Maple marriages an issue?

THEY are married, widowed, divorced - all before they are even old enough to get a provisional driver's licence.
Teen gamers at MapleStory, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), get hitched at the rate of a couple a day in a range of weddings that cost between $30 and $40.

As part of the game, they can buy wedding tickets - cozy, sweety and premium packages - which enable them to receive anywhere between 10 and 60 guests, and obtain virtual wedding rings that add to their avatar's prowess.

Amanda Lee, a 14-year-old Raffles Girls' School student in real life, has had no fewer than five 'serious boyfriends' in the game.

She has been 'married' three times.

Other teens take their couplehood more seriously - offline.

Away from the game, they become real-life couples after first getting married online.

Others who are already in an off-line relationship make things official with an in-game wedding.

Like real marriages, not all work out.

When they fail, players need only wait four days and cough up 500,000 mesos - MapleStory's game currency - to get a Maple divorce.

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BN...68424.html

I read this in last Sunday's papers, and thought it was worth discussing. This isn't the full article, though.

I doubt this is not much of a problem in any other countries - Maple couples leading to real-life ones Cos Singapore is so small, meeting a fellow gamer would be real easy.

And in case you're wondering only those real hardcore/too much in-to-the-game kind of players do this, that girl from the case study - she's from the TOP girls' school here in Singapore. (Not boasting, but I'm from the male counterpart xD) I've encountered cases of my friends relating this as well, and I think it's real stupid. Come on, when Nexon designed Maple marriages, I doubt they planned this...

So, share your views

me and my rl husband are still married after 1.3 yrs

I solved the problem by marrying myself. yea, being a boy on a female character sucks.

I have 2 marriages and I paid for one of them, I see it as an investment (both other people wanted marriage for the same reason, Apples)... Most of the people I know ingame are married for the same reason.

Thinking of getting a 3rd one for my Hermit, this time I'll marry myself if I can be bothered to train a husband >_>

Well, its fun to have your own virtual world where you can get married in it. I think people shouldnt take it any further, just for the fun of it.

I keep hearing in MSea that marriage is SRS BUZNUS.
But in GMS its all about dem apples.
But marrying someone on Maple and meeting them in RL sounds like a bad idea for 14 yearold girls and boys to me.
PEDOBEAR-Is on the prowl

Very few people are marrying for the person anymore...at least from what I hear from my friends in the U.S...Most are for apples.

I think some people take this way too seriously. It's fun if you actually marry one that you can trust/know real well, but that isn't most of the time now, isn't it? Like most teen girls, they bounce around like that.

I did end up marrying for the person more then the apples, still married after a year, but she has recently quit, due to real life situations, which is understandable.

I also have heard of some people who did marry (or like) each other ingame, meeting in real life. I remember a story of a couple in Everquest meeting in real life. Later on they had to quit together, due to marriage/kids. :zzz:

Widowed?
Is that the spouse being deleted or banned?

An in-game marriage should reflect one's love towards another, but since APQ came out, it became a "pay X amount of NX to get married, in able to get apples" sort of thing. Some people say it is 'just a game', but that depends on the person's perspectives. Some people take it more seriously.

I married my gf in MS because:
-I loved her
-I wanted to show people our bond

Not because of APQ. Of course, we're also an irl-couple (technically, though long-distanced, but I'm seeing her this Summer). I also have a female NL that is married to my friend's male Hermit. My Cleric got married for free as well. In regards to my NL and Cleric, I married those just for APQ. But for my gf, we did that for love <3. I took off my wedding ring on NL + Cleric anyways.

I solved the problem by marrying myself. yea, being a boy on a female character sucks.

Doesn't bother me in the slightest. First sign of flirting I point out I'm a guy, and that I'm married to another guy.

Marrying friends ftw.

Nothing nicer than having a dedicated whisper channel with someone you'd otherwise being whispering non-stop anyway.

Doesn't bother me in the slightest. First sign of flirting I point out I'm a guy, and that I'm married to another guy.

Marrying friends ftw.

Nothing nicer than having a dedicated whisper channel with someone you'd otherwise being whispering non-stop anyway.

i had about 4 opportunities to marry a guy i know IRL (and obviously hes paying for the wedding). but it made me feel gay so... yea <_<

I think they got the prices wrong in that article, unless Nexon changed them recently.

And lol, us GMS people are just greedy. Given a PQ with a high drop rate of a good item (apples) of course a lot of us are gonna get married for it
I actually do feel sorry for the people in MSea for having such a low apple drop rate

Is it me or did they get the price wrong (30-40 dollars)?

Edit: Whoops didn't see Heidi's post.

but it made me feel gay so... yea <_<

"made me feel gay"... lol, so what, you got excited by the thought?

I'll never understand male insecurities. You're attracted to someone or you're not, anyone elses opinions on the matter are pretty irrelevant.

Is it me or did they get the price wrong (30-40 dollars)?

Edit: Whoops didn't see Heidi's post.

Somebody said on irc just now that this article is for MSea. That would explain it

"made me feel gay"... lol, so what, you got excited by the thought?

I'll never understand male insecurities. You're attracted to someone or you're not, anyone elses opinions on the matter are pretty irrelevant.

Seriously. Who cares.

I'm married to myself and one of my best friends (male) with another character.

Well, you Singapore people have it lucky, you can actually see your fellow maplers. Here its uh......hard.
But I see nothing wrong with this really, if it helps find love, why not?

They complain about this while furries (and many other inappropriate things [for a 15- year old]) are running around in Second Life?

They complain about this while furries (and many other inappropriate things [for a 15- year old]) are running around in Second Life?

SL isn't targeted primarily at the 13-18 age group, AFAIK.

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Though I do agree this is rather bogus. Most people are marrying for apples rather than for love/friendship. (Though then again, this is what goes on in real life at times too.)