Geeks in love & other dangers of Valentine’s Day

By Constantine von Hoffman

Learn from my experience. When proposing to your beloved DO NOT give her a token ring. (Also, don’t bring cables to a “networking event.” I’m sure I’m not the only one to make that mistake…)

Apparently there’s one romantic area where the US is ahead of Europe: Internet dating. We’re over it, they are not. Put that in your beret and smoke it, Pierre. The BBC reports that “while Europe’s online dating market grew by 43% in 2005, the numbers of US subscribers fell for the first time.” According to Jupiter Research, only 5 percent of US web users used paid dating websites last year, down from 6 percent the year before. Sadly this doesn’t mean an upsurge in “real world” interaction in the States, just that our sites are too expensive and our market got saturated before that of the EU.

Elsewhere on the net a big blow for love has been struck by … Orcs?

Over at the MMPORPG* World of Warcraft, there is now a gay-friendly guild. For those of you who, like me, who have not played the game an explanation: WoW is an online version of Dungeons & Dragons. Quoth the BBC, again: “When adventuring, many players join “guilds” to get help from other players in regions filled with dangerous monsters, get quick access to good magical items and, just as importantly, so they can stay in touch with friends and make new ones. Many guilds use Warcraft’s text chat channels to recruit new members.”

Last month one player “used these channels to say that the guild she helps run, called Oz, was set up to be gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender ‘friendly,’” but an administrator threatened to ban the player, claiming “such talk was a breach of Warcraft’s terms of service.” An online version of the Stonewall Riots then ensued, with virtual gay pride marches taking place in the game. WoW’s admins then caved and apologized for the first ruling. LET LOVE RULE! Especially when it’s carrying a two-handed broadsword.

BTW, I do not mean to disparage those who do play WoW or other such games. I do not play for the same reason I don’t smoke crack – It’s an addiction I’m better off without. 

^{*In Roman Numerals MMPORPG = google.}