More and more teens are getting hitched in online virtual worlds, according to Lim Jun Yi in an article he wrote at website asiaone, which was first published at The Straits Times.
At an estimated $30 for $40 per marriage, which includes the virtual wedding rings and required tickets, the events aren't cheap in the way-more-popular-than-it-should-be MMORPG "MapleStory." For players like 14 year old Amanda Lee, that amount isn't just a one time payment, it's an ongoing fee. She's had five "serious boyfriends" in the game and has been married three times.
The article lists other players who've also turned the marriage concept into a rotating door, as well as some who even take their online relationship into the real world. But that's all been said many times before. The most interesting part about this entire piece is, and this might not be news to some of you, but "MapleStory" publisher Nexon also charges players a fee to divorce. To put it into perspective, Nexon gets money from players when they want to get married AND when they want to get a divorce in their MMORPG.
With this information it's safe to guess that anyone who's been married two or three times has shelled out at least one hundred real world greenbacks. Why do they do it? Of course, there are the obvious reasons like "love" and "infatuation," but Amanda Lee said "It was definitely not for love. More for the ring and the protection my spouse can offer me in-game."
This is where I give myself the ol' facepalm.
Posted by Kyle Stallock
April 29th, 2009
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