We here at Kill Ten Rats aim to combine promiscuity and sexuality analogies with MMOs wherever a feasible connection appears. Not as blatant as some in the industry, but we still have goals to maintain.  William Dobson over at Massively discusses the requirement for an MMO to have a beta with his article No beta, no thanks.
It is an understandable premise. Playing an MMO is something more than a casual flirtation such as pushing a bomb in silly hats toward a base or shooting zombies on your lawn. It’s an intimate experience requiring a higher level of attention with what we would argue is a greater reward. So when our companion video games require us to leave money on the bedstand before getting our hands in to the gameplay, it is justifiable that the expectations are laid out. It is not just money though; sometimes days or weeks of play before are required before getting in to the end game.
Still most MMO players want the virgin experience with a new MMO, as awkward as the coupling may be. If they could wait awhile longer until after that big maturation patch, the quality would be greater. Yet, there is always the feeling that something might be lost when not surging forward with the crowd. No one wants to do whats already been done (and done a lot on the MMO blogosphere).
It’s no wonder that betas have become a zone of safety for both parties. The player can try the MMO without exposing herself to that uncomfortable moment when the thought crosses her mind that it would’ve been better not to wake up with the game on her hard drive. The MMOs can unabashedly proclaim that the experience will indeed be awkward, but full bloom adventures are just on the horizon. It can be comfortable education for both sides.
–Ravious
in the bushes