CVG - Care in the Community

CVG has published a feature on the community aspect of MMOs. They have talked to staff at NCsoft's Brighton offices, who elaborate on developer/player relationships and in-game/real life relationships:

And then there are the few lucky heroes, or villains, who decide to tie the knot in Tyria, before doing a /kiss emote and /dancing the night away.

"I've been invited to at least three or four in-game marriages," ponders Kerstein. "I'd get a message on the forum saying 'Hey, we'd like you to come to our online wedding!'"

"We see people who've met in-game and then gotten married in real life too," adds Koonen. "I met one couple a few weeks ago who obviously liked me so much that they asked me to be their, I dunno what you call it, the person who brings them together and gives them this blessing. Which was quite strange... But hey, I'm a roleplayer, so if they wanna have an in-game wedding, they've got my blessing!"

Weddings aren't the only real-life events to have made the jump to MMOs either. With communities this tight-knit, the death of a fellow player rarely goes unnoticed. It's sad, but heart-warming to see the occasion marked online.

"There was one in Guild Wars," begins Weekes. "The community had become aware that a player had passed away in a car crash. This guy was one of the more creative players too, always posting up Guild Wars-related art on the forum. The community kept his art alive."

"I've seen a few occasions where players will gather just to talk about a person who's died," adds Koonen, "or just to sit peacefully and mourn, before moving on."

Source: Bluesnews