Editor's Note: It's a Small, Virtual World

"People are beginning to live the entirety of their lives in a virtual space. Some scoff at them for doing so, but let's take a look at many people's daily, real life. The larger our cities grow, the more spread out they become, making commutes longer. We have less time to make contact with people - the after work cocktail scene has all but died."

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The larger our cities grow, the more spread out they become, making commutes longer. We have less time to make contact with people - the after work cocktail scene has all but died for the majority of the population.

I think this might be compounded by the increasing social stigma against drinking and driving. I get together with co-workers for after-work drinks every once in a while, but I park my car at home and then walk. A lot of people can't do that.

I don't think that commuting is much of a problem in most cities. People tend to stack on top of each other and so do businesses. In many places, tons of bars, restaurants, and other places to get together are all within a couple of miles of each other. Most people in large cities are forced to walk as space constraints prohibit driving.
I agree that people are beginning to spend a lot more of their socializing on the internet, but I don't think that you can say that face-to-face tangible interaction has really died out...

Cadge:
I don't think that commuting is much of a problem in most cities. People tend to stack on top of each other and so do businesses. In many places, tons of bars, restaurants, and other places to get together are all within a couple of miles of each other. Most people in large cities are forced to walk as space constraints prohibit driving.
I agree that people are beginning to spend a lot more of their socializing on the internet, but I don't think that you can say that face-to-face tangible interaction has really died out...

Depends on where you are. In suburban areas or in cities where land is cheap (I grew up and went to school in Houston), it's quite possible that there aren't any businesses within a mile or so of you, and public transit is spotty at best outside of dense urban areas.

I could be said that the issue of socializing in RL (that's Real Life for your squares), has been replaced with the virtual social pool because of the safety found in anonymity. To be able to sit around in your salt and pepper colored robe and use your Orc Hunter to pillage a small cave of human warriors, and not have to worry about being looked down upon because you're glasses sit at the end of a hawkish nose, your teeth are yellow and you have skin tags about your face and neck...well...that's just glorious. There is far less vulnerability in a virtual setting, and we've been letting fear dictate our face-to-face time for many a year.