On the occasion of Valentine's Day, Guild Wars unveils an unprecedented video that presents the incredible meeting of Nicole and Tyler in-game:
Exclusively, I had the opportunity to speak with the studio, but also with the happy couple!
- ArenaNet
- Nicole & Tyler
English version
Can you start by introducing yourself and your role within the studio?
Hi, I’m Elisabeth Cardy – I’m on the marketing team at ArenaNet, specifically the brand team.
So, Friend/Ships, how did this idea come to you?
I think a lot of the folks who work here at the studio have a story of a time that somebody that they met in a video game, or shared a video game experience with, had a really positive impact on their life. Guild Wars 2 brings people together from all over the world to share Tyria together, and over the years we’ve seen and heard and lived stories of how people are changing each other’s lives, and we decided that this was a good time to celebrate that. We are lucky enough to hear from fans all the time about friendships or relationships that have grown out of time spent in Guild Wars 2 – whether that’s hearing it from fans in-person at community events, reading stories on social media, or getting letters delivered to the office – and we’re excited to share that sort of joy with the whole community.
Why did you choose to go with Nicole and Tyler? I assume you had a lot of choices.
There are a lot of really lovely stories out there about people meeting their best friend or partner in Guild Wars 2, and those stories always really stick in my mind after I read them. Nicole and Tyler’s was particularly memorable, as their proposal was done in legendary Guild Wars 2 style. There are a couple other stories that we’ll be spotlighting later in the month, too.
Do you have an idea about how many couples were created through Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2? Have you been invited to a lot to weddings?
We knew that there are a lot of couples who met in-game, but the stories we’re reading through #GW2FriendShips are driving home just how common that can really be. I believe there have been a couple wedding invitations extended to folks at the studio, yes.
In the future, would you add the opportunity to do a wedding in the game, as it’s already possible to find a costume ? This option is already available in some other MMORPGs. It would be such a great opportunity to add RP stuff in the game, do you have some ideas to share?
We’ve found a lot of success with providing players ways to celebrate their friendships and relationships in their own special way in-game – whether that’s providing themed areas like the gazebo area in Lion’s Arch, the outfit you mentioned, or the guild decorations that can be inscribed with custom messages.
Hello ! Could you start by introducing yourself and telling us your role in the studio?
Hello, I am Elisabeth Cardy - I am part of the ArenaNet marketing team, especially on the "Brand" side.
So, Friend / Ships, how did you get this idea?
I think a lot of the people who work here at the studio have a story about someone they met in a video game, or who they shared a video game experience with, with a very positive impact on their lives. Guild Wars 2 brings people together from all over the world by allowing them to share Tyria together. Over the years, we have seen, heard and experienced so many stories about how people change the lives of others, and we decided it was a good time to celebrate. We are fortunate to hear these stories from our fans, about the friendships or relationships created by spending time in Guild Wars 2 - whether it's direct from fans at community events, or reading stories on the media. social or by receiving letters in the office - and we are delighted to share this good humor with the whole community.
Why did you choose Nicole and Tyler? I guess you were spoiled for choice.
There are many great stories about people who met their best friend or partner in Guild Wars 2, and these stories are forever etched in my mind after reading them. Nicole and Tyler were especially memorable, as their marriage proposal was made in legendary Guild Wars 2 style. There are a few more stories we'll be highlighting as well soon in the month.
Do you have any idea how many couples have been created in Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2? Have you been invited to a lot of weddings?
We've always known that there were a lot of couples who met in the game, but the stories we read through # GW2FriendShips show that it's really very common. I believe there were a few wedding invitations shared with studio members, yes.
In the future, do you plan to add the opportunity to get married in-game (it is already possible to find the costume)? This option is already available in some other MMORPGs, it would be a great opportunity to add RP elements to the game. What do you think?
We've had a lot of success giving players ways to celebrate friendships and relationships in their own way, whether that's with themed areas like the Lion's Arch pavilion, the outfit you mentioned, or through themed areas. guild decorations where personalized messages can be inscribed.
English version
Congratulations for your future wedding! How did you react when ArenaNet came to you the first time? Weren’t you afraid to expose your story?
Tyler: I was absolutely blown away when Nicole told me that she had be contacted by an Anet employee. Nicole and I have played Guild Wars 2 for many years together and to think that we could contribute something back to them is incredible. I never had a second thought about sharing our tale. I was literally jumping for joy when I found out they were interested in hearing our story.
