A game allows you to 'marry' its waifus

In order to stand out from the competition, a Japanese company has decided to take the experience of its latest romance video game to the next level, giving users the opportunity to get married with their virtual waifus in a real wedding ceremony, thanks to virtual reality technology.

Niitzuma LovelyxCation (新妻LOVELY×CATION), ostensibly a romance and dating sim like many others in Japan, allows players to court one of three anime protagonists: Yuki Isurugi (long black hair), Aiko Kurihara (short brown hair) or Nono Naruse (blonde hair). The peculiarity is that, for To make the illusion of a virtual marriage more believable, the company organized a real wedding for the “bride and groom” in a real chapel, where they could exchange vows with their cartoon fiancee.

Although the release of Niitzuma LovelyxCation was in April 2017, Hibiki Works, the company behind the video game, held the marriage ceremonies in June of the same year in a chapel in Tokyo. The company shows confidence in finding numerous “boyfriends” for its three anime characters and disclosed details about the event in advance.

The players/grooms, all dressed in tuxedos for the big occasion, put on a virtual reality headset as they headed to the altar of the chapel, where their virtual fiancee was waiting for them. There they were able to exchange vows, express their love for each other and pronounce the famous “Yes, I accept“. Hibiki Works made it clear that this is not simply a massive wedding, but each groom experienced their marriage at a private event, surrounded by family and friends, or simply from other “otaku” who share their passion for dating simulation video games.

When asked who might be interested in an experience like this, it is important to note that anime-style dating simulators are very popular in Japan. The reality is that real-life dating is losing popularity in the country, with data indicating that 1 in 3 Japanese men remain single forever. life. Thus, many people turn to technology to fill the romantic void in their lives.