Enjoying someone's company and their service is different though, especially when the service is free and you dont think about it as a service.

I had a couple of groups I ran games for, considered them close friends for years. But once I stopped because of IRL reasons, none of them wanted to spend time doing other stuff (minus one dude I still talk to). Its fine I'm over it, but back then it was a pretty big blow they were my only friends.