The Reality of the Virtual

In defense of playing with strangers:

As someone who, at a young age, spent quite a bit of time playing games online with random strangers, I was intrigued by this idea. 

Sure, there is a certain level of separation when playing with people who you have no idea about. but I think there are some benefits to playing online with people you don't know the first thing about.

First, you never have to talk to or play with these people ever again. You simply reload the match or switch to a different server. While that may be saddening for some, the relief of being able to play terribly without lasting repercussions is certainly a blessing for others. Whilst some of your more experienced friends may pester you for making common mistakes, or even flat out refuse to play with you on their team because you are so terrible, with complete strangers, you can have the freedom of learning, and everyone can move on with their merry way. 

Secondly, there is always the option of making new friends. If there is someone you meet online that you find interesting and personable, as well as having the same values as you when it comes to video games, there is always the option of adding that person on skype or to steam to continue playing games with them.

For a lot of people that struggle to find friends while in school or elsewhere, finding friends online is a great option, because, many times, these people will be in the same situation as you. And with the multitudes of people who play online games like Minecraft, Team fortress Two, Overwatch, and League of legends, there is always the possibility of making friends. 

The next thing to consider is availability.  A lot of friends in real life won't have their schedules completely in sync, so finding time to be able to play together is difficult. So not only that, but they may not be as invested in the game as you are, so there will be times when you are stuck alone on your computer with no one but the people online as an option. This opens up the convenience of being able to play the game.

Of course, it's nice to play with your friends that you see IRL, but online play especially benefits to those who don't have that luxury. 

(Image Source: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160602006554/en/Overwatch%C2%AE-Global-Hit-7-Million-Players%E2%80%94and-Counting )