Casual MMOG Dream of Mirror Online has announced that it now offers same-sex marriages as part of its “dynamic in-game marriage system.”
The Dream of Mirror Online marriage system puts players on a series of “fun yet challenging” quests, after which they may plan and ultimately take part in an online dream wedding that includes an ideal locale, wedding outfits and even rings. After the marriage is complete, players gain new and unique skills including the ability to summon their partner and to completely heal him or her during battle.
Dream of Mirror Online is a “social MMOG” that focuses on building relationships and offers unique benefits for players who do so. Some players also have special “fated ties” to one another based on the birthday selected for the character during the character creation process. The topic of same-sex in-game marriages has been “popular” since the game went online in fall 2007.
And now, the inevitable social commentary. Why is this a big deal anymore? Gamers, broadly speaking, have seen (and done) some pretty weird things within the context of their hobbies and compared to a lot of that, same-sex marriage is downright mundane. Debate continues in the real world (for some reason) but in the pure fantasy escapism of our games, why the hell would same-sex marriage be seen as any more remarkable than a Bosmer/Khajiit hookup?
Props to Dream of Mirror Online for giving gays the same chance to be trapped in cold, loveless marriages as the rest of us but I look forward to the day when this sort of thing isn’t news, it’s just normal.
