“We had several virtual dates”: how mobile games helped people find a soul mate

Online dating is no longer exotic. So, according to one recent research, every fifth gamer in Russia has found a romantic partner in video games.

It is not necessary to be part of an advanced community. Sometimes in order to meet your destiny, it is enough to install a simple game "three in a row" on an old mobile phone.

“We started flirting in the game”

- How did you meet?

— In the spring of 2020, I did not have a job, and therefore I had a lot of free time. A friend suggested: "Let's ride in PUBG." I agreed, downloaded the game on my phone and started writing about my impressions about it on social networks. In short, its essence is as follows: players are landed on a desert island, and there they fight each other for the right to remain the sole owners of the land. You can play both alone and in a team.

My future husband at that time had three years of experience in PUBG. Someone sent him my post, and Timur offered to play, even though he didn't even know me. I warned you I'm new. But that didn't bother him.

His character had cool ranks - gold, silver, he bought himself top clothes and good weapons. In short, he was cool heaped up.

We started flirting in the game. In PUBG, you could not only fight each other, but also just walk around the world without doing anything. And we had several virtual dates: we went on a picnic, looked at the northern lights.

Once he gave me a "photo shoot" - he took screenshots of the screen with my character in different poses and outfits. It was fun!

Then we started calling. It was possible to meet only in July - due to the coronavirus there were closed borders.

- How did you first meet?

- At first, we did not know what a person looks like on the other side of the screen. Communicated only with the help of voice services. But I felt that I liked Timur even before I saw him. I had fun and interesting with him. And the more we played, the closer we became.

It turned out that he was from Uralsk. And I'm from Alma-Ata. He initiated a personal meeting. Arrived in my city.

We were both worried, because it's one thing to communicate on the Internet, and another in life. But in the end everything went well.

Then we met for some time at a distance, saw each other once a month. A year after the start of communication, he made me offer.

- How did your relatives react to the story of your acquaintance?

- We have two versions of the dating story: for relatives and for relatives. The first we tell the truth, the second we tell that we were introduced by friends, because they are unlikely to understand what it is like to meet in the game.

When we first met, Timur shared the story of his friends who also played together, and then got married! Then I thought: “Wow! Sounds incredible." Then it turned out that he invented everything. But we ended up getting married.

His friends later said: “You gave us hope!”

Now we we live together In Astana. When I got a job, we started playing less and less. In the end, I completely abandoned PUBG, but I am still grateful to its developers.

“Suddenly some kind of maniac will turn out?”

- How did you meet?

— I played Empires & Puzzles (Now the game is not available for download in the AppStore and Google Play. — Approx. ed.) is a mixture of a match-3 puzzle, role-playing game and strategy. In it you need to build buildings, destroy opponents and complete quests. Not a very serious game.

Olga and I were on the same team - we fought the titans and fought for our alliance. Once we were all gathered in a general chat on WhatsApp, where we could communicate both on business and just about life. Once Olga threw there voice message. I liked her voice, and I decided to write to her separately under the pretext of difficulties in the game. This was my cunning plan!

- How did you first meet?

- At first we just corresponded and communicated via video. It turned out that we were from different countries. I am from Gomel (Republic of Belarus), she is from St. Petersburg. Our communication had been going on for three months, when I suggested Olya go live.

At first I wanted to come to visit her, but in the end she herself flew to me on New Year's Eve, December 29th. Both of us were looking for Serious relationships. Since we were separated by a distance, we decided that we would try to see each other more often: for example, she would return to me in January, in February I will come to her, in May - again she will come to me, and in July I will move to St. Petersburg for good.

All plans collapsed after the first meeting. Olya stayed with me for two weeks, and we realized that it would be hard to endure forced separation for another six months. So in February I quit my job and moved to St. Petersburg.

- How did your relatives react to the story of your acquaintance?

- She caused misunderstanding among relatives. My mother, for example, did not believe in our relationship at all. We could talk with Olya on the phone for three hours. At these moments, the mother would come into the room and say, “Why are you wasting time? What else Petersburg? Why try? It's all frivolous."

But still, I'm an adult. Mother could not do anything, she just walked and mumbled.

Only my grandmother supported me.

Olga had no problems with relatives. Unless her grandmother was worried: “Suddenly some maniac turns out?" And she herself was afraid to go to a foreign country. But I constantly reassured her, and in the end she overcame her fear.

Now we still play on the Net - this is our family tradition. Future plans are to grow up together, love each other and die on the same day. I tell Olga that I am her I love.

“Take care of me even in the game”

- How did you meet?

— We met in the game Free Fire. This is a kids shooting game where the goal is to kill opponents and be the last survivor. It has different modes: you can complete missions alone or with a team. Participants are selected randomly from different countries - guys from Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus and others can get caught.

Once I was in a team with Volodya. In one of the matches I was killed. And he, as a team ally, resurrected my character and helped me stay in the game.

After that, he started throwing me a bunch of applications with an offer to play more. Our communication gradually turned into a good one. friendship. And soon we began to call each other regularly.

I liked Volodin's voice. Before my eyes was only his character, so initially I imagined him completely different.

His real appearance did not hook me. But the way he treated me, cared for and looked after me, his character - all this attracted me. He constantly wrote to me on social networks, asking how I was doing, if I had eaten. Volodya took care of me even in the game: he donated money and bought gifts for my character. And at some point I realized that I was also not indifferent to him.

- How did your relatives react to the story of your acquaintance?

“Before that, I was in a relationship for four years. And he got me hooked on this game former boy! At first, he was not against the fact that I communicate with Volodya. He said: "Play, there is nothing like that." But then we began to have more quarrels and conflicts because of his jealousy. We soon parted ways.

- How did you first meet?

- In December, when we first met, he said: "I will come to you in Tomsk." I didn't believe it, of course. But in July, he really took tickets and flew to me from Kazakhstan.

I had fears: what if it turns out to be different from online? I shared these thoughts, to which he said: "Everything will remain as it was."

And so it happened. His attitude towards me has not changed. Even, perhaps, it only became more serious.

Volodya stayed with me for only three days, since I had to leave for Anapa for work. We agreed that we would meet again in September. But he could not stand it and arrived at the end of August. So we started living together.

In the near future we plan to sign, move to Anapa, take the dog and have children. By the way, we continue to play.