Like I said in Grampy's quote, playing online is a completely different experience, and one I don't enjoy half as much as being in the same room as the other people. I'd say at least half of my enjoyment comes from being WITH the other people and hanging out with them. I don't want to be a lonely guy in my apartment all alone only being able to play online with my friends. I want human interaction!
Also, none of my friends even have the ability to go online; they don't live near the city and are only offered the choice between dial-up and satellite. I'm lucky enough to have Cable in the city at the moment, but in two months I'll be moving back into my house to commute to UCSD (my parents would rather not pay for the apartment because of the economy's status) and I'll be back to having satellite internet. God only knows when we'll get Cable, fiber, or DSL out there. Even with the option of high speed online play, I still find it completely inferior to hanging out with your friends and playing.
Even when it comes to playing FPS games I feel the same way. Who cares if you can see each other's screens? It's all about having fun with each other and being with each other. I can't high-five someone who is not physically with me, I can't look at them and see their expression, and laughing/cheering/goofing off together over voice chat is not even half as enjoyable as being together in the same room. How can I take a break and go out to eat (or eat at home) with my friend if he's not even with me?
