There are many introvert people playing this game. Magic gives them a comfortzone to express their social skills.
It’s easy to think that introvert people lack social skills, which is not true, it’s just on another level, and mostly more empathic in my experience.

I’m sometimes surprised to see magic players in another context. I know them as social people, and seeing them in another context as very shy people can be awkward.
Maybe you’ve had that already, you meet someone in another context, but you can’t talk with him like you’re used to.
The other way around too. I met someone I knew in the LGS, he was clearly ashamed that I saw him playing magic there, untill I said that I play the game too.

And yeah, I don’t know that Ari guy, so can’t say much about it, but from what I’ve read, he should try to be more empathic, just a little bit.
Ooh, and the internet too of course. 😉