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(I wasn't sure if this would go under Forum or Game Discussion, but I figured it had more to do with the game, so yeah :P)
So, I think it's safe to assume that a lot of the people on here are introverts. Some may even have full-on social anxiety (heyo! *raises hand*). Whatever the case, a lot of us find a safe social outlet here, both in-game and on the forum. But I've been wondering, what other benefits could we be taking away from this community? I guess what I'm asking is:
Do you think FeralHeart has improved your real-life social skills?
For me personally, I'd say yes. I mean, I'm still pretty reserved, but I think FeralHeart has helped teach me how to be a little bolder in initiating conversations with people I don't know. And, when I do initiate a conversation, I've found it easier to settle on a topic that interests both of us. These improvements have been subtle, but they're definitely there. So, have you guys had similar experiences?
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Great topic idea!
Personally, I'd say yes, It has definitely improved my social skills a lot because being here on FH I've met and spoken to plenty of different people and ran groups of which requires you to be "social" and "active", all this leads to Discord voice calls and group chats which lead to actually chatting with a voice and although, I feel a lot more comfortable talking to people through a computer screen than in person, I personally think having a Job and everything along those lines helps out a lot as well!
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For me it has quite a bit. I notice it's easier for me to talk to strangers now where before I just cringed at the idea. Not to mention I've made a lot more friends here.
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One thing that I've taken away from FeralHeart is self-discipline.
While I can still sometimes be very bubbly and excited over the smallest (and silliest) things, I have respect for what the rules stand for and the consequences I would face if I were to break them. While I remain aware of these rules, I am able to control myself to stay safe in-game and try to encourage other users to do so.
Something else I've learned as a skill, socially, is to be considerate and open-minded for the comfort of others.
Some topics in-game that go on, make users uncomfortable, and I find it best to always be aware of these types of users and to respect them when they politely request for the topic to be taken elsewhere or to a private chat.
While sometimes it can be a case of the uncomfortable user simply moving away from the conversation themselves, when it comes to a group of users finding discomfort when the conversation is between 1-3 people, it is best for those 1-3 people to be the ones to move away.
Awareness is key and FeralHeart has players around the world with different life experiences, so it is always better to respect what they believe in and stand for, so they they can have just as good of a game experience as you.
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Definitely.
I don't really know what else to say...
But if I were to just pick out a few things I definitely think I have taken away from Feral Heart, it would be; patience, social speaking, and literature.
I feel like patience and literature fit into social skills somewhere.
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I've learned quite a lot from Feral Heart in the past years. From many ups and downs in this game, main thing that I've learned is how to respect others and their work and ideas, and English. My English improved a lot over the years and I have to say a big thanks to this game for helping me learn the language even better.
I learned how to respect other people's work. I made many mistakes in this game, some of which I'm ashamed of 'till this day. Everyday I try to improve for the better, whether that was being kind and respectful in all situations, being mature as much as I can, even if I am in a conflict.
I owe this game quite a lot, and people in it.
Feral Heart was a big part of my childhood and in a way, it made me a (talking about me online) person I am today. And I have to be proud of that, no matter what.
As for real life social skills, except for the part where I learned how to speak English properly, I don't really think that It affected it that much. Mainly because I have had a lot going on in my real life while I was away from the game and there were other things that had a lot to do with it.
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This is a very nice topic idea, I like it!
For me, FeralHeart has definitely taught me some respect, integrity, and personal courage. Sure, ROTC does this for me at the time, but that doesn't count right now. I've managed to talk to strangers a lot better than before, since this game taught me at a young age that sometimes, not everyone is the best, but there are ones out there you need to seek out that are right for you. Being here led me into some strange places that I felt right within, so...
I don't have all too much to say besides some of who I am realistically, comes from the people I've met here. Some of my open-mindedness and ease to become comfortable with topics really branches from here. I've never thought a simple online game would make such chances to my life in the long run, honestly.
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I would say yes...definietly.
