The dating world has moved online. Nowadays it’s rare to meet a future partner through a chance encounter at a bar or a club. Instead, dates are curated through online platforms and apps which allow us to pick and choose potential partners, not only based on their looks but also through shared interests and likes.
But the world of online gaming takes this one step further. Although not designed necessarily to help one find a mate, what online gamers do find is a community of people with shared interests and a common passion. But how often does this love for gaming bloom into something more romantic? And does this shared connection ever result in something that goes from screen-based allies to real-life partnerships?
In an effort to discover just how many gamers had developed potential love interests through their online pursuits, GravaStar, a gaming gadget company, surveyed 3,000 Americans, asking them exactly that and the results speak for themselves.
56% of gamers aged 18 and over said that they did consider their online community as a potential dating pool. Further to that 43% of gamers admitted that they had developed feelings for someone they played with online, particularly in an immersive world such as World of Warcraft.
MMORPGs or Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games proved to be the most successful games to play to find romance, placing potential love interests in worlds where they must work together in order to thrive. While the least successful game type for forging a romantic partnership was unsurprisingly through battle games such as Call of Duty.
The majority of these gamers (79%) also believed that the relationships forged on these channels were just as deep and meaningful as any real-world counterpart or those that developed due to online dating platforms.
On a state specific level, Delaware’s residents were the most receptive to finding love through their online gaming pursuits, with 75% saying they would be open to the idea. West Virginia gamers took second place in this respect with 72% admitting to being open to falling in love with a fellow gamer.
However not all states shared the same ideas, with only 17% of gamers in New Mexico saying they would be open to taking a virtual relationship further. Despite that it seems as if the online gaming world is proving itself as another tool for developing love in this increasingly connected world.
Interactive map showing how gamers perceive romance in their communities across the country
“Gaming brings together like-minded people in ways we couldn’t have imagined a decade ago,” says Nancy Ahn from GravaStar. “The ability to connect with others through a shared passion, even when it starts virtually, can lead to friendships, partnerships, and even love.”