Are your gaming friends exclusivley "gaming friends"?

[Mystic_23]

I said somewhere inbetween. And that's just because recently (after losing a few players and needing to replace them) we began gaming with a couple of guys that we didn't previously know. We all seem to get along pretty well, but when we've invited them to hang out outside of gaming, they haven't exactly jumped at the chance. Maybe at some point that will change, but at this point that's how it is.

Reading over the above: I would like to state that I don't think they choose not to hang out with us outside of work due to some sort of snobbishness. I think it's just a time factor. But then again...maybe we're the "I'd game with them...but otherwise...Ewwww!!!" sort and we just don't know it.

 

[DragonLancer]

I went for option 1, but one of my old gaming friends would never introduce us to his non-gaming friends as he believed in keeping both groups seperate, rather than mixing them.

 

[T. Foster]

I voted #4, but really, depending on which time period, my answer could've been any/all of the other three:

Back when I was a kid all of my best friends were also gaming-friends, and even those who weren't gamers at first were brought into the circle sooner or later. That said, there were also a few people in the group who were game-only friends, whom I had no desire to hang out or be friends with outside of the game. This became a problem later on, when we were in college, because when we would get together to play (at Xmas or in the summer) some of us would be wanting to catch up "as friends" and others would only be interested in gaming together. Therefore we had to separate it a bit -- those of us who wanted to would get together as friends and gaming wouldn't be mentioned or on the agenda. Then later we'd all get together and game. So #1, with a little bit of #4 later, for this period.

In college (I didn't go to college with any of my childhood friends) I didn't mix friends and co-gamers at all. I had a circle of friends, none of whom were gamers, and I had a circle of gamers, none of whom was I "out-of-game" friends with (because, to be prefectly honest, I didn't really like them very much). Eventually I dropped the gamers and only continued playing with my old friends during school-breaks. So definitely #2 for this period.

I've recently met one guy (over the 'net) and we're planning a game together, but although we get along great he's not (at least so far) a friend outside of gaming, I've never even met the other people we'd be gaming with, and none of my non-gaming friends are going to be involved in the game. So at present the two circles are very separate with no overlap, but that's by coincidence and not deliberate choice, so #3.

 

[malichai]

I only game with friends. I couldn't really imagine playing with people that weren't friends, it just doesn't work out. Actually, I only game with people that work for one of my companies, and with my business partner, they all just happen to be good friends too. It's one of the only social activities we really engage in. We hired an incredibly competent and gifted DM who runs some really fantastic games for us. Besides going out for dinner and playing cards and sometimes watching movies, gaming is the main social event that we gather for.

 

[EricNoah]

With one weird exception, my D&D friends are friends I basically only see at gaming time. But then I take a long time to form friendships -- I still think of my D&D friends as more like "D&D acquaintances" even though I've gamed with them for a few years.

 

[Pseudonym]

The folks I play with on Saturdays I have known for nearly fifteen years. They are some of my oldest and dearest friends.

The guys I game with on Tuesday are "gaming friends" in that I met them though the Gamers Seeking Gamers forum here, and so far our social interactions have been focused on gaming. We've only been at it a few short months, so that is apt to change as time goes by. It's not that I wouldn't like to just have a beer or do some other non-gameing activity, but distance and schedualing get in the way. I can definately see the friendship broadening as the months pass.

 

[Wombat]

Let's see...

I am going to be the Best Man at one Game Buddy's wedding later this year (and he is getting married to a Gamer Girl who is in the group, so...)

I work with one of my other Gamer Buddies.

I visit two of the others on an infrequent basis, as well as popping by the bookstore where they work

So that leaves just one who I only see on Game Days...

 

[Henry]

With one or two exceptions, ALL of my circle of friends are either current gamers or people I gamed with years before. Of my current group, we go to movies, we go out shopping (a lot of times for gaming stuff), we go to dinner together, we help each other move, etc. In fact, I do business with three of them regularly as PC vendors for my workplace. In short, they are friends whom I game with.

Only rarely do I game with complete strangers -- the funny thing is, after I game with them they're no longer complete strangers, and are at least acquaintances. So gaming just keeps expanding my social circle!

 

[Capellan]

With one or two exceptions, ALL of my circle of friends are either current gamers or people I gamed with years before.

Ditto.

 

[Tulon]

Hehe, it's nearly the same to me as for Henry.

I met nearly all of my friends by roleplaying - and even had my last summer vacation with them (in Sweden, nice country!) ... as you can guess we made p&p almost every evening, thus playing through three whole adventures.
Two weeks can end so damn fast... :/