A few days ago I attended a memorial service for a young man named Dak who died of leukemia. I didn't know him at all, but some of my friends did; I went to support them and whomever else attended. I figured that anyone who dies at the young age of twenty-eight deserves to be remembered, even if by complete strangers.
The oddity of this event was that it took place within a game, within World of Warcraft.
I don't play very often, but my friends who do asked if I would attend the ceremony. When I arrived at the scene I found scores of other players who had gathered to pay their final respects. Attendants were from all over the United States, Canada, and Australia--some had even re-started their account just so they could pay their last respects.
A procession started at the gates of a castle and ended in a church. People were given time to say something about the departed through voice chat or text message. At first there was a long, awkward silence, and then one at a time people began to speak and type.
After hearing (or reading) story after story, I was amazed by how closely these people had come to know the departed. Whereas I play the game for recreation, it had become their full-time community. Many of the mourners recounted events and conversations that they had with him both on and offline. Some had even tried to visit him in the hospital but Dak insisted they remain home as he would surely be able to do the same soon enough.
As weird as this sounds, I found myself admiring the players around me. These gamers, these people, this community of perfect strangers--they did what they could to comfort Dak while he was alive, and to make sure his life would be remembered.
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A lot of people don't seem to understand that when people play games like this, it's not anti-social. It's incredibly social, just with a buffer between people. I would consider it a hobby with friends just like someone who plays basketball nightly. You tend to get very attached to the people you play with.
compati ....
As glad as I am to not play World of Warcraft anymore, this was the one reason why it (and other MMORPGs) beats most other online games: community. I still talk to someone I met in Warcraft even after I quit. With as much time as you invest you are very liable to create friendships with this people and actually care.
This sounds like an episode of My Name is Earl where they attempt to hold a memorial service for a man they assume no one knows, only to find out later he has scores of internet friends from online gaming. It (the show) sounds kind of silly, but it was oddly touching.
As weird as this sounds, I found myself admiring the players around me.
I don't think that sounds weird at all. It's a Very Good Thing to admire people who support their friends like that, however and wherever they came together.
My condolences to those friends of yours who knew him well.
Cura ut valeas.
In best memories, that is too unfortunate.
The world isn't just what we physically live in any more, it's far far greater - and it's only getting larger. The online world, particularly MMORPGs are as much about offering a place for people to build a community as they are just for 'play'.
As such friendships can form just as strongly as face-to-face - it only seems odd, in part, because of the surroundings.
Respects to the family and friends of Dak.
I wished that i could have attended the ceremony, both online and off line but as i am only i kid my parents would not allow that. Due to the time differences between Australia and America i could not attend the online memorial because i was at school.
However, as said before MMORPGs build strong friendships. Caylee (aka Dak) was a great friend of mine. We go back to when i first joined BFH, way back when Simon (RSX) was the leader. I knew he had leukemia but i thought he had beat it. This news came to me as an absolute shock.
RIP CAYLEE
Respects to Caylee, his friends and his family.
What an interesting reflection of a new reality. I haven't played WoW, but I can see how it could lead to friendships. It is sort of like the old style "pen pals" who would establish friendships by writing letters back and forth over the years without ever meeting in person. But obviously the amount of interaction on the internet is much greater.
I wonder if the creators of games like this had any idea?
Maybe slightly off topic.
I've been thinking about what happens when there is a death to an online personality. I recently had a young friend pass away and I can't help but look at his facebook profile every once in a while, it is sort of a memorial to him that will last as long as the internet will.
That got me thinking about what will happen to the blogs that I read everyday when their bloggers are gone and no one is there to pay their hosting fees. Will all those resources be lost forever? Should there be some sort of preservation set up, a web hall of fame or some kind?
Death is a very strange thing on the Internet. Because we're so far removed from ourselves online, yet so close, a major event like a death has a very surreal and strange effect. I remember playing Everquest, and (while there weren't any deaths in my guild) there was a very public real-life divorce between two high-level people. It was...strange, to say the least.
There's a web site devoted to the myspace profiles of people who have passed away. I couldn't browse around too long, just a little too creepy. Felt like I was poking around dead people's homes.
And what will happen when blogs that are 30-40 years old remain on the Internet well after that person's death. We're leaving our permanent stamp on the Internet, but is that a good thing? Will we want people hundreds of years in the future to read our thoughts and words?
But that gets away from the point...
I have been playing WoW for less than a year, but in that time, and in my various alts, I have played with a lot of different people. Some of us bonded to form a guild, and some of us remained anonymous behind the faces of our characters. I have no idea who or where most of these players are, and I don't really need to know them in person. But in game, we have fun, we get along, and sometimes we even talk about stuff from real life. I look forward to seeing them online when I play.
It's a great community when the spirit of the game is kept intact. Of course there will always be asshats, but more often than not, I've met some very kind and generous people in this game. It's an amazing experience in terms of technology and the story and the interaction with nonbots, and I'm glad to have had it.
It's nice to see a tribute like this. It makes all the ridiculous yells in the trade channel seem even more irrelevant.