The Sprite or The Person?

Finding Love in MMORPGs is not unheard of.

In the early days of Philippine Ragnarok Online, everyone roleplayed their characters so well that girl sprites would seem most likely to be real girls. Even if the medium is in pixels, one can actually express his feelings in different ways the same as in real life. Tokens of appreciation may be given, and random errands can be done for that special someone inside the game.

This can go on for quite a while before both parties realize that if they really want a lasting relationship, they should consider the possibility of bringing their romance in real life. This is a scary option that only the braver ones take. In game, you can be perfect. You can be anything you want to be.
The paranoid notion that your ingame girl/boyfriend may not like the real, non-virtual you may be unfounded. There is that probability that the other person is really just playing for the fun of it and will actually love you more outside the game than in it.

However, some hardcore gamers who put the game above everything else may fall in love in-game with someone because that other person shares the same passion: the game itself. I’ve seen a lot of relationships break just because one doesn’t want to play anymore, and the other is still very much addicted. A person spends so much time in the game that all that happens in it becomes just another part of that other-world; even love and relationships.

Being quite popular during my glory days in pRO, I sometimes wonder if the admirers that professed their “love” for me then would actually like me in the same way if they met me in real life rather than in Ragnarok. I know at least one person who fell in love with the sprite first before even bothering to ask if the person behind the sprite is a girl or a guy.

One gamer girl friend expressed the same doubt by asking “when my BF (who she met in RO) and I get intimate, do you think he’s thinking of the real me or the virtual me?”. To which I replied, “does it really matter?”, and we both laughed.

Ah, the power of virtual reality.

My resources for giving out constructive advice on love, sex, dating and relationships:

• The Art of Seduction
• Why Men Love Bitches: From Doormat to Dreamgirl-A Woman’s Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship
• He’s Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys (The Newly Expanded Edition)
• If I’m So Wonderful, Why Am I Still Single?: Ten Strategies That Will Change Your Love Life Forever
• Understanding Women: The Definitive Guide to Meeting, Dating and Dumping, if Necessary