From gamers to life partners: Garena Free Fire brings Syrian couple together

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

It’s not often people find their future soulmate through Garena Free Fire but that was certainly the case for a Syrian couple, who became husband and wife after first meeting in the game, then in real-life.

Dawud Dawood and Aya Yooshy first met online in May 2021 thanks to a message that Dawud had sent through the chat box option when he praised Aya’s efforts while playing the popular mobile battle royale shooting game at his home in Lebanon.

With Aya living in Syria at the time, that message sparked the start of a virtual friendship between the pair and with each passing day of playing Garena Free Fire, messaging and calling each other, their bond strengthened.

With a lot of things in common and the conversations being fun and full of laughter, 28-year-old Dawud was eager to turn this friendship into romance. He took his first steps by purchasing a new mobile phone to Aya to ensure she had a better experience of playing Garena Free Fire.

Dawud said: “I could see she was really happy from the time we had first met which was great but for me I wanted her to make her feel that I cared about her. So I decided to gift her a phone as a gesture to show I liked her even though I hadn’t confessed that I was in love with her.

“At first, she refused the gift but once she knew about my intentions of being a good friend, she then accepted the phone.”

While they continued to stay in touch and play Garena Free Fire together, it was four months before Dawud had the courage to confess his feelings for Aya. It was also the first time they had met in person.

“I was planning on telling Aya for a while but I felt it would be best if I told her in person which I did by travelling to Syria,” said Dawud.

For Aya, she remembered clearly the first time she had seen Dawud in person.

“The first time we had met was the happiest day for both of us and seeing each other in real life was completely different than interacting with each other online. It was definitely an indescribable moment and it was really emotional when he described his feelings for me as I also had developed similar feelings for him,” she said.

It was during that short visit that Dawud explained to Aya that he would like to plan another trip to Syria but this time to ask her parents for their permission to marry Aya.

Dawud said: “When that time came, which happened a few months later, I remember I was extremely nervous as I didn’t know how they would react. But after meeting Aya’s father and mother, I felt relieved because they accepted me and understood how much I loved their daughter.”

Aya and Dawud did not have to wait long to get married. Within a few days of getting engaged they got married in Latakia City, Syria on July 27 th 2021 in a ceremony that was attended by their close friends and family.

Dawud and Aya are now living together in Lebanon and just like before when they had first met online, Garena Free Fire is a key part of their everyday lives.

“This is a game we had played before and of course it’s so much better now given that we are now husband and wife and living under the same roof when playing. It’s a game that we love playing and it’s one where we get the chance to spend quality time together,” explained Dawud.