Patch 5.4 patch notes
Virtual Realms feature revealed
The Proving Grounds are coming
The latest patch 5.4 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 2 of 15)
Pyornthe Jan 8th 2009 12:01PM
As opposed to the real-life advice:
"Don't give her all your money and buy her handbags!"
Chukie Jan 8th 2009 12:28PM
Hey at least bags in wow are useful... I can store 22 items in mine
Can't say the same for a postage stamp sized coach bag...
Vorgaak Jan 9th 2009 3:03AM
Maybe he could hold her bag while she goes to the auction house
Kreetin Jan 8th 2009 8:10AM
WoW = Yes
Keith Olberman = Hell no
Padooj Jan 8th 2009 10:14AM
What, you don't like Bizarro Bill O'Reilly?
Kreetin Jan 8th 2009 10:30AM
Nope, not him either.
Both are biased retards. One to left and one to the right!
Nizari Jan 8th 2009 12:00PM
"The truth has a well-known liberal bias" - Stephen Colbert
Kreetin Jan 8th 2009 12:14PM
"Truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing the matter with this, except that it ain't so." -Mark Twain
lichgnome Jan 8th 2009 8:14AM
dear adam,
my name is roel from holland XD my GF was never into those fantasy like games and movies (she hates movies like lotr ^^)
she also declared me a lunatic for playing so much wow and she could not understand why i idid it untill i asked het to make a new char and play for a while....
shes now completely hooked
there couple advantages to this fact :)
1. she doesn't nagg bout it when i play cause shes playing herself
2. she can do all those boring hard to level proffesions so i wont have to
3. and its easier to make a party
downsides
1. she does want to borrow ur gold and saying no is not an option
2 she always wants my help when im raiding or anything
3.u'll have to explain EVERYTHING
but all and all its really ur girlfriends choice let her decide what she wants if she likes it and think it will be cool then just let her dont worry bout dancing naked on mailboxes she will like it too
greetz roel
Eylie Jan 8th 2009 9:15AM
My husband and I play wow together. He got his toon to level 70 before me but when it came time to get the Epic Riding Skill... He had to borrow 2k gold from me. It's not always the women borrowing gold. He gave me 50 gold when I started and I learned how to play the AH and what to keep and sell.
Now I still have more gold them him. And I don't think that will ever change either. We use WoW as a fun bonding time. If we didn't then I'd be watching TV all day by myself from 5 - 10 till he goes to sleep.
Now if I could only get my Mother to play wow. She'd stop nagging me too.
Sophie Jan 8th 2009 12:03PM
excuse me... not because YOUR gf is like that ... that ALL girls are like that. I do my OWN gold, I'M richer than my BF and thew first mount he got before me was the mamoth from Sons of Hodir. YES we ask questions, didn't you asked yourself some questions back then when you started to play?? IT'S NORMAL.
daroel Jan 8th 2009 12:47PM
ure right sorry :P
Kemikalkadet Jan 8th 2009 8:12AM
My gf drains enough rl gold, i wouldn't want her draining my virtual gold too!
Matthew Rossi Jan 8th 2009 11:35AM
Stop dating leprechauns. Or being a leprechaun, whichever it is.
Grums Jan 8th 2009 8:14AM
Assuming your girlfriend isn't the totally demanding type (that's up to you, I suppose) it could totally be fun. Don't treat her like someone you owe in-game favours too and you'll probably be fine.
Korenn Jan 8th 2009 8:14AM
Start a new character with your significant other on a server where you don't have any prior characters. Play those characters together and together only. That way you still have your own place to 'get away from it', yet also get to have fun playing the game with your SO from time to time.
Plus there's no impulse to 'buy her a mount', because you're just as poor as she is.
ZUR13L Jan 8th 2009 11:25AM
^ this
Smurk Jan 8th 2009 9:13AM
Hmm, this actually sounds like the thing to do with a rebound rather than a steady.
here is a thought Jan 8th 2009 10:22AM
a few years back when i wanted to play wow i told my wife i would not get an account unless she did too, because i knew it would be gamecrack, she agreed to give it a try
we started together, leveled together, founded a guild together, and almost never play alone. now we each have 4 active toons in their 70s and 5 other non-active in their 60s
she was not a gamer, and now talks about playing more than i.
Korenn i think your advice is dead on, to play with a significant other you really should level together. otherwise they will get really bored because you will do everything for them (because you are bored), robbing them of the challenge. play classes that depend on each other, resto shammy and tank work nicely, this applies to proffs too. Since Adam obviously already has his own toons the new realm idea is a great one too.
you have to struggle together, what is hard for her should be hard for you, so that when you accomplish something together you both feel that desire to accomplish more. if you do this, you really have to be a team.
also, you will fight/disagree, it is gonna happen, one of you will make a mistake and you both will wipe, be aware of that, talk about it before it happens so that you can move on and keep playing. and kill the heck out of whatever you wiped on!
good luck, it is lots of fun. play next to each other if you can so you will be able to chat and see each other's screens.
Mathoni Jan 8th 2009 11:30AM
Starting on a new server is kind of what I did with my wife. I had her look at all the races and pick her favorite... which of course was a blood elf. Since I only had Alliance toons we started out on a new server. Its been a lot of fun. We only play our characters together and when I have some free time and she is doing her thing, I go back and play my old Allys.
A lot of people are defensive of the 'girl gets the gold' stereotype, but that did happen in my case. My wife doesn't like playing the AH. She would much rather just hand me all her greens and cloth after a questing session than figure out prices. Its not fun for her and it is very fun for me. I imagine there are a lot of cases where this is reversed. We have taken it slow enough that I do have more than enough gold for both our epic flyers.
Overall I have really enjoyed having her play. My advice is to just let her pick. Give her the information and try to emphasize what she likes. If she likes story, let her take the time to read every quest. If she likes PvP think about twinking out a duo. We aren't really hardcore players, but its nice to have WoW as an option versus TV/Movies/Other games/Shopping... ;) GL