You never know where you might meet that special someone who makes you want to spend the rest of your life with them. For SadJetsFan and Venus1812, that place turned out to be a match in Heroes of the Storm.
“Against all odds, two people from different countries and cultures were able to find each other and create a love story for the ages,” wrote SadJetsFan in a post on the game’s subreddit (he originally tried to share the news via Blizzard’s forums but the moderators took it down). After a fateful game in February of last year in which the two played on the same team, they added each other as friends and things evolved from there.
“I think you have to have played HotS or a similar game to understand the odds of the two of us being matched in a game, adding to friends list, and then being online together long enough to develop a relationship,” said SadJetsFan in an email. They’ve played some 760 matches together ever since.
“Initially, everyone on his side was like scam or catfish alert because they didn’t realize how rare the odds of finding someone on HOTS really are,” said Venus1812 in a separate exchange. “People just thought we met on a dating website.” But she was from Honduras where she worked as an economist for the United Nations World Food Program, and moving to the states to get married and start a new life together meant leaving that behind. “I had a lot to give up...a lot of good friends and of course my family, traditions customs etc.,” she said.
Fortunately, they will always have Heroes of the Storm, Blizzard’s MOBA that has struggled to compete with rivals like League of Legends and Dota 2 but which has the benefit a dedicated fan base who loves being able to play as their favorite characters from across different series like World of Warcraft and Diablo.
“When it comes to HotS I love that game,” said Venus1812. She started playing MOBAs with Guardians of Middle Earth on PS3 before eventually shifting to League of Legends on PC. “I got so into it, my life was LoL,” she said. But coming to the game new she could tell most of the other players were already way ahead of her in experience and skill. But then Blizzard came out with Heroes of the Storm. “I tried it during the beta and there was no more LoL for me.”
SadJetsFan meanwhile came to the game through WarCraft 3. Tired of real-time strategy games and looking for a change of pace, he also looked toward MOBAs for help. “I got hooked on HotS as soon as I tried it” he said. “All the familiar characters and spells make it so nostalgic. When Samuro came out his theme music hit me right in the feels! Blizzard does that kind of stuff really well.”
The two almost put together a Heroes of the Storm-themed wedding too. “Originally we were gonna do cosplay cause it was just gonna be the 2 of us and his best friend. I actually got the lunar Jaina dress,” Venus1812 said. “But suddenly our family wanted to be part of it. And we thought they were gonna think it was a joke if we wore the costumes or that they weren’t prepared for it. Turns out everyone was like why didn’t you guys wore the costumes during the wedding dinner.”
While he prefers Arthas, Ragnaros, and Azmodan, her favorite champion is Auriel (“her skillset is really good, I love her!”). After getting married last week thanks to a relationship that first began as a result of Blizzard’s Matchmaking just over a year ago, the two are still playing HotS together. “I still get yelled at for dying all the time,” he said.