4 reasons game friends are [not?] real friends

I was pondering for days the simple yet quite important question:

Are game friends, real friends?

What would you answer, do you feel your game friends close? Close enough to consider them "real" friends?

Reasons for NO:

1. It's possible you have never met a game friend in person.
2. You might not even know his name / age / gender / location.
3. You don't go out together, you don't exchange xmas cards and you don't invite each other in social events (oh wait - sometimes you do!)


Reasons for YES:

1. You spend more time chatting with game friends than other ppl in real life.
2. You had a fight with your game friend (because he was bossy about what to do, or you were careless and he died, or .. ooh many reasons to fight!) and yet your relationship survived and got even better.
3. You do care about his everyday mundane things and you know he cares too.

You choose - are they? real friends?

Best Reason for YES:

As far as I am concerned,
4. Friends are the people you can count on. Who count on you, too. Who will pick you up, when you are down. Game or no game.