of Holy Might +10 for a critical kill and type "I pwneth thee! How dost thou like them apples demon?! BOOYA!"