There are plenty of people who want to meet someone but have no chance to meet anyone in daily life. We've been talking about people finding connections in games, and today let's go somewhere a little different.
It's less a game than a virtual world where you meet people through 3D avatars: IMVU.
This game has an unusual rule: when you get married, a room that the two of you decorate together appears, and on the flip side, the marriage ends if one side blocks the other.
✦ IMVU at a Glance
3D avatar social service
IMVU is a 3D avatar social service that launched in 2004. It is now run by Together Labs, which changed its name in 2021, and you can use it on Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, and the web. A 2021 report cited 7 million monthly active users, huh?
It is also listed on the Korean Google Play store with a Korean description, and a Korean version of the app came out in October 2018.
✦ How People Meet on IMVU
From a room to marriage
The way you meet people here is simple. You dress up your avatar and go into themed rooms like lounges, clubs, and cafes to chat with people. In the friend search you can pick gender, location, and interests to narrow down the kind of person you want to find.
There is no limit on the number of friends, so you can add as many as you like, and pressing Chat Now connects you with random users so you can start talking with new people. Depending on the country, though, you may not be able to use this feature.
If you hit it off with someone while chatting in a room, you add them as a friend, and as the bond deepens it can lead all the way to marriage. It's like going through the steps of meeting and getting to know someone in real life, only inside the screen.
✦ Gender Ratio Figures Over Time
The basis differs by source
So what is the gender ratio of the users? It's hard to find an official gender statistic based on current data.
But there is material from IMVU in 2010 saying 65% to 70% of users were female, a 2011-ish AdWeek report used the phrase that 70% of users were female, and a 2008 VentureBeat report used the phrase that about half of users were female.
On the other hand, the visitor estimate from the website analytics service Similarweb for June 2026 is 38.84% female and 61.16% male. Since it's a visitor estimate, the numbers differ from source to source.
Anyway, unlike typical online games that are mostly male, it seems true that there were many female users.
✦ What Is in the Marriage Package
A package for two adults
Now let's get to the most unusual part of this game. Once you have a partner, you can buy the Marriage Package and get married.
It is a package for two adults, and it includes 2 name change tokens, a marriage badge, linked couple profiles, a marriage announcement, and Our Room, a shared space the two of you decorate together. In effect, getting married gives you a honeymoon room.
Depending on the room settings, you can also invite guests or open it to the public. One avatar can only marry one person, so there is no double marriage.
✦ Two Ways a Marriage Ends on IMVU
The marriage is tied to the relationship
What's most unusual is the way a marriage ends. There is a separate divorce procedure, and once you do it, it cannot be undone. On top of that, just removing the other person from your friends or blocking them ends the marriage.
The marriage status is tied to the friendship between the two of you. It is a structure where you have to keep the relationship going for the marriage to continue.
This game really supports proper weddings. In Live Rooms, introduced in 2020, you can hold live events like fashion shows, talk shows, lectures, and virtual weddings, and at launch it was said thousands of people could watch at the same time.
A post in a long-distance relationship community says a person made a room in IMVU with their partner, spent time together there, and even held a virtual wedding, and wrote that IMVU will always be a special place for bringing the two of them together.
✦ IMVU Couple Timeline
Two cases introduced by the operator
There are real couple stories too. Whims and Hank, introduced on the official IMVU blog in February 2018, met on IMVU in 2009 and have been married since 2011.
MrRedx and MrsLKRedx, introduced by the official Medium account in December 2017, are said to have known each other for over four years, a love that started on IMVU and carried over into real life. Both are cases introduced directly by the operator.
There is also a culture of building a family beyond marriage. There is no official adoption feature, but many people enjoy roleplay, and family is among the roleplay types the official blog introduces.
So separate adoption rooms exist, and there are people who adopt a baby or form a family there and keep up the roleplay. It's a way of making connections in the form of a family inside the game. Fun, right?
You know how in chat rooms these days there are people who love roleplay, right? I think it's a great game for people like that.
✦ IMVU Age Rules
Sign-up age and adult-only content
You should know the age rules too. You can sign up from age 13, and Access Pass, the adult-only content, can only be used by people 18 and older. You can buy it with a bank card in your own name, or, after an age check, with credits or PayPal.
Adult-only rooms and groups exist separately too.
✦ Staying Safe on IMVU
How to avoid scams and impersonators
There are things to watch out for. It's safest to assume that any credit generator promising free credits is a scam. Don't enter your login information on credit generators or suspicious sites pretending to be IMVU.
They say support staff never ask for your password, so be careful, okay? It's safest to buy credits and upgrades only through IMVU's official channels, and to use free credit offers only through IMVU or partners IMVU recognizes.
You know that much already, right? Heh heh~
Well then, shall we begin today's adventure?
✦ Related Posts
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- Escape Solo Life? Play Together's Couple System Starts with Just One Ring
- Falling for an NPC in Palia? Meeting Players Is a Bonus!
🌐 한국어 버전: 결혼하면 신혼방도 생긴다고? 연인 만드는 게임: IMVU
