Marriage in Second Life

 Certainly one of the traditional stables of marriage is the bond, both physical and emotional, that the married couple shares together. Typically this bond evolves over a period of time, which is formed and solidified after two people have shared enough time with one another. These couples experience the ups and downs in the relationship, and after getting through the good and the bad times come to a point where they feel inseparable.

But what would it be like to be married to someone that you've never met in person?

Turkle tells a strange story in the book All Alone Together about a couple that tied the knot in the online game, Second Life. I had to ask myself- Is this serious? Can two people meet through a game, signify their marriage online with a ceremony  surrounded by their closest avatar friends, and have a successful marriage in the real world? Does the marriage even take place in real life, or is it only a marriage when you're playing Second Life? With these questions in mind, I did some research to see if there were other people with similar circumstances to the couple Turkle mentions in her book. There were no shortage of examples.

Several iReporters from CNN Living chronicled the marriages of people "in-world" (in Second Life), and most seemed normal enough. So normal and traditional  that it's a bit weird.

 "iReporter Hibiscus Hastings even visited a Second Life bridal shower. There were about 40 vendors and over 800 attendees, according to its organizer. It even included a fashion show and panel discussion of "wedding do's and don't's."("Virtual world, real, 2008")

Stranger still are those Second Life marriages between people who have significant others in real life, and are able to maintain those relationships in a healthy manner without letting their Second Life marriage ruin what they have in reality.

  "So, what is the relationship between the virtual bride and groom? When asked, both of them described it as "a giggle." Latte and Benelli are good friends in real life, each with a real-life significant other who is aware of their Second Life marriage. ""We get on great and  enjoy each other's company," Benelli said. For those whose Second Life relationship carries into the real world, Latte says it's "wonderful. As long as people don't get hurt it's a great thing.""("Virtual world, real, 2008") 

It all seems a bit strange to me, but like Roach Benelli (who didn't give her real name in the article) says, as long as people don't get hurt, have at it.