A Geek Love Story

What a very heartwarming story! Moreover, it was so refreshing to see a article that talked about relationships in virtual worlds like they are just normal extensions of real life needs/wants/desires instead of some kind of sick perversion. For years the majority of the articles posted about Second Life have not managed to try to understand virtual worlds and instead focused on the sex line or the marital infidelity angle, both great sell topics, but inaccurate as far as the underlying social environments are concerned.

I am in the US and my SL girlfriend is in Canada. We met in RL in January, and just like so many here are saying, it was a seamless transition. We knew each other so well through the thousands of words - the hundreds of hours - we had shared together, none of it deceitful, none of it aimed at painting false pictures of ourselves - that our RL meeting felt just as it had to be "together" in SL. Now we are planning for the future, but it is difficult. She wants to go to school, but the local community college won't suffice for a student visa, which means she can't be with me unless we are married. But as soon as we can be together, she will come be with me as long as she can stay legally, and if, as we expect, that time together confirms that we really are as compatible as our experience to date indicates, she will be able to be with me for another few months on a fiancee visa, and then as my wife.

I agree that SL relationships can be more intense in some ways than those in "real life" (RL). SL emphasizes words - emotional openness and communication - without the distractions of physical appearance. I am no Brad Pitt (as my ex-wife would so charitably point out), and I don't think I could have attracted anyone as completely as I did my girlfriend if my looks were ever-present. But she fell in love with who I really am, and found me genuinely attractive when we progressed to swapping RL photos (she's just plain cute, and I'd have been drawn to her looks anyway, but it was her affinity for, and facility with, words, that really hooked me in the first place). The naysayers will natter on about how "pathetic" it is to meet people in virtual worlds, but they don't bother me one bit. I know the truth, and my life is immeasurably richer for it. There are real people in these relationships, and their love - our love - is every bit as genuine, and enduring, as anyone else's. Deride if you will. SL has given these two once-unhappy people more than we ever believed we would feel.

Reply to markcotrupe:

I agree. I think relationships formed in SL are stronger. When we are together in SL, we can't just cuddle (or more). When we are together we tend to talk a lot more then a couple who would be dating face to face. I talk to my husband a minimum of 2 hours every day. The distance makes you actually communicate. Without SL we would have never met. That would have been a shame, because I never believed that such a perfect person for me existed. It amazes me how perfect we are together.

Maybe these stories aren't so rare. My real life fiance and I met in Rebelz nightclub in second life. We eventually became engaged and married in-world. We met in real life a couple of months after our SL romance started, and it translated perfectly. We are now engaged to be married in RL this coming June. We live in different states, so not only would we not have met, we certainly couldn't have grown the relationship without having SL. We probably spend more time together online than many RL couples get to do. Since you don't just engage in conversations, but actively participate in activities together, you learn alot more about each other and how you relate and interact with each other and others.

Maybe these stories aren't so rare. My real life fiance and I met in Rebelz nightclub in second life. We eventually became engaged and married in-world. We met in real life a couple of months after our SL romance started, and it translated perfectly. We are now engaged to be married in RL this coming June. We live in different states, so not only would we not have met, we certainly couldn't have grown the relationship without having SL. We probably spend more time together online than many RL couples get to do. Since you don't just engage in conversations, but actively participate in activities together, you learn alot more about each other and how you relate and interact with each other and others.

I met my wonderful husband in SL. He is from England, I am from Ohio. We met in SL a couple of years ago. We were married in October, 2008. Now just waiting for the immigration process to complete so my husband can join me in the states. If you ever go into Second LIfe, you will see this is becoming more and more common.

I met my husband on SL, we were married in October. He is from England I am from Ohio. Going through the immigration processnow.

Not exactly news to me. I flew from Pennsylvania to Sydney to met my SL love, and within three days of this RL meeting I got pregnant. Married soon after. We were on CNN and in magazines here in Australia.

There are many more like us out there, and there is research on this topic avaliable here: http://sl2rllove.blogspot.com/

Well, this is hardly news to me. I met my Real Life husband on SL...I flew from Pennsylvania to Sydney to meet him and got pregnant within three days of arrival...we've been together ever since. There are many more like us, and there is a ton of information on this topic here: http://sl2rllove.blogspot.com/

great story! "..we found what people search their whole lives for.." well worth it even without the fairy-tale endings
Thank you Newsweek! Thank you Second Life!

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I have been in virual worlds since they were very new. I neer belived that a serious relationship could really ever happen in places like that.....boy was I ever wrong! I met a woman back in 2006 in SecondLife. She and I started a virtual relationship and then eventually had a virtual wedding and became a virtual "husband and wife" She lived in Holland and I live in Texas. Less than 1 year later she flew to Texas from Holland and we got married in real life and have been a very happy couple ever since...it was incredible how we could meet in a virtual world and eventually become husband and wife in real life! I know this dosent happen to everyone in virtual worlds but there are a few that it does happen to.

Geek Love Story: along time ago when these kind of virtual worlds were new I didnt belive anyone could get seriously involved in a relationship...boy was I ever wrong! I met a woman back in 2006 in Second Life. We had a "virtual wedding" and became husband and wife. She lived in Holland and I live in Texas. Less than 1 year later she came to Texas from Holland and we got married in real life and have been happily married ever since...I cant say this can happen to everyone that mets in places like SecondLife because not everyones sitttuation is the same...but I do know that a virtual relationship can turn into a real life relationship!

Anyone know which study or survey this quote is from specifically? "60 percent said they didn't think their unions would've formed in real life because a physical attribute would've turned them off"

Anyone know which study or survey specifically the following quote is from? "60 percent said they didn't think their unions would've formed in real life because a physical attribute would've turned them off"