It can be easier to open up to UltimateTrollWarrior95 than to someone you know irl who has expsctations for how you should act and show your emotions. I once had a deep conversation about life with some rando on Town of Salem.
I once played 3 hours of modern warfare 2 with the same group back in the day, just because some guy was pouring out his life story and how much life sucked for him around the time. He sent me a quick “thanks for letting me rant” message and I didn’t hear from him again for years.
Then out of the blue I get a message that’s basically a letter, and it’s all about how life was difficult but some random person taking the time to listen without judgment made all the difference for his plans that night.
So I will never cut someone off to tell them I don’t have time to listen to their problems, or pull out my phone to play a game, get annoyed with someone who won’t stop talking, whatever… Sometimes all a person needs is someone to listen.
Yup I remember going through a phase where it was like “I don’t have time for this person’s jabber” and it would annoy me that they wouldn’t get to the point.
Meanwhile I could find all the time in the day to do meaningless things to take up my time like playing a game. Which is totally self serving.
Then I realized this was a me problem. Not a them problem.
I really hate who I was back then. Now some of my relatives do jabber on but it’s totally ok. I make space for that now cuz jabbering is part of relationships and that’s how some people communicate and listening is a part of healthy interaction.
That’s sort of the design of therapy: a neutral 3rd party who you can open up to without the usual conversational rules.
Except you probably don’t call your therapist “UltimateTrollWarrior” (or maybe you do, I don’t know your life).
Please could you tell me how to contact your Ultimate Troll Warrior? Do I need to go on a quest?
Except an internet stranger can’t send you to the grippy socks hospital if you say the wrong thing.
Town of Salem is great, but at some point you realise screaming the loudest often wins lol
Admittedly I was in my very early 20s, not a teen, but I legitimately helped* a woman through her divorce on WoW and then once they separated drove 3 states away to have the best sex of my entire life.
Great memories.
Edit to add asterisk: by “helped” I just mean provided a necessary shoulder and ear; obviously I did not provide advice on a relationship I was very much not a part of
I used to run a very successful server for BioWare Neverwinter Nights back in the early 2000s. A guy started playing on there when he was 15 and met a married woman in her 30s. She got divorced and a few days after he turned 18 he flew out to meet her.
They got married about 12 or 13 years ago. I was the best man, and they are still married. I talk to them daily and usually see them weekly. It happens.
Currently working on it. I met a 46yr old woman thru AA who plays minecraft to better connect with her kids, 9 and 12. Taking her out to dinner tonight. Wish me luck.
For a while in early WotLK, I sometimes did dungeons with a lady whose husband was on active duty, and she was always halfway into a box of wine. She really liked to share.
I typically avoid multiplayer games because I’m just interested in doing my own thing.
But sometimes, it’s fun to just goof off with strangers, especially ones venting their hearts out to strangers on the Internet. Kinda like a radio talk show but with just 3-4 people.
I remember talking to a woman on the internet back in my teens (14-15 ISH) who I considered ancient
I’m now that age lol