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the game and my job worked back to back to really bring me out of my shell. og bonfire? i'd constantly be looking for roleplays and be suuuuuper hesitant to ask people to join their roleplays of whatever was cool that week, ntm the warriors roleplays i'd hop into every few months only to have them die out. i was just kinda shifty and for the longest time it didn't really do much for me, but i didn't really have any real life friends to lean on at that time, so i'd take what i could get.
2016 is when things started heating up, where i joined a certain, ahem, fandom in ficho, and managed to find and /keep/ some friends, which was when i felt things actually started paying off.
and then i got a job that same year, so both things kinda worked simultaneously to get me in the zone.
and it's all been up from there, relationships have been deeper and more complicated, but not bad per say, i no longer hesitate to say "hello" to random strangers, i like interacting with the locals on fh[and seeing their reactions to my, less than orthodox character, hehe] and above all finally realizing what it is to be a person.
too philosophical? my b.
..have i mentioned that in conversations i'm a talker? teh, yea, tell that to me three years ago and she would've laughed.
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I'm still in the shell I've been in for a very long time, it's hard to get me out of my shell. But FH has taught me some things, for which I am grateful. ^-^
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For me is easier to chat online than irl to random people, so I don't know for sure if it helped me or not.
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Of course, FeralHeart has helped improve my social and communication skills, but they're not being eroded.
I tend to have a vast capacity for reflecting my own feelings. I find it natural to communicate with others, especially in person.
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I'm glad you all seemed to like this topic, and your takes on this are all really fascinating! I've noticed a theme, and it's something I forgot to consider in my original question. A lot of us have grown up with this game, getting into it as young teens or preteens and then simply continuing with it up into adulthood. A lot happens in those years. You go through the ups and downs of high school (or whatever you guys call it across the pond), maybe get a job, go to college, etc. All of these significantly expand your social sphere, and you really have no choice but to adapt. Not to mention just the normal course of brain development during adolescence. Psychology gobblity-goop aside, what I mean is that I guess there are other factors at play. Still, I think that we can agree that FeralHeart has made our lives better in some way :)
Edit: I just noticed where this put my post count, so I am contractually obligated to say, "Nice."
Yes I am a grown adult. What of it? >:I
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FH Helped me get more confident and bold when speaking with other people. Since I had to stop just waiting around shyly, and had to go and actually TALK with the RP recruiters to be able to join.
And sending a RP sample? Doing it a couple times helped ease my anxiety and notice who I am and what I am capable of, I have to take some risks every now and then right? And if it's not good, I shouldn't feel humiliated like I used to when I was anxious.
FH also helped me to be less nervous when talking with English speakers. Since It's not my main language, I used to take a long time typing a sentence just to make sure I wrote it right... Roleplaying (specially Literate roleplays) was a great exercise for me.
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I can't really walk up to some random person irl, but I also don't know about in-game. I don't know, I usually let other people talk to me first rather than having it the other way around, haha. However, it has helped me immensely in my English classes! I was an intensive student at first but now I'm an honors student! Roleplaying on here has definitely helped me a ton! <3
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no.
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Yeah! It's already improve my social skills and to be active. I dont show outside of social game. I only show it on ROBLOX and Feral Heart.
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Yes, FH has improved myself in general! However, for me, it is a bit easier to chat online rather in general for some reason.
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From my observations people I haveseen learned English, improved English, or instead of running away like they do in real life they make nervous or blush emotes and start talking. One told me they hadn't talked in years. All because they don't find digital animal's scary.
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Mmm, in a way.
FH in one way was my gateway towards online communication, so yes, i've learnt many things that are tied with social skills from FH; may it be social skills in general or writing skills (from roleplaying). Although, these skills that i learnt in FH are mostly inapplicable in real life, because there is a massive difference between talking with faceless people on your computer screen and talking to an actual person in real life face to face, and i don't write literature that often. Maybe FH has helped in communicating through text, but not so much for actual verbal communication.