Nicole: I was thrilled when ArenaNet contacted us! We love GW2 so much and it was like a dream come true to be able to talk about it. I also really love Tyler so it was also nice to be able to talk about two of my favorite things : )
Did you think a game could have such an impact on your life?
Tyler: I’ve always loved playing video games and social gaming, but I can honestly say I never thought I would meet the love of my life and the woman I would marry while playing an MMORPG. Looking back though, I shouldn’t be too surprised. MMORPGs are an amazing way to meet other people and to socialize on an equal level.
Nicole: I had absolutely no idea how much this game would change my life. It was my first MMORPG and I knew that it was a blast to play, but there’s certainly no way I could have anticipated how much it would impact my future. I’ve always loved gaming and it’s how I’ve met friends, but I wasn’t anticipating meeting my future husband this way! It really works out perfectly for us though because how else could I have met someone who is as much into gaming as I am except through a game?
How did your friends and families react when you told them about you two?
Tyler: My family was supportive of my relationship with Nicole. I think I only really told them that we met through mutual friends because it didn’t seem that important that our friendship originated from an online game. Many of my friends were playing Guild Wars 2 at the time and also had the opportunity to get to know Nicole online as well.
Nicole: The majority of my friends were from that same guild so I met all of them at the same time as Tyler. We’re all still friends and try to get together every month for board gaming so they definitely don’t have any misconceptions about our relationship. My family didn’t think it was too weird. I joined a guild that Tyler was in with mutual friends we had in real life so it wasn’t a complete stranger from the internet. I played a lot of Xbox Live when I was a kid and I met plenty of friends through there so I think they found it fairly normal.
Do you have a message you would like to share with all those gamers who are starting a new adventure with someone they met on a videogame?
Tyler: Just like a video game, life’s adventures have all sorts of twists and turns. Life and games are best experienced with friends and those shared experiences draw people together. Go out and share some great adventures with the folks you meet online and don’t be afraid to get to know folks better.
Nicole: Definitely enjoy the adventure and the experience! If I had known where we were headed, I would have savored the early days even more. Especially with long distance, it provides so many opportunities to spend time with a person of interest and learn more about them.
Congratulations on your future marriage! How did you react when ArenaNet contacted you? Weren't you afraid to expose your story?
Tyler: I was blown away when Nicole told me that she had been contacted by an employee of Anet. Nicole and I have been playing Guild Wars 2 for many years and to think there is something we could do for them is amazing. I never thought to share our story. I was literally jumping for joy when I found out that they were interested in hearing our story.
Nicole: I was delighted when ArenaNet contacted us! We love GW2 so much, it was like a dream come true to be able to talk about it. I also love Tyler and was it cool to be able to talk about two of my favorite things?
Did you think that a game could have such a big impact on your life?
Tyler: I've always loved playing video games and social games, but I can safely say that I never thought I would meet the love of my life and the woman I would marry while playing an MMORPG. . Looking back though, I shouldn't be too surprised. MMORPGs are an amazing way to meet other people and socialize on an equal footing.
Nicole: I had no idea how this game was going to change my life. It was my first MMORPG and I knew it was great to play, but I could never have predicted how much impact it would have on my future. I've always loved the game and that's how I met friends, but I never expected to meet my future husband this way! It really works perfectly for us because how else could I have met someone who is as involved in a game as I am?
How did your friends and family react when you told them about your relationship?
Tyler: My family has been very supportive of my relationship with Nicole. I think I only told them that we met through mutual friends, as it didn't seem important to us to specify that our friendship was born in an online game. Many of my friends were playing Guild Wars 2 at the time and also got to know Nicole online.
Nicole: Most of my friends were from this same guild and I met them all at the same time as Tyler. We are all still friends and try to get together every month to play board games, so there is no misinformation about our relationship. My family didn't find it too strange. I joined a guild where Tyler and I had mutual friends from real life, so he was no stranger to the internet. I played a lot on Xbox Live when I was younger, met a lot of friends there, so I think they found it pretty normal.
Do you have a message that you would like to share with all the players who are starting a new adventure with someone you met on a video game?
Tyler: Just like a video game, life's adventures have all kinds of twists and turns. Life and games are best lived with friends and these shared experiences bring people together. Go out and share some great adventures with people you meet online and, most importantly, don't be afraid to get to know people better.
Nicole: Enjoy the adventure and the experience! If I had known where we were going, I would have enjoyed the first few days even better. Especially from a distance, it offers so many opportunities to spend time with an interesting person and learn more about them!
Happy Valentine's Day !
