How is it that when we play video games with other players around the world, how is it that we feel so easy to trust someone we will never meet in real life? Over time with the evolution of the internet, we have been educated and taught to not trust people online. But is it the idea that we will never meet our teammates in person will give us the confidence to trust total strangers in order to reach our goals? Maybe it is the idea that we know that this virtual world could never influence our actual real world giving us a sense of comfort that trusting these virtual teammates will not be beneficial or detrimental to our real lives. In the TED talk by Ms. Mcgonigal talks about how numerous players online have the tendency to effortlessly trust other online players. She talks about how players have the tendency to engage themselves in virtual social encounters that allow them to handle social situations. At about 4:30 in her video, she talks about how players come together to help each other solve the virtual problems and reach an “epic win.” I feel this sense of togetherness in the virtual world and a player’s mentality that if they just entrust their virtual teammates they will be able to achieve their goals faster.

McGonigal, J. (2010, February). Gaming can make a better world. Retrieved May 18, 2015, from http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world?language=en#t-433592