@Hair2019 that is a very interesting read. It would be good to se some pics if you could post them, of the longer hair.
I can't say that I've been as successful but I am married with kids and nearly 50 years old... so not in the same gaming field as you
My transition to hair wasn't as seamless as I would have liked, because I waited too long and my fibres were looking really bad. My first hair system was then too much of a shock to me and to everyone! And it was a huge learning experience that has led to my current custom systems being great.
Having that long flowing hair - even just up to 6 inches - is a dream and I would love to do it but there is zero chance I could pull it off now and look natural. And that's always been my objective: to look appropriate rather than look awesome, with respect to the hair system. If it looks too awesome then the people around me will know it's fake (though I'm sure many already guess it is, because of the quite sudden change). So I try not to draw attention to it, and other than having a full head of hair and a decent hair cut/style, there is nothing 'special' about it - I do get looks from people but it's the kinda look where they are thinking "he has decent hair". Funnily enough most looks I get are from bald(ing) guys
Now, if I was somewhere new where no one knew me, then sure heck I would love to get longer hair! Some days I think that it would just be so much easier if my friends and family (cousins) knew I wore a system, then I could change it up and experiment as I wished to, without worrying about being caught out.
To the OP: it's not so much about how other people react to us, it's that the hair changes how
we act and how we feel. The confidence, or the nervousness, it can make you feel great or feel scared of being seen. It's important to see the hair as a tool that should make us feel better about ourselves; that in itself will make other people behave differently to you.