MMOG player offers gold for girlfriend

Lovesick gamer turns to fellow World of Warcraft players for help

The following article is just an extension of the series of posts covering online games (MMOGs) and how there seems to be an increased blurring of the line between reality and fantasy. I know to most of you, this seems like a very marginal topic but let me make a guarantee: games are the new narcotics. In 5-10 years, games will overtake movies as the number one source of entertainment in the world and, given the exponential improvement in graphics and sound, these games will feature "real" actors and locations. Which means, that if people feel they're immersed in games now, they haven't seen anything yet.

Mo-stradamus has spoken...

As an online game forum browser, when you read a topic entitled “Get me a girlfriend, win mass gold” you become immediately skeptical. Is this a prankster, trying to lure unsuspecting “n00bs” into a trap? Or is it a horny geek gamer that’s spent a little too much time in the virtual world? Unfortunately, the third option — that the person behind it may actually need the support of his fellow gamers — tends not to be the first thing that comes to mind.

One member of the World of Warcraft forums actually created a thread with the aforementioned title, with a very detailed explanation of who he is, how he lives his life and what he wants: love. The majority of responses have been supportive and full of good advice, which gives a good representation of people that play World of Warcraft.

This thread raises a lot of issues about the psychology of gaming. This example shows that people who play games with other people can feel more open to sharing their problems with fellow gamers. On the other hand, it also shows the limits of social gaming. Whilst this thread may be the guy’s stepping stone towards getting a date, he probably won’t be 100% successful without some good ol’ effort in the real world.