In friendship we conquer

Second Skin revealed some stereotypical stories of avid gamers in a couple of negative ways. Whether it was gamers losing their jobs or gamers living in a dim house with nothing but filth and monitor screens, the producers really exaggerated the impact of games. However, I would like to focus on the good aspects of the documentary. For example, I was really touched when they interviewed the physically disabled gamers. It was inspiring to hear that they love these virtual worlds because they get to do the impossible. One of the physically disabled gamers even admitted that he considers himself a resident of this virtual world. These games allowed him to drop his guard and feel free from his wheelchair. He even said MMOs have made him a better person. These games have taught him the meaning of friendship and he learned how to give back to the community. This made me think about that game The Syndicate. The Syndicate is an international gaming clan. This game is so big that new members are required to have a referral, an application, and resume for admittance. At first it seemed pretty ridiculous to apply for an online gaming site, but to these gamers, The Syndicate is more than a typical virtual community. They hold weekly, monthly and annual meetings where people fly in from all over the world to get together. This virtual world allows anyone to test the waters socially and they stress the importance of friendship through their motto "in friendship we conquer". The Syndicate’s site even states that they raise money for charity. This shows that these virtual communities go beyond making impacts on gamer’s lives, but also in the community around us.