<s>
Something	O
most	O
often	O
seen	O
in	O
massively	B-Protocol
multiplayer	I-Protocol
online	I-Protocol
role-playing	I-Protocol
games	I-Protocol
(	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
online	B-Protocol
weddings	I-Protocol
date	O
all	O
the	O
way	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
online	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
and	O
early	O
online	O
games	O
such	O
as	O
MUDs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Two	O
people	O
who	O
wish	O
their	O
avatars	B-Application
,	O
or	O
characters	O
,	O
to	O
be	O
married	O
will	O
create	O
an	O
event	O
that	O
resembles	O
a	O
standard	O
wedding	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
became	O
very	O
popular	O
with	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Ultima	B-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
not	O
only	O
provided	O
rings	O
,	O
outfits	O
and	O
decorations	O
,	O
but	O
sometimes	O
even	O
Gamemasters	O
to	O
officiate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
tradition	O
has	O
carried	O
forward	O
into	O
several	O
other	O
MMORPGs	B-Protocol
and	O
virtual	B-Architecture
communities	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
many	O
cases	O
the	O
participants	O
do	O
not	O
know	O
each	O
other	O
outside	O
the	O
virtual	B-Architecture
community	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
couples	O
have	O
joined	O
in	O
what	O
appear	O
to	O
be	O
legally	O
binding	O
unions	O
through	O
other	O
mediums	O
such	O
as	O
instant	B-Application
messaging	I-Application
or	O
videoconferencing	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1997	O
gaming	O
magazine	O
Next	O
Generation	O
reported	O
that	O
20	O
virtual	O
weddings	O
had	O
taken	O
place	O
in	O
Meridian	B-Protocol
59	I-Protocol
,	O
an	O
MMORPG	B-Protocol
which	O
was	O
commercially	O
launched	O
in	O
September	O
of	O
the	O
previous	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2007	O
Salon.com	O
reported	O
that	O
The	B-Protocol
Lord	I-Protocol
of	I-Protocol
the	I-Protocol
Rings	I-Protocol
Online	I-Protocol
had	O
dropped	O
a	O
planned	O
feature	O
for	O
in-game	O
players	O
marriage	O
because	O
of	O
the	O
controversy	O
around	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
same-sex	O
and	O
inter-species	O
weddings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
game	O
critic	O
Ian	O
Bogost	O
compared	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Sims	I-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
a	O
blockbuster	O
video	O
game	O
that	O
did	O
allow	O
same-sex	O
marriage	O
.	O
</s>
