What do the internet and MMOs do for me?

MMOs, and the internet in general, have had a profound impact on my life. In reality, I'm unable to speak, and am confined to a wheelchair.

Through the power of the internet, however, I'm able to interact with people just like any other person would. I've created a number of lasting friendships, as well as some ill-fated ones, of course. And let's not forget, the occasional relationship.

The internet, for me, is the Great Equalizer. It levels the playing ground. It is through the internet that I found out about Troma's Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, which was being filmed, right here in Buffalo, NY, back in the summer of 2005. (I found out about Second Skin, from one of the female leads, Allyson.)

But, I digress.

Among the many places I've frequented, probably my favorite would have to be Gaia Online, which Peter accurately described as "a MMO forming out of a message board."

Gaia is where I've made the majority of my friendships. Although the term's definition is slightly different than its MMO counterpart, I'm a part of a guild, that convenes, a few times, every year, at conventions. Due to financial and other issues, I only attend the con in May, Anime North.

Even though it's only an once-a-year thing, meeting at Anime North has helped to solidify and maintain the friendships.

This is what one of my friends wrote about me:

QUOTE:
I've known Andy for about two years now, most of the time we talk online, only ever meeting twice in real life. Because of the way we communicated, I didn't even know he was disabled until he mentioned it. It was very surprising, and didn't really click in until we met the first time. Suddenly we had this huge communication barrier, and it was admittedly awkward for both of us.

We continued talking online and then met again a year later. In that year, I saw a great improvement in his confidence. He was much more outgoing than he was a year ago, and it was great to see that he was doing so well and enjoying himself. I found that I was much more comfortable as well, having been able to get to know him better in the online environment.

He's always impressed me greatly with his ability to grow past his physical limitations, especially when it comes to video games. Seeing how he's getting involved with adapting various consoles and hand held devices to be more user friendly for a disabled person is so amazing to me. Also, seeing how the advent of the online internet world really helps someone 'get out' and meet new people when they would have great difficulty doing so without it is really pretty cool. Andy is an amazing person, and I'm so glad that I was able to meet him, both online and offline.

Finally, I'm known as the Anime North Guild Pimp. "Why?"

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2006

2007