Three Out Of Four Online Marriages End In Divorce, Says Korean MMO

MapleStory, the South Korean side-scrolling MMO (above), allows players to get hitched if they so choose. Sadly, many of the unions are not parted by death but divorce — 20,344 out of 26,982, to be precise.

Nexon, the publisher of MapleStory recently released the figures. Getting hitched runs a $US25 in-world fee but splitting up doesn’t incur as much economic pain. “Couples who break up are not required to split up their loot, virtual pets or any enchanted items,” says a producer.

“While it looks like our players break up at a much higher rate than people do in real life, at least our players are not on the hook for alimony,” she continues. That’s not to say it’s entirely free. An annulment runs 500,000 mesos (the unit of currency in MapleStory).

Thank God this game wasn’t incorporated in California. For our favourite side-scrolling MMO marriage simulator, see Dan T. Man.

75 per cent of In-Game Marriages End in Divorce [CNET]