How to talk to people I don't regularly speak to on facebook?

[Cameron]

Since I was quite young I have always been into games.. and it has kind of been my social downfall. I used to choose playing xbox or ps2 or MMORPG gams on my laptop over hanging out with friends and now.. I have the conversation skills of I don't know, a mute person. I have no problem talking to my close friends because I know the boundaries and it doesn't make me nervous at all to just say something random because I know if they're like haha you're a dick, I know they're joking.. But talking to people I don't know, my mind just goes blank. It's not that i'm scared of saying things it's that I literally cannot think of things to say. I have asked questions on here before and people are like, "Ask anything! Sports, weather, TV, etc." And I understand that but HOW do I start talking about those? For example I have been placed in a partnership with this guy Will in my college class and we basically didn't talk much apart from about the work occasionally whereas everybody else was having fun playing around and stuff with people they didn't know and I felt awkward and that I was coming across as awkward to Will, and I had no problem talking to him.. When I had something to say, but I don't have things to say and that's what I need help with. I am currently planning on talking to people I knew in my school on facebook but with my past experiences with this I seem to be pretty bad at it as all of my facebook conversations die down pretty quick. Please give me some detailed response on how to talk to these people and what to talk about, I know people say to be yourself but myself seems to be quiet around new people and that's not what I want to be. I'm also going to try to talk more tomorrow in college so please help with that. Again, it's not that I can't say things it's that I have literally nothing to say, maybe I should? But I think and think and think and nothing comes to mind. Pleeeeeeease please help me.

By the way i'm a 17 year old male.

I just posted this but due to restrictions on yahoo answers it makes me difficult to change my question when people don't understand what i'm asking. I do NOT literally just play games and talk about games.. That was earlier in my life. I am just asking how and what to converse about as I have difficulties with it. With people I know I have tonnes to talk about..