Online video games are proving a popular matchmaking tool for singles looking for love
Mass Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games (MMORPGs) sell themselves on being an immersive experience.
Players explore vast virtual worlds, often teaming up with strangers from around the globe, as they complete quests and battle monsters with their online avatars.
It might not sound like the most romantic place to start a relationship, but the social aspect of games like these make them a popular place for singles to connect.
Luis and Lisha are one such couple. The US-based pair met in 2009 while playing World Of Warcraft, one of the genre's most popular titles.
They got to know each other through the game's text-based chat system as they explored digital dungeons together.
"I feel like because we met online and all we had to go on was each other's personalities, we could be a little more real with one another - whereas sometimes when you're dating you have to put up that guard. Since we were online we could just be ourselves," Lisha said.
They soon arranged to meet in person after forming their online friendship.
Luis recalled the moment they met: "When she first got off the plane and I first saw her physical form I was just super excited that I wanted to wrap my arms around her and never let her go."
The pair moved states to be together and, in 2014, they got married.
Luis and Lisha's story isn't unique - and it's something that the creators of games like these encourage.
"It's important for players to cooperate to overcome challenges together, and it's part of what makes an MMORPG magical," says Tom Chilton, World Of Warcraft's Game Director.
"Ultimately these aren't the days where someone would play a game alone for hours of their time - we're living in a time where people go online and play games. They do it to play with other people.
"It's very important for players to be able to express their developing relationships within the game because a lot of times it's the place where players can actually meet each other and experience each other.
"They may be living thousands of miles apart in some cases, so it's really something we want to support and to make sure it's in the game so players feel like it's really part of the world."
Wendy and Matthew are another US couple who met playing the game.
After they got married, they went a step further and held their own in-game 'wedding' at a romantic locale so that friends and family who didn't live nearby could attend.
"Most of the guests were people that had never played World Of Warcraft before, so in order to attend they had to download the game (which can take hours), make a new character, and learn how to communicate within the game," Wendy said. "Our priest was a long-time real-life friend, as well as a veteran player of World Of Warcraft."
For some developers, in-game romance is a business opportunity.
In Final Fantasy XIV (another popular MMORPG) players can pay to pledge their devotion to each other through an 'Eternal Bonding' ceremony, the game's equivalent of marriage.
Players have to book their ceremony in advance and there are a range of tailored packages to choose from, including a 'premium' option for £23.
There are even details on the game's website concerning dress code, should you want to attend one as a guest.
While all this highlights the ability of games to bring people together, some experts warn that the immersive nature of titles like these can also have a damaging affect on relationships.
Peter Smith is a counsellor at Broadway Lodge, which offers treatment for gaming addiction. He believes that extensive play time can drive couples apart.
"Where both people play the game, the risk there is that the game becomes the focus and the common element in the relationship. Other things then become secondary to that," he said. "We know that good, quality, respectful, balanced, healthy relationships are more than just one thing."
It is clear that MMORPGs have their pros and cons when it comes to relationships.
But with subscriber bases of millions, there is no denying that they provide a big dating pool of potential partners.
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