More WoW Domesticity
by Mike D'Anna 
Mar 10th 2006 at 2:46PM
We've had a lot of discussion here about real-life
relationships & online gaming, and for some reason, I find this stuff endlessly fascinating. An article in Inside Bay Area today has some interesting bits about
gamer relationships on both sides of the screen, and after reading it, I realized that I'm glad I'm not married to
another gamer; I have enough relationship problems without having to fight over who gets the new piece of epic armor we
just looted.I can't help but picture a whole new generation of parents neglecting their chores & children while the dishes & virtual gold pile up around them...makes me almost wistful. And it also raises another question; if you grew up with your parents playing video games, would video games still be cool? Or would it be like playing bridge? Not that there's anything wrong with that...
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Odds and ends, News items
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
roXet Mar 10th 2006 3:35PM
If a piece of armor or a weapon can get that far between a couple, I would think there would have to be some more deep seated realtionship problems. A fair amount of immaturity too.
I hear alot about couples who both play WoW, but play on seperate servers becaue they wouldn't be able to handle playing together. I, on the other hand, don't know if I could play without my wife on my team. Sure there are some gear concerns (staff of dominace or some of the uber caster gear from BWL), but it's not that big of a deal for us. We both want these items, and I know she fully plans to outbid me if she can, and I will do the same. Of course we are both starting out at the same place, in this example, we both have blue weapons, probably the best ones in the game for our classes outside of epics. If I had an epic weapon and she did not, I would not dream of outbidding her nor would she, were the situation reversed.
A small amount of respect and maturity goes a long way.
Tryst Mar 10th 2006 3:53PM
My husband got me into WoW, ostensibly to cut down on the wife aggro, but he did think that I would enjoy it. Now that I'm addicted it's been a great dating alternative to going out. It's a lot cheaper and more interactive and fun than dinner and a movie. Our teamwork has improved and we are actually a lot closer than we were when he was on the computer playing HL2/EQ/Monkey Island/Halo/Far Cry/Warhammer/Warcraft 1-3/Starcraft/Freedom Force/Age of Empires/Age of Mythology/Empire Earth/Baldur's Gate/Neverwinter Night's, etc...and I was bonding with TiVo. We actually run into a lot of other couples that play and only occasionally get someone who reacts negatively to the concept.
Ceej Mar 10th 2006 4:54PM
I have to agree with 2 - My fiance and I play together. Elbow to elbow in fact, with 2 pc's perched on the same desk. Playing Wow has been a great way for us to spend time together, plus it has increased our communication, and tested (and improved) our ability to work as a team.
We also have gotten to know a lot of couples in game and actually met them out of game.
dave Mar 10th 2006 5:51PM
Another couple that plays together chiming in. My girlfriend and I play a lot together. Similar to 3, it's cheap and we both have a lot of fun. About the only issue that ever arises is the fact that I am far luckier than her.
And I've got to agree again, we're not nearly effective as when we're playing together. We've actually gotten to be a pretty sick little pvp duo. In levelling our new chars, we generally go after the ??s because it'll be a challenge.