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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: Should the girlfriend play WoW?
by Adam Holisky 
Jan 8th 2009 at 8:00AM
I have a confession to make.My girlfriend doesn't play WoW. However she probably knows more about it than most people. She's been there when I hoot and holler over vent when I've defeated hard bosses like Kale'thas. And she's listened to me whine and complain about how I think everyone on the internet hates me (I'm kidding of course, it's only Retribution Paladins and Death Knights who hate me, or maybe it was Protection Warriors and Elemental Shamans, I can never remember).
Occasionally she can be found browsing the site to see what I've been working on. Like the time that I was in LA at BlizzCon and Mike Schramm sent me forth to risk my life in a fire. That went over well.
But despite my immersion in the game and the community surrounding it she has yet to pick up a sword and fight the Horde.
I'm trying to figure out if that's something that should change.
Of course it's not my decision to make, but it's a good thing if couples have their own activities. WoW is sorta my thing, and while I love her and all that jazz, I have to wonder if WoW should just be my thing. A thing I can get away from it all with. A thing that I don't have to worry about giving her enough gold to buy an epic flying mount. A thing where I don't have to explain why my Night Elf Druid likes to dance naked on top of mailboxes.
Of course with all that said I think it would be good if we can play a detailed game together. We enjoy the board games and card games. Monopoly rocks and all that. But there's nothing like an RPG where you find yourself immersed in a virtual world with real people.
This is something we're discussing, and we should have a decision made soon. It is taking a while since the discussion is coming in-between episodes of Ghost Hunters and Keith Olberman, but we're still talking about it.
So I ask you WoW Insider readers, should my girlfriend play WoW? Is this game better as a couple's activity or as my solo thing?
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 15 of 15)
Servietrix Jan 8th 2009 9:44PM
Well i have crumbled after 2 yrs of pier pressure at work to start playing around 6 months ago, and my GF wasn't very happy with me at all at the time.
She has come to except it over that time, but like a few others at work, I've found that i have to watch the "wife aggro" very closely to make sure i don't get a crushing blow.
There are a couple other guys at work however, that do have their partners playing with them, and they seem to have it alot easier then us other poor buggers do. they dont have to listen to the "you have been playing for hours" or "you play it all the time"
or "is it because you don't want to spend time with me?"
Man it gets rough sometimes.... and yes ive had the tear attack aswell.
my GF does know a quite a bit about WoW now after hearing me talk and play, i have tried to get her onto it, but she doesnt want to play for a couple of reasons, 1 she is studying atm so she doesnt want to get distracted, and the main reason is that she hates me playing it so much, that she doesnt want to get sucked in (cause she knows she would be sucked in) and become a hypocrite.
ah, i just think that your damned if you do and damned if you dont, but IMO, i think the lads that do have their partners playing have it somewhat easier then us guys with the "wife aggro meters" running.
cheers,
Serv
Juliah Jan 8th 2009 11:15PM
My beloved husband and I are both dedicated gamers. We've been married over nine years now, and he remains the envy of his friends for having a wife that shares this interest. It's a wonderful thing, and we are tremendously happy. It isn't surprising: studies show that it's good for couples to have a hobby that they share and do together.
Mohrlock Jan 8th 2009 11:48PM
Okay now I'll be quiet honest here and say I haven't read even one of the previous 250+ posts. It is just a little crazy to spend my day away reading this. But this is being typed in hopes that Adam, or even someone, may stumble across this post & take even a little of the advice I'm lending here.
This is coming from someone who "corrupted" their girlfriend to play WoW... and quiet honestly now she is more addicted to the game than I am/ever was.
1) (If you haven't already) Request that your girlfriend watches you play some of the more intense sides of the game (PvP, last boss in Heroic, portion of a Raid).
2) Show her how "customizable" the characters are... I just opened up AtlasLootEnhanced a used the in-game wardrobe to show off some different gear.
3) After many discussions surrounding the game (which in Adam's case am sure there have been plenty) implore that she sits down and plays for 30 minutes just to get a feel for the game. Make sure it's a new toon of the same faction to ease her into it.
4) This is the most important part. Before rolling said "new toon" make sure it is a race of the same faction, and a class that compliments your main. Ie. If you play a tank get her to play a healer or dps, if you play heals get her to play DPS or tank, if you play DPS pretty much anything goes :)
5) This is something that is optional, but it's a must if you are serious about making this a shared interest. Buy (or have) a second computer with a second account. I learnt the hard way I can assure you :P
6) Lastly, suggest that she tries other proffessions to your own... it saves the QQ over who gets the node/skin and you can help eachother by crafting stuff.
"Do you want an epic for xmas or want me to go buy you something in RL?" hehe It was a hard decision for her. She likes her new CDs and clothes tho :P
The outcome? Well in my case that first 30 minutes on a new toon turned into 4 hours and having to tell her kindly to vacate my computer so I could attend my guild's raid.
