The Daily Grind: What do you think of MMO dating?

@Tizmah

This pretty much summed it up. Real relationships form in MMO's just like in any other hobby, it's just a way to connect and if the connection even exists outside the game, then that's cool, nothing new really.

But, dating in MMO's for the sake of having a virtual girlfriend...? lulz, might be a good idea to ease up the RP a bit :-)

@SgtBaker1234556 Good response, and that's the way that I see it, too.

There are three areas of concern that I see. The first is that an MMO is a hobby that's shared with people from all over the world, so meeting that person who you "click" with could be difficult and / or expensive.

Second, there's the very real possibility that the two of you won't actually get along in person - text and in-game interactions only go so far to reveal the person who you're hanging with in that virtual environment.

Lastly, no matter how much you may think that you "know" the person, NEVER assume that they've been completely open & honest. By its very nature, the virtual world allows the person to present a side of themselves that may be real, but is only a tiny, potentially idealistic fraction of who they are as a person. Trust me on this.

If you do meet someone from an MMO, always meet first in a public place. It doesn't matter if you're man or woman. You want the safety net of witnesses and the option of politely excusing yourself after awhile. You can't do that if it's "a date".

@Tizmah My and mine BF/fiancée were at first talking a lot during playing MMO (first we were guild mates, later friends who talk about theirs interests and problems) and after that we decided to meet in RL (we live in same country) and then we found out it was "it". Coz we live in different cities we treated MMO like some kind of communication (mumble / chat) and some kind of doing common hobby together / spending time together. Beside us, I know at least 3 couples who "meet" thanks to MMO, some of the them ofc won't end with "marriage" but one did.

Now mine fiancée plays different MMO than me, but we are engaged and plan to soon live together and marry one day. For me, this "first meeting" is no different than relationship via clubbing or date side.
One day I have discuss with my guild mate, who said for him meeting gf via some "date portal / side" is better, but really? Both in MMO and some "date portal" you don't "see" this person and only can talk with each other or send photo and later decide to meet in RL or not. In case of MMO It's even better coz you know share same interest as the "other half". In case "meeting new ppl and maybe future gf/bf" in MMO can be just another way to meet ppl - just like date sites / clubbing / forums ect.

If such friendship will evolve our of game, than better. But dating in game just to date, even if you ever will see this person is rather... hmmm... silly.

@dudes

"Daisy is really called Mike."

This.

@Panicbutton

That last paragraph sums up my thoughts nicely. If it happens by chance then I say more power to you. Not only did you find someone you loved, but you also have a nice story to boot haha.

Virtual dating/actively seeking a relationship in an MMO on the other hand is just a bit off to me. It's something that sounds right in concept, but if you think about it for more than a second then everything starts to not make sense. I dunno, it's just not my cup of tea

@Panicbutton

*sigh* I wish I could find true love like that in any aspect of life.

But finding it in an MMO is nice as well.

I just wish this kinda stuff would happen to me. :(

@ElfLove
That's probably cos it doesn't happen very often in mmos. IRL theres a lot more opportunity. In these games theres like 95% male population just because of how the games are marketed.

@BigAndShiny

I'm female actually. ^_^

I can just never find that magical moment when people seem to fall in love and marry in MMOs. I don't know what I'm doing wrong...I'm just being myself.

*sigh*

@ElfLove

stop trying so hard, the moment you stop looking for something it shows up.

@Fakeassname i wish, with the low female pop... and guys pretending to be female its hard to both trust any girls. and when i stopped looking the best i got was me being more alone.

@Fakeassname

Happily married people tell me this all the time. :(

I am not actively looking and I'm not being pushy...it just never ever happens to me. I just get to watch my friends pair off and have great married lives around me.

it'd getting harder and harder to 'not look' and 'not try'... especially now that I'm a woman in her mid 30's...them ore years and I'll be invisible. :(

@ElfLove

'Ten more years... I mean...

Massive needs an edit button >_<

@SkuzBukit
The issue as i see it, is that with a dating site you see a picture. Sure that guy/girl could be a 64 year old grandpa, but you'll find that out in half an hour.

With MMO you visually associate the character with the player unless you know them irl. Even though i know that any female character i see is almost definitely a man, I still find myself addressing these people 'her' or 'she' or whatever.

And when i hear that it is a woman or man, and their avatar is their gender, i associate avatar looks with them. I start thinking "well they must be attractive cos their avatar is pretty" or something.