Like the title says, my friends live pretty far so we don't often meet up given work and family schedules. What are some ways you kept in touch with your friends?
Run a discord server. Hang out and chat, even if you’re playing different games or watching shows and movies. Sometimes knowing you’ll be heard even if no one is actively speaking is a good activity.
In my experience Discord is mostly popular among the gamers. Not for me personally, I find Discord bloated and overwhelming. Slack for work is barely tolerable
Play an RPG via your video conferencing platform of choice. You don't need to use a Virtual Table Top like Roll20, either. Use the built-in whiteboard function of your video conference platform or use a site like excalidraw.com.
Me and my friends, each of us got that app launching at Windows startup. Every time we turn on our computers at the same time, we see each other frosted through the virtual glass. Then we talk or remain frosted in the background.
You've primarily been on HN to self-promote your app, which doesn't really fit the HN guidelines.
Anyhoo, to answer OPs question -- we live 10 minutes outside our town, and my kids play video games together with their friends. Sometimes via in-game chat, but just as often by playing a game on the same server and calling each other on the phone.
Personally, I'm still old-school. I call my friends and family on the phone and talk to them.
> Please don't use HN primarily for promotion. It's ok to post your own stuff part of the time, but the primary use of the site should be for curiosity.