With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I’ve noticed that a lot of single people are casting off their solitary status for a little companionship. Is it just a coincidence, or does it have to do with the impending holiday funded by the unholy Hershey’s/Hallmark alliance? Or maybe people just want a little extra help keeping warm while it’s cold and rainy out. In any case, there’s a lot of kissy-huggy stuff going around and it’s not just IRL. A good number of people in Azeroth have been gearing up for the holiday by spending time with their significant others, both in and out of game. One of the sweetest developments I’ve heard lately is of a forum moderator who recently left his job in order to move across country to be with his new girlfriend, whom he happened to meet and develop a relationship with while playing WoW. A friend of mine who is an avid player recently became engaged to her boyfriend, and one of their favorite ways to spend time is by playing on their toons together. Even I haven’t escaped the overall mood of the season, and have been spending almost as much time with my new boyfriend in-game as I have in real life. (We bond together while he helps me quest my way to level 70. It’s very endearing.) With the newest numbers showing that World of Warcraft players have exceeded the 10-million subscriber mark, it’s no wonder that Azeroth is becoming one of the hottest new meet-and-greet spots for the gamer set.

The topic of combining one’s love life and one’s in-game life is not an uncommon one, but lately it’s been gaining momentum in WoW forums. In a recent thread people even shared ways to meet potential new dates on WoW or get their significant other to play, thus creating another shared interest within the relationship.

Odéus, from the server Archimonde, shares how he got his girlfriend excited about playing. “My girlfriend hated this game more than anything. So I showed her a couple of things and convinced her to just try it. She couldn't stop playing. lol. I am glad she decided to play the game with me. Just find out what your girlfriends like and try to relate it to the game. I know my girlfriend loves animals so I showed her a hunter.”

Spexx, from Icecrown, tells about how WoW brought him and his wife closer. “I met my wife 5 years ago while playing SWG, we have been married for two years, we still play together, and we both have 5 level 70 characters. We enjoy this hobby very much. Gaming couples seem to be rare, but not as rare as most people are inclined to think.”

“I actually met my gf on wow. Talked and visited for about a year and one year ago she moved 1200 miles to be with me. We still play all the time,” shares Vaporub from Rexxar. Lalita from Korgath shares a similar tale. “Same for me... but opposite. Met my bf on another game, but started playing WOW with him over the distance. He ended up moving thousands of miles to be here, and now we live together and continue to play as a hobby. :)”