Quote Originally Posted by gtavaddict View Post
what happened to both of them?!
Not OP, but given the timing and that both of them passed away, I'm going to guess they were caught in the wildfires or something similar. If only because someone I know lost one of their friends to the fires around that time.

To OP, you have my sympathies. Lots of people like to say that MMOs are "just games", but they're uniquely social games. Most of us who play MMOs do so because we enjoy playing with others—sometimes, for some introverts, it's their one 'safe' social outlet where they can easily retreat when they're exhausted. The friendships we form in online gaming are just as important as those made at a book club or the local gym or a coffeeshop or any of the other offline things many people associate with 'real' friendships. And right now, moreso than ever, where even those 'real' friendships have had to move largely online, people who we interact with online have become even more an important cornerstone of people's social web.

Losing any of those people hurts, whether it's expected (due to illness) or unexpected. Most of us have probably had that experience. But when it's someone so central to your online life, it doubtless hurts that much more given how many things around will remind you of them.

As I said when one of my WildStar friends passed away, anyone we lose leaves a uniquely-shaped hole in the world. Time and new friends may obscure the hole, but no such hole ever completely vanishes; even if new grass grows atop it, the ground is no longer completely level. In passing, we leave a lasting mark on the world. And even as the sharp pain of grief fades to a dull ache, the effect your friends had on your life will always remain in some form or another.