And now? Well she has a 80 Holy Priest, a 70 Fury Warrior & several up-and-coming toons. And me? An 80 Prot Warrior and my 2nd highest toon (excluding DK of course) is a 36 Holy Priest. I've been playing 2 1/2 years, my girlfriend for just under 1 year.
And she only just got moved onto her own account about 6 months ago (HALLELUJAH!).
Tenchan Jan 9th 2009 3:45AM
Your girlfriend should play WoW if she wants to play WoW.
(And man, the childish prejudices in the comments are baffling.)
trian Jan 9th 2009 5:38AM
Playing the game together is our "bonding moment".
I remember convincing her to play the game, because i think it's something we'll both enjoy doing. And now she is so into it, I even loaned wow gold for my epic flying.
Niallus Jan 9th 2009 10:54AM
My friend plays horde, his girlfriend alliance. They spend all day trying to gank each other.
Nutmeg Jan 11th 2009 1:31PM
haha! I love that.
Amy Jan 9th 2009 8:44AM
I am a noob to the game, a level 10 priest, to my husbands level 80 hunter hunter, and our son's level 32 blood elf. For me it was a case of wanting to see what the big attraction was with the game for them both, and i am really enjoying the game, and having my husband and son there to answer questions is a big help. So in answer to your question, yes! Have your GF play. I'm sure she will really enjoy it.
Morinehtar Jan 9th 2009 10:04AM
Wednesday we had Naxx25 raid. Im mage , my wife - lock. And alchemist. I asked her to gief me a Wyrm Frost elixir and she refused "cuz mats are expensive"
WTF!!!!!!!
Its Friday now and we are still not talking each other.
Lidija Jan 9th 2009 12:24PM
Go for it! My husband and I started playing WoW at the same time, and we're in the same guild now. We don't get on each others nerves, though. I'm into professions more than him, he plays the AH more than me. I level slow and read the quests, he power-levels and raids until late.
I think your girlfriend will have a deeper understanding of you if she enjoys the game herself. On the rare occasions we do an instance or raid together, it's really rewarding! Sure you need to do your own things, but it's good to also have some hobby in common. It works out great for us.
Ice Princess Jan 9th 2009 5:17PM
My bf got me into this game around July 2007 and now I'm more addicted to it than him. I'm addicted in a different way, I just log on to do nothing whereas with him, he actually works on his rep (he's almost exalted with everyone) and also his gear. We play on different servers, he's in Oceanic and I'm in US server. I prefer to play on my server because I find the people there to be more friendly and helpful, I don't mind the occasional ganking coz I love pvp. He's been asking to pay for my transfer but I refuse to because of the friendships I've made on my server... and besides, I have a pocket healer and tank at my disposal now. I can't lose that! LOL
Cy Jan 9th 2009 6:07PM
"Get over yourselves boys. This princess saves herself."
LOL!
Bubs Jan 10th 2009 5:36AM
My boyfriend actually talked me into playing. Now, after two years of reading forums and learning the game, I'm the one giving him epic flyer money and he's asking me the questions.
Zilliness Jan 10th 2009 12:58PM
It's great to have your girlfriend play WoW with you. Especially if you do not live together. Just make sure the wife doesn't know! lol, j/k
Seriously, how many lonely wives and girlfriends are there in WoW that don't mind "innocently cheating"? Or males, either?
Kradik Jan 12th 2009 9:27AM
The answer is.... simply .... Yes!
If your relationship is great you have nothing to worry about either way!
Nutmeg Jan 11th 2009 1:30PM
If she wants to play WoW, she should play WoW.
But she shouldn't expect you to support her the whole way.
She needs to make her own money, too, you know.
Teidius Jan 12th 2009 8:30PM
Well me and girlfriend play WoW together and sure its a good idea, its a great way to spend time together although there are the certain drawbacks.
NEVER tell her she has done something WRONG, she could wipe a raid and then if you explained you did this and you wiped us you may aswell talk to a brick wall, so moral of the story dont raid with her.
Also i hope your prepared to buy another epic mount, oh and dont forget about those nice BoE epics that she just happened to like on the AH, having a girlfriend in WoW is an expensive buisenss, just this week alone ive shelled out 5k for an epic flyer and 2k for a titansteel destroyer.
I hope you like doing some borring daily quests and running an instance over and over for an item she wants, ive lost count of how many times ive run nexus hc for that stupid belt to drop, and doing dailys to get a proto-drake pet.
Another tip, level a character together boosting SM over and over and over takes its toll on the mind after a few hours.
Also make sure to make use of the recruit a friend feature, you get a spiffy zebra, player summoning, 300% increase XP and some free levels aswell as some free play time.
Dont get me wrong its not a bad way to spend time together, but sometimes it does and will feel like a chore.
Nicole Jan 24th 2009 11:20PM
If she is willing to play, absolutely! My boyfriend and I have been playing for a few years now and there was a time when I stopped playing because I took classes which took up a lot of my time. However, we have characters that we play by ourselves and then others that we level together. That way if I don't feel like playing or I'm too busy, he can still play and it doesn't bother me.
I think it helps to have your girlfriend play only because she may understand the addiction a little better. lol.