Well, it’s Valentine’s Day. And let’s see, a year ago was when my husband and I got engaged. A year before that was when the two of us met face-to-face for the first time. And another year before that was around the time we both found ourselves in the same World of Warcraft guild.
That’s right, my husband and I met on WoW. My family thought I had lost my mind when I told them I met someone over an online game, but really, is it any more crazy than hooking up with someone at a singles bar? When my night elf druid first met his human mage, there were no existing preconceptions between the two of us or any dating-related stress. There wasn’t this pressure or need to try to impress the other person (well okay, fine, maybe I was trying to impress him a *little* with my l33t tanking skills, The Burning Crusade had just come out and I was excited about my bear, after all) because we were both there for the love of the game, not looking for love.
But the thing about MMOs is that they do more than just connect you to a game — they connect us to each other. And with my husband, our connection was one that I had not expected, not for a million years. We were both raid leaders for our guild, and it was through our weekly raids that we got to know each other better. It wasn’t long before we went from discussing boss tactics over Vent to having 20-hour-long conversations on the weekend about everything under the sun. That was when I started to realize…he meant more to me than just a voice in my headphones and a bunch of colored pixels on my computer screen. I may be young, but I’d had enough relationship experience to recognize that this was something special.
So to my dear husband, on this Valentine’s Day I just want to say: I’m glad you didn’t turn out to be some internet lunatic! Oh, that and I love you very much!
In all seriousness though, I thank my lucky stars every day for online games, without which I would never have met the love of my life. It’s proof that sometimes the good things in life can sneak up on you too, as long as you stay smart and stay safe — good things to remember in any relationship, online or otherwise. To everyone and especially the other WoW couples out there who found their love in Azeroth, have yourselves a wonderful day.
MMO Gamer Chick 