Kelly Bourdet writes a column over on Vice called Future Sex. It's about "how technology affects our personal relationships". In this case, it's about signing up for Zynga's Sims clone The Ville and trying to knock some digital boots.
Sadly, the game is a little obstructive.
"Frustratingly, the "make out" and "snuggle" options, which my real life experience has taught me can sometimes lead to other things, were locked", she writes. "Apparently, I needed to build my relationship with Ethan before we could move to this next level. But relationship building in the game, as in real life, costs "energy.""
So far, so Zynga.
What begins as idle frustration soon grows into something a little more interesting; the game does allow for sexual encounters, and given that there are no age limits for the title - and that Zynga games can serve as a social network of sorts - it can be a strange, content-locked kind of matchmaking.
Future Sex: How I Tried to Have Virtual Sex in Zynga's New Game [Motherboard]