Social Link is vital.. either in game or in real life

Back to Malaysia I got two PS2 games, one of them is Persona 3. Honestly, I haven't played PS2 for a long time now. Probably because everytime after work I just feel too lazy to stare at the screen for couple of hours. Anyway, since all kinds of reviews have given it a good score. So I figured I should really give it a trial. After couple hours of playing, those reviews are actually quite accurate.

The plot (as extracted from Wikipedia) is as follows:
A teenager who was orphaned as a young boy returns to the city of his childhood. Shortly after transferring to Gekkoukan High School, he is attacked by Shadows — creatures that feed on the minds of their victims. The assault awakens his Persona, Orpheus, his only chance at defeating these creatures of the night. He soon discovers that he shares this special ability with other students at his new school. From them he learns of the "Dark Hour," a hidden time that exists between one day and the next, swarming with Shadows. He joins the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES), and with his new friends, confronts the threat of the Shadows.

What attracts me of the game is, well, not only the gameplay, the graphics and let alone the plot, but also the idea of "Social Link". The player can roam around in the high school, interacting with other characters attempting to build or en-strength some-sort of relationship. In other words, trying to establish a "social link" with other characters, or in more lame terms, trying to belong to certain community, group or society. The stronger the link, the stronger the player, and thus the easier the player can beat up the Shadows. Now, it gets me wonder. Isn't it what we are trying to do every single day - trying to belong, trying to fit in, trying to build or maintain some-sort of relationship with friends, family or even strangers.