Married in This World and the Next: Simultaneous Live and Virtual Wedding

Fan Faire will bear witness to the first ever simultaneous real world and virtual world wedding in Everquest. Two attendees are uniting their love for each other with their passion for SOE’s EverQuest II MMORPG. The happy couple is exchanging vows both live and as their avatars before their pastor and thousands of video game enthusiasts. Witnesses can enjoy the blessed event which will be broadcast on the huge screens during the Grand Banquet at Fan Faire or virtually on EverQuest II.

This is a very interesting convergence of the real world and virtual reality. The article doesn’t mention whether they met in VR or knew each other in RL first. It would be interesting to know. The lines defining what is a real experience are very blurred and becoming less distinct every day. Who would have thought 20 years ago that something like this would be possible?

This ground breaking wedding is just one of the many highlights of this year’s Fan Faire. Attendees will be treated to a host of game-themed live events including tournaments, contests, live quests, and a variety of panel discussions. SOE has many other bonuses for gamers including gaming themed prizes and the opportunity to preview upcoming titles and features.

(Editor’s note: This originally read as the first event of this kind ever and has since been corrected. Thanks to Nate Randall for the link.)

Here’s a run down of events after the break:

• First ever live wedding ceremony held concurrently with a virtual ceremony for two Fan Faire attendees.
• SOE Player “Hall of Fame” inductions and ceremony.
• Costume contests for fans clad in exotic character apparel inspired by SOE’s games.
• The opportunity for over a thousand fans from all over the world to meet the developers of their favorite SOE MMO’s and their online friends in Las Vegas.
• Silent Auctions for game-related memorabilia.
• How-To forums including a special workshop for game enthusiasts interested in breaking into the industry.
• Real-life quests and wild scavenger hunts along the Las Vegas strip.
  

WHEN

Fan Faire is August 2-5, 2007. The wedding ceremony will take place on
Saturday, August 4th at 9pm PST.

WHERE

The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

WHO
Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE), a global leader in the online gaming industry, will host an event in Las Vegas for fans of its massive multiplayer online (MMO) gaming lineup including the hit titles EverQuest(r), EverQuest(r) II, EverQuest(r) Online Adventures and PlanetSide(r). This year’s Fan Faire will also feature MMO fan favorites Vanguard: Saga of Heroes(r), Star Wars Galaxiesâ„¢ and The Matrix Online for the first time. Fan Faire 2007 will unite gamers from around the world including the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, France, Italy and Australia.

via Press Release