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For thousands of members of a popular online entertainment universe, a convention held in Sydney over the weekend was a rare opportunity to meet face to face.
Rooster Teeth is a Texas-based company that produces podcasts, web series and animations for a global community of loyal fans.
Its annual expo, known as RTX, provides a meeting point for friends who may have known each other for years online.
"It was pretty exciting. I've had a lot of online friendships but this was one of the first ones where I was able to meet them in person," said Rachael Osborne, who attended the convention.
"So it was pretty cool, but it felt like we'd been friends in real life forever basically, just because we talk so much all the time."
Every day, Rooster Teeth releases hours of free online content including podcasts, cartoons, and videos of their presenters playing video games.
And the fandom for Rooster Teeth, which has become a big part of many lives, can be intense.
"None of my friends I went to school with watched it, so I'm just kind of there like, 'I'm watching this stuff all the time, don't mind me'," she said.
"All my t-shirts make no sense to them, I just kind of exist in my own little bubble."
Barbara Dunkelman was one of Rooster Teeth's earliest fans when it launched 15 years ago, and now hosts her own podcast on the network.
She is well aware of the loneliness that can come with online fandom.
"I think there are tons of silent Rooster Teeth fans who maybe don't have any family or friends who also know Rooster Teeth, so they tend to keep to themselves," Ms Dunkelman said.
"We often see people post online, 'Hey, I'd like to come to RTX but I don't have anyone to go with because no one knows about Rooster Teeth'.
"People all know Rooster Teeth and you finally have people who understand what you like."
It is not just friendships that have emerged from these events. For others, it is also a chance to find love.
Ashleigh McAtee met her husband Saun on a Rooster Teeth community site five years ago, and they have now been married for nearly a year.
"Saun was one of the people I spoke to in the group, and we became Facebook friends after that and used to talk and were just good friends," Ms McAtee said.
"And then I guess it progressed to where we met each other and knew pretty much straight away that we were meant to be together.
"I made sure I wore my Rooster Teeth shirt when I went to meet him the first time so he knew it was me."
She argues not all fans fall into the stereotype of socially awkward internet user living their life online.
"I think there's a good mix of people who are socially awkward and people who aren't at these conventions," she said.
"Because their content is online, the Rooster Teeth fandom perhaps are people who do like to stay indoors and watch things online who might feel not to comfortable getting out and about."
Topics: games-industry, games, sydney-2000
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