If you play an online video game to increase your stable of "virtual friends" then I can see why you would feel the need to jump all over the place in order to make more pretend friends. I am a more limited individual I guess and the 15-20 guys on my squad channel each night are more than enough to take up my hour. I guess i could pursue your example in real life and join the ELKS and the Knights of Columbus AND the Moose AND the Business League AND the Chamber of Commerce AND the Hospital Board so I can have an endless supply of "comraderie", but i choose to limit my relationships to those that i can provide a consistent level of friendship too. See I only have so many free nights for dinners and free weeknds for parties so i have to limit myself somehow.
Even better though I wil suggest to my daughter that she join Travel Soccer teams in the surrounding counties as well so she can make more friends! Then come Saturday she can jump sides during the game because darnit its just more fun that way! Or maybe the next time my buddies ask me to play pickup basketball with them if we start winning I'll start playing for the other team (i'm sure they would be cool with that)
I only type this because of your "myopic" comment to illustrate that perhaps some folks are not myopic but "purposefully" play in a certain way that provides the level of stability they want to relax in
The most myopic ones to me are the ones who ignore the multi-faceted gameplay this game provides and insist on flying 1-2 planes over and over again while telling the world how wonderful they are for doing it. Hitech and gang have created an almost unlimited number of scenarios in which to spend your free time...maybe its time for some of these folks to step outside their box AND QUIT TRYING TO CRAM THE REST OF US INTO IT
There is no "pretend" in the friends that I have made in this game, and for you to say that they are "pretend" friends is wrong. I have been to the last 2 cons to cement, in person, some of the friendships that I made while online and I plan to go to this years convention to do the same.
I am not in pursuit of ... an endless supply of "comraderie" ... but I am not going to limit myself and opportunities to meet new people.
Or maybe the next time my buddies ask me to play pickup basketball with them if we start winning I'll start playing for the other team (i'm sure they would be cool with that)In your basketball pickup game, would you and your buddies play with 5 guys vs 3 guys, or would someone switch to the other team to make it a 4 v 4 ... Many a time I have done that in "pickup" basketball and volleyball games.
I think many of us that switch sides, with the intent to try and create balance, are ones stepping way "outside of the box". We aren't the ones trying to cram anybody into anything ... Ironically, limiting our abilities to do what we do, and what we like to do, is an attempt to cram us into a box.