Developing a crush on a guy I met online- bad idea?

So I met a guy gaming, we’re 2 years apart (both adults). It so happens we live in the same city. We’ve talked a lot, at first in larger groups but we’ve had a few solo calls now too. Over time more about real life topics and less about gaming. Neither of us currently know any personal info on the other person, we use Discord and call ourselves by our in-game names, like we do in the larger groups. I’ve been thinking about meeting him in a cafe or somewhere public (I’m not stupid lol) since we live in the same city and all. But I’ve heard so many horror stories- would that be smart or stupid? I’ve never actually seen him, just heard him.

If so, I’m also wondering about how to explain this to my parents- they’re old-school and the only thing they associate with meeting people online is serial killers (I still live at home during the summers, college-aged).