In-game marriage as intimacy-mediated collaboration: How multiplayer online games shape interpersonal relationships

This study is focused on one type of intimate, small-scale collaboration: players' in-game marriage. Specifically, how in-game marriage affects Multiplayer Online Game (MOG) players' collaborative behaviors and their emotional connections was explored using a grounded theory approach and through an empirical analysis of Audition -- a non-violent, non-fantasy dance battle MOG that mediates and facilitates couple-related collaborative behaviors. A content analysis, an automated Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis (CMDA), and a phenomenological analysis were conducted to analyze data from the game company, players' self-reports, interviews, and in-game observations.;The results showed that 1) in-game marriage in Audition is simultaneously a game feature, a revenue generator, and a simulation of offline marriage that enforces binary gender options, hetero-normative views on marriage, and male dominance; 2) in-game marriage affects the life cycle and scope of players' collaborative behaviors. Age, length of marriage, and degree of intimacy were found to be especially closely related to the significant of such influence; and 3) players perceive their in-game marriages as long-distance relationships. By conducting activities together, players gradually noticed (un)attractive personality traits and/or emotional (in)compatibility, and thus fell in/out of love.;The study concludes that under some circumstances (e.g., in an enjoyable, pleasant, relaxing, and engaging online environment), a meaningful intimate experience can emerge even without face-to-face (FTF) interaction or physical proximity. Moreover, virtual world intimacy is not a shallow gameplay form of intimate experience but rather a new type of human relationship that offers little stress and great flexibility. Finally, virtual world intimacy can benefit many players both online and offline, especially player populations that are often considered vulnerable in terms of age, gender, sexuality, and/or race. This study has a number of implications, including for (re)considering what constitutes a game from the perspective of young female players; for studying gender, sexual, and cultural representations in gameplay; for understanding the role of online romance in adolescent development; and for online dating. It also suggests further avenues of research into technology-mediated intimate experiences in different social, cultural, and technological contexts.