Just two years ago, my friend died in their sleep. It unexpected. Call them Ash, even if it is not their real name. They are unbelievable, open and heart. And because of Ash and I am a friend in Steam, I know exactly what it was for the same day, as I knew what they do before they go to bed. They are playing Sea of ​​Thieves.

Many times over the past two years, I have see the Steam’s profile and the game they play the most, and feels like to play them too. It is really desirable that I can’t describe, but for me, the record of what the Ash is playing not not only the real record of those whom they are, but also very present. Meanwhile, I wonder if it’s just I am seriously involved, invented the existing connection to curb material, rather than in something real.

Since social media burst, almost all those who died out of virtual footprints to follow. Who’s Steam’s profile is exactly as an expression that they are or who? I asked Oxford Internet Institute (OII), Department of Oxford University that runs research on our daily life, if this can be pinned down and dissected by science.

Dr. Tamas Folles of OII, which is basically researched in social psychology and double-described artistics. For example, in scientific places, they will do the survey that individuals rating a real configuration, performing the text that manipulate all the shows, or use the combination of all. Those things.

He tells me “I mention this because these good opportunities are not particularly effective in the profound education, such as the accuracy”, such as the accuracy “, he told me. Dr. Foldes explains that shortage of quality work in this area, and the quantitative work is not standard.

Dr. “This is due to the influence of self-difference increases with larger audience size.” It is also much easier to join the online strategy expression of social media, such as tiktok’s ar smoothing. “But that is reported in the literature is large enough to say false people on the social website? I don’t think.”

One of the other games who have played that night is stardew Valley, as the game they have 320 hours, and I’m familiar. I go over the course of hyperfocused on it, but I never have enough discipline Be past one full year, or will know what to grow when. Ash has a little walle, and when they are my dungeon in the first decade, we used to joke that every NPC in the game is the farmer from somerset. I imagine they were growing a very neat and beautiful farm, and that they play multiplayer . I imagine they would love update last year permitting pets, because That they love their cats. But these things are all I need to imagine.

I asked Dr. Foldes if people have different behaviors seen across various types of social media, and he said to have some evidence for this. “They type their own specific platforms. Each character, and his own audience, which is influenced the way,” he said. “On Instagram, someone may arrange an update image for a broader audience, while in Discord, they may share a lot of people. Some users have many accounts.” But how maps towards the game, if all?

Dr. Foldes explains that the game people play regularly can give understanding of their preferences, but not all correct. Although there is a perfect study, where people allow researchers to monitor their online and offlines (something to be straightforward.

“Choosing the game can be influenced by things such as a social circle, or even the same game, or to solve the problem, or to solve the problem, or to solve the problem.

Sea of ​​thieves not only a final game at Trick, but as many players they play more than 500 hours. It is a vibration full of players of the players who occur and not written rules – the smallest player can be driven by the players. I don’t know these rules, because I’m not sea of ​​thieves, really. I set it up to see if I can connect with what Ash likes about it, but I’m playing Sea of ​​Thieves alone – a quiet journey, listen to the wind and sea. Ash play it almost every day with friends. I can see them cruel, giggly, jumping and adventure through the virtual world and understand all agreement as a second character. It makes me wish I play with them, to see his version You.

Another game is vi civilization, which is not surprising. They are a classic, with many reference tattoos, or ancient gods. If you ask me first, I said that Ash might play a Roman ancacket TrajanBut it appears that Ash is very good at CIV, won the game with each leader and all the difficulties available. The CIV testing feels like a job, because I don’t have the patience or goodness to play it from 2017. Once CIV VI launches, Ash play over 200 hours of it in an area of ​​about one year. I wonder what that year is for them.

“Honestly, you can tell a lot about some people just see their steam profile, if it is public,” Dr. Folles said. He noticed that Steam has some social features, it is very limited in the expressive way, which requires a lot of ways that you can limit it for self-expression. “However, because Steam focus on the interest of the game together, recorded long-term activities, and the concentration increased, it may encourage more real behavior.”

“Some focused on upgrading their social status with the level, label, and list of big friends,” he explained. “The other is about a skilled game and collecting success in the game, focusing on the other person by creating the game, or enjoy the game.”

This keeps me back and see other areas of Ash profile. They mainly as their social game players, even though they love it, stored them in a relatively very lonely zone. But I can see that they have a perfect score about a quarter of all the games they own. It seems that they went through the phase of being fixed in the game and do it absolutely, before moving next (even the main stepping), which. Yes Like me.

They just review the five games, and briefly, which makes me think they want to push the game they think is particularly deserved. They think that Return of the Obra Dinn is one of the best games ever, and I agree. Their wishlist makes me pause, because about a third of the list includes the game That I wrote aboutWishlisted around when I did that. If it is the case they have read my articles, they do not tell me, but it will be like them. On the other hand, maybe I’m understanding the meaning. Relationships are not cause.

Dr. Foldes say the digital trails that we left “is and will continue to be effective to promote close feelings and even ‘knowing'”. In other words, Facebook turns pages into memories according to the lovely request is useful for those who left. “If we move again and consider ‘knowing the most closest self-known, you know where you know where you know where to see. “

I need clear and say that I can’t claim the grief of the Ash and the tight friends of Ash; I miss Ash in a way that makes me send one of their phones or twice per Years to say I hope they are okay. But, and this may be the key, even if we were frequent talks through online, it was over years old I saw Ash. Our friendships are in the middle procedure of our lives is virtual. I recognized in this piece of writing, perhaps slow, that I do not know that Ash gamer . I appreciate the storyteller, who is writing a letter about Nausaha’s from Homer’s Odyssey, and sent me their excerpts . But now they go away, because they do not use Facebook or Twitter or other things, and their Steam profile is the only thing I have left.

You may have heard Merce Henry Scott Holland about death, where he says he “Just slipped off the next room“. When I look at the Steam’s profile, it’s like that, maybe, they can close the system at any time.