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Which of your worlds is the real one?

• Slimjim001 1,024 Posts

  Fri, Mar 11 2022 7:21 AM

  Here is one for social studies. Which of the two worlds you experience day to day is more real to you, the one you go out into or the one you click into?

  Many if not most of the people I have come to know personally through WGT, including myself, may not have much of a social life if it were not for our involvement in the virtual world of WGT golf.

  I meet with WGT friends for live chat (Discord) and a golf game(s) nearly every day in our virtual world. We not only talk shop (golf stuff) but we may and often do talk about our family, job and more. We are an encouragement to each other when times are tough and celebrate the happy occasions and successes. I could go on but I think you get my point.

  I have a number of “casual” friends in the real world who I might see, on purpose, a few times a month but none with whom I interact as personally or frequently as a few in my virtual world.

  An outsider, one who knows nothing about the virtual world of WGT Golf, may likely view what I do as a waste of time and money and maybe even anti-social. When I have tried to explain to my skeptical family or friends how real my WGT experience is, I’m more likely than not to get a snicker or half-smile, which probably explains why I prefer to find my friends on WGT.

  Hmm, so I guess my virtual world may be more real than the real world but for me, it is certainly a more real social experience and it gives me something enjoyable to look forward to every day.. Any thoughts?

• ct690911 7,195 Posts

  Fri, Mar 11 2022 7:50 AM

  I think you've "captured" this issue pretty well, actually.  I am somewhat housebound and find wgt to be my de-facto social life. I use to play regularly, alt shot, mainly for the social aspect. Now that I've taken a break from playing, I find much of my spare time is spent in the forums. I thoroughly enjoy reading everybody's posts and having the chance to comment on those topics I find interesting...like this one.:)

  Additionally, many of my friends post in here, so it's a way to keep up with how they are doing. I follow some of my posts with a PM if I want to expand on something, or if the issue is not one for public consumption.

  Interesting thread, Jim...well done.

  ct

• craigswan 30,953 Posts

  Fri, Mar 11 2022 7:55 AM

  Being an engineer and using tools and my hands to build i am a novice on laptops .

  Typing is not my forte . Self taught mostly .

  I am so slow  i runaway from conversations on chat boxes .

  I cannot play good golf and type at the same time .

  I need time to think on my reply .

  And in the real world some of the noise directed at me on this forum would deserve a real punch on the chin not a visual one .

• BPeterson8256 2,907 Posts

  Fri, Mar 11 2022 8:49 AM

  Slimjim001:

   it gives me something enjoyable to look forward to every day.. Any thoughts?

  +1

  I love this game and the friends I have met, both in the forums and while playing. 

   

  craigswan:

  I cannot play good golf and type at the same time .

  I agree, typing is a tough way to have a conversation, but there are so many great free gaming apps like Discord that allow you to talk and play at the same time. It can really be a fun atmosphere. There are several players and clubs that have dedicated a Discord server for playing WGT. It completely expands and improves on what WGT has to offer.

  If you would ever like to play a round and you are not familiar with Discord, hit me up some time. I would be happy to show you around.

  Cheers

  Brett

• MojosMojo 104 Posts

  Fri, Mar 11 2022 10:06 AM

  I hear a lot about slow Typer’s. I have gotten very proficient at pushing the voice translator button. I still have to edit occasionally, but it has cut my typing time by 2/3rds (because I only type to edit).

  I only bring up something that may seem obvious, because I am constantly surprised by how often I hear about slow typing without anyone ever bringing up the voice translator option. The voice translator maybe my favorite thing about these iPhones, yet sometimes I think I am the only one who uses it. Seriously, it has cut my typing time well below half of what it was.

  I can’t chat and play this game (whether voice translator or typing). I can’t ever remember winning a head to head where I had to say anything more than hello and gg, lol.

   

   

• craigswan 30,953 Posts

  Fri, Mar 11 2022 11:17 AM

  This discord i ask .

  Could you sit in your lounge and talk away while other's are trying to watch television .

  Would you not need your own mancave .

  And what about when you need to go thru to the whiskey bottle .

  

• SamSpayed 4,895 Posts

  Fri, Mar 11 2022 12:26 PM

  I guess I have a different perspective.  I don't see online social interaction as a separate 'virtual' world.  It's still part of the real world, with real (not virtual) people interacting with each other... each with our own thoughts, feelings, perspectives, backgrounds, personalities, skills, life challenges, etc.

  I think a lot of problems come when people start thinking of the people they meet and encounter online as 'virtual'.  It's much easier to treat someone poorly if you don't think of them as 'real'.

• ct690911 7,195 Posts

  Fri, Mar 11 2022 1:03 PM

  @SamSpayed

  Scott; I whole heartedly agree with the first paragraph of your post. We diverge a bit on the second para, though. It's been my experience that people are who they are. Nice folks (like yourself) treat others the same way regardless of the medium. Conversely, jerks are jerks, whether in person or on here. I don't think the difficulty level has much bearing on it.

  ct

• SimonTheBeetle 3,496 Posts

  Fri, Mar 11 2022 1:19 PM

  Slimjim001:

  An outsider, one who knows nothing about the virtual world of WGT Golf, may likely view what I do as a waste of time and money and maybe even anti-social.

  This is my wife. She often passes by sighing and/or shaking head when I play WGT... followed by my son tapping on my shoulder.

  I agree with Scott. Since (& thanks to) the introduction of internet, we've been able to meet, socialize, make friends with people all around the Globe with no distance restrictions. There were similar attempts in the past such as penpal but very limited. We're all real, only the means of communication are virtual so we're more like... cyber friends, not virtual. :) But the REAL virtual friends are coming soon with AI development and many will live like the guy in the movie "Her'.