GoddessGood: The Ramblings

I've tried to run online games multiple times in the past. Play by E-mail (PbEM), Play by Post (PbP) and via online chat, all of these has lead to disappointment. I'll be the first to say that I was a chief cause in most of their downfalls. It's difficult for me to sustain interest in online campaigns since I don't see the people in them face to face. I also tend to over-estimate the time I have available to run them. Still more are brought down by lack of player participation and even more never even get off the ground.

What is it about the online media that makes it so difficult (for me) to sustain a game? Is it the impersonal quality of text versus speech? Lack of commitment in general from online players? Seems to me that virtual gaming is best suited to video games and not role playing games. There are, of course, notable exceptions to this and I have looked on enviously at those games that have managed to thrive on the interwebs. Yet, despite my coveting, I think I'll stick to in-person gaming where possible. There's something irreplaceable about looking around a table at your friends, holding the dice in your hands and spending an evening with them.