I was playing Star Wars: The Old Republic and I wound up with a tagalong...as often happens, because I'm witty and an absolute joy to be around, but eventually the question of age came up, and they were hesitant to answer, and eventually said 12. That's a decade younger than me. That was a weird experience, and I have to say it sabotaged the conversation because I have literally nothing to talk about to a twelve-year-old.FalloutJack said:Uhh, no. Getting too involved with younger online acquaintances in an unhealthy fashion is. If you're just being a cool guy or gal, you're a role model.
I think it's less about the age as a number and more to do with the fact that, as a 23 year old, I have nothing to say to people that young. There are no relatable experiences, so if you are cultivating an online friendship with someone a decade your junior, you're putting an unhealthy amount of effort into maintaining that relationship, and that's weird.
Once they reach 17 or 18 the boundary blurs a bit, because they're adults and tend to be easier to relate to and talk to, and so once you've reached adulthood in that regard, it's not weird at all to have friends in their seventies. I guess a good rule of thumb is to ask yourself if you could have a drink at lunchtime at Wetherspoons with this person without it being weird.