I was vaguely aware of Trion's plans to hype their in-game marriage system for Valentine's Day, but I wasn't expecting a world event prompt. There happened to be someone in the guild getting married, so I stuck around to "liveblog" it.
The ceremony took place outside the Hammerknell raid instance. I assume no raid mobs are going to come charging out the gates to kill everyone, but you can never tell with an MMO. The happy couple happens to be a male and female character, but the NPC officiant refers to them as the spouse of the Sun and Moon to get around dealing with the marriage gender issue. Apparently it was a Dwarven ceremony, as the priest proceeded to bless a mug of ale and then instruct the couple to "forge a hammer" in the ritual of the Heart Forge. The thing is also fully voiced, complete with harp-like wedding elevator music.
Anyway, I received an achievement for witnessing this shindig. Also included are booze, cake, and a wedding souvenir collection item. No wedding guests were killed during the festivities.
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| Trion asks that you hold your divorce proceedings for 24 hours so they can get a count for their PR stunt. |
That said, I wonder if this level of MMO-Valentine's festivities is more than your average player wants to see. People who are actually spending the time with loved ones aren't in game. People who are in game - especially anyone observing Involuntary Singleness Awareness Day (I-SAD) - may be there precisely because they would rather have a break from this over-commercialized holiday. What do you all think? There's a poll up on the sidebar of the blog if you don't feel like doing more than clicking on this question.
