While some people might claim that online relationships "aren't real," these people have never had their lives saved over the Internet. When her British gaming partner suddenly had a seizure, an American gamer from Texas desperately attempted to reach emergency services in order to save his life - and thankfully succeeded.
With the advent of online multiplayer games, players from around the world can cooperate and compete together. As the games and digital connections have evolved, voice chats have become so commonplace that it was considered surprising and divisive when a large multiplayer game like Splatoon did not support voice chat.
Reports from the BBC and Sky News detail how Dia Lathora and her British teammate Aidan Jackson were gaming together when Aidan started feeling strange. After rearranging his game microphone so he could continue playing from his bed, he suddenly became unresponsive. According to the BBC, when Lathura heard "what [she] could only describe as a seizure" through her headphones, she immediately attempted to contact the European Union's emergency phone line. She was ultimately able to send the police and emergency services to Jackson's address.
While Lathora was reaching out to authorities, Jackson's parents were downstairs, unaware that their son had suffered a seizure until the authorities arrived. When they all quickly realized what was going on, Jackson was rushed to the hospital and treated. The Jacksons later reached out to Lathora to thank her for her quick response and her efforts to reach out to emergency services, noting that she only had an address and no contact numbers to use.
Jackson and Lathora's story is proof of the impact that online relationships can have on a person's life. Friends who have bonded over the Internet can definitely understand that such friendships can be just as vital as real-life connections. Undoubtedly, these two gamers are excellent teammates both in and out-of game.
However, while Jackson was fortunate that Lathora had his address, this situation should not encourage gamers to give out their personal information to just any teammate. Predators in multiplayer games like Fortnite have groomed victims in voice chats before. Above all, when maintaining online friendships, it's best to equally ensure one's own general safety. Unlike this time, one's friends might not always be there to save them.