When The Other Woman Is An Xbox

MTV's Game News service has a report on a an anti-gaming college club started by a group of disgruntled gamer SOs. From the article: "Jaci and Jake, who both attend Kansas State University, are a modern couple dealing with a modern issue. One of them is a gamer; the other is not. Theirs is not an unusual plight. For decades gamers and non-gamers in love have struggled to find harmony. At Kansas State the frustration is rampant. Like most college campuses, it is a place where the release of Halo 2 last year was the best of times and the worst of times. And while there is such a thing as couples in which both people are into games -- and while there are sometimes boyfriends who are the non-gamers -- the most frequent complaint involves game-crazy guys leaving their girlfriends out in the Xbox-free cold."

Comments

This is why...

[BigDork1001]

... I married a gamer. We play games together. Stuff on the Mario Kart, Smash Bros., WoW, and a bunch of other games. And when I get involved in a single player game she understands. She gets addicted too sometimes.

Meeting a gamer wasn't something I was specifically looking for but it's worked out great.

Re:This is why...

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe I'm just lucky, or maybe it is just the apeal of Nintendo, but I have converted many 'Non-Gamer' Girlfriends into gamer girlfriends simply by playing games with them that they would find enjoyable. Everyone can have fun playing Mario Tennis, Mario Kart or Mario Party because they're approachable, fair and easy to pick up; the design of the Gamecube controller is easy for everyone to pick up without studying, Press the Big Green button, Press the little red button, press the right trigger button (most of these games don't use the extra buttons for any core functionality).

To get a person who isn't into games to play Halo 2 you'd first have to give a lecture on how the controller works, after that you'd have to spend a year teaching them about how to strafe kill an opponent (and what not) just so that they wouldn't die all the time.

I can't wait for the revolution controller so I can have conversations like:
"What do I do?"
"When you see a fly just wack it, it's not that hard"
"What do you mean wack it?"
"You take your controller and wack it! it's just not that hard"
"You mean like this" - She gestures with the controller
"Exactly!"
"cool"

It's a joke, right?

[Jeff DeMaagd]

If it's not, the non-gaming SOs should just take it as a hint that they need to move on. It's not their responsibility to force their gaming SOs to pay attention to them. The potential problem I see is that it would taint their ability to tolerate a SO that has any hobby they dislike as the result of one person that didn't have self control.

Re:It's a joke, right?

[MBCook]

BINGO!

What is this? Isn't the point of dating trying to find someone you can spend the rest of your life with? So when you find someone who spends all their time playing video games and doesn't seem to be as interested in you as those games, what do you do? Dump them because that's not what you are looking for?

NO!

You start a support group, of course! That way you can complain about him, and stay with him! Then you can marry him and continue to yell at him for doing the same thing he did when you were dating. This is pure genius.

So many people seem to be such idiots these days in these things. If you don't like the guy's personality, DUMP THE GUY.

What the deuce!?

[Ninj0r]

What are these girls? Are they multi-platform yet?

Is this really news?

[kingsmedley]

a modern couple dealing with a modern issue. One of them is a gamer; the other is not.

Well this is one short-sighted article. Throughout time, there has always been a common issue at the heart of MANY failed relationships - the idea that one of them isn't getting enough attention from the other. As time goes by, ex-significant-others keep finding new things to blame the failure of their relationships on. (Because of course it can't be THEIR fault!) Halo 2 is just the latest scapegoat.

But let's be honest here - if she (or he) truly is more interesting than Halo 2, then Halo 2 will lose. Look, if they are more interested in playing games than spending time with you, take the hint and move on! And gamers, if your S.O. is constantly whining about your game time, then perhaps you should just dump 'em and find a partner more appropriate for your game-intensive lifestyle. After all, isn't that what dating is all about?!?

Re:Is this really news?

[Seumas]

If it wasn't the xbox, it'd be work.

It seems that in the mind of many a women, you should be able to remain successful, productive, bring in an impressive income, receive promotions, buy a nice house, car, vacations, raise children and all the other things that women you may hook up with, date, or even marry would want out of a guy and would want to be able to brag to their family and friends about . . . while not actually focusing yourself on your work.

You should make time for the other person, certainly, but chicks need to understand that you only got where you are through hard work and that all the things of yours which she enjoys came at a price. Both monitarily and in personal sacrifices of various kinds.

If you can't respect the fact that, as a man, work and career and achievment are a very large part of my existance and want me to sabotage that to spend even more time with you at, say, the risk of you hooking up with some unemployed loser or the pool boy who don't have the responsibilities and can give you the time while I give you the money and house and nice cars and fancy dinners, then you might as well step-off from the get-go.

So how does the XBOX (or cars or any other hobby) fit into this? Because when you work hard, you need to relax, too. You need time alone to decompress and enjoy yourself and being suffocated by another human being every free second you have is not always the most relaxing thing. Likewise, your mate needs to understand that fact in addition to the "I have a career" fact.

If she can't, it's time to start looking for a better breed of women and start thinking with your head when you choose the next one.

family guy quote

[bigwang]

It's my sex box...
And her name is Sony

My own thoughts

[LordZardoz]

If your girlfriend is not more intresting to you then your game console, then chances are good that she is not "The One" anyway.

The best test of this is to try to interrupt the gamer by offering Sex. In most cases, offering to play with his joystick should get him to put down the other joystick. If they turn you down, then one of two things are happening.

1) Your hideous, deal with it.
2) They are screwed in the head.

Men have ditched or ignored their women for many reasons. I am sure that there are intstances of guys watching the latest hockey / football / basketball game and ignoring their women for the duration. The only difference with gaming is that gaming can be done at any time.

END COMMUNICATION

Attention: people of the world

[blincoln]

You do not have to spend every waking moment with the person you are dating. If they like to play Halo and you don't, go do something else.

I am so in

[the eric conspiracy]

a an anti-gaming college club

Ultimately it sounds like these gamers are going to fail to pass along their genes, thus solving the problem.

Not me..

[mar1no]

If my gf ever interupts me during a game, say by phone call for example, it goes like this:

*pick up*
Me: "HELLO?!"
Gf: "Hey what are ya-"
ME: "BUSY! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!!"
Gf: "Uhh I dunno I just wa-"
ME: "CANT TALK! BYE!"
*click*
I've never had to deal with her complaining about my game playin. She understands that when I say I'm busy then I'm busy and should not and cannot be bothered. Thats what the rest of these pie-making laundry-cleaning women should realize.

ID

[charlie763]

"At *Kansas* State the frustration is rampant"

Blame it on intelligent game design.