A place for my random gaming thoughts.
true tales from a married man
Published on October 26, 2009 By GG_Crew In PC Gaming

I can't predict which games my wife will play.

Some folks would probably stop me right there: "You're wife plays games?!?  Amazing!!!"  Don't go too far, my friends - she's not what we'd call "a gamer".

For the most part, she'll keep half an eye on what I'm playing.  Every once in a while she'll actively pay attention, like during segments of F.E.A.R. and BioShock .  I've offered her the controls, but she always declines saying that she doesn't want to play.

I was recently playing Neverwinter Nights (for the first time - bought it on day 1, and it's collected dust ever since), and she would occasionally peek over as she normally does.  After a few days of this, out of the blue, she asks, "Does this game have multiplayer?"

"It does," I respond.  "I'll get things set up so we can play tomorrow."

I spent the next few hours attaching a computer to the main TV, installing NWN on the TV computer, installing NWN on a laptop, and making sure the area looked nice (no wires running everywhich way).  Even bought a new cordless keyboard/mouse combo for "her" computer.

We played all the way through the game. 

She was a fighter (barbarian, I think) and I was a druid.  She got enjoyment from her character's one-hit kills and the ability to charge into rooms with guns blazing, so to speak.  I played the role of part-time healer and navigator.  There were (thankfully only) a few quests that rewarded her with a weapon or armor that was above her level - these items worked as carrots, driving her forward in the game.

It was fun playing with her, but she hasn't expressed any interest in other RPG games.

She has taken a shine to Viva Piñata , which I picked up for myself for $5 at a local discount store.  In fact, she's played it far more than I have!

She's also had a go with Plants vs. Zombies .  And finished it.  Multiple times.  While not multiplayer, we'd chat about strategies and favorite plants.

And she's also enjoying Demigod .  We play 2v2 co-op against the computer a few nights a week.  We're at a point where we'll consistently win against the Hard AI.  (I know some Demigod players will scoff, saying that Nightmare is too easy.  Keep in mind that we're chatting about my non-gamer wife.)

I guess I can't call her a "non-gamer" anymore.  "Gamer" seems too aggressive, however.  Wherever she falls in the spectrum, I hope to find more games that we can play together.  Being an avid gamer myself, I think the odds are with me.


Comments (Page 2)
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on Oct 27, 2009

Zoomba
My fiancee was hooked on World of Warcraft for years, and only stopped playing because work and social stuff started to take all of her gaming time away.  We used to play the game together regularly.  Now we're waiting for that "next game" to play together.  Unfortunately her PC is pretty much toast but we can't afford to replace or upgrade it. 

Steal one from the Stardock offices IMO.

on Oct 28, 2009

lucky bastards

 

 

Just marry the right woman. 

That is a serious response though.  While dating I found out my wife liked games (we played Doom all the time together), she loves sports (watches football with me all day on Sunday and goes out with me and the guys to the bar to see big games), loves SciFi and action movies and loves gadgets like computers, HDTVs and so forth.

Don't marry "barbie" who doesn't like anything you like.  That's the only advice I have for you single guys.  The secks will fade quickly and if you got nothing else in common then you probably won't be happy.  Marry the gamer/geek chick and you'll be happy. 

on Oct 28, 2009

bonscott

Just marry the right woman. 

That is a serious response though.  While dating I found out my wife liked games (we played Doom all the time together), she loves sports (watches football with me all day on Sunday and goes out with me and the guys to the bar to see big games), loves SciFi and action movies and loves gadgets like computers, HDTVs and so forth.

Don't marry "barbie" who doesn't like anything you like.  That's the only advice I have for you single guys.  The secks will fade quickly and if you got nothing else in common then you probably won't be happy.  Marry the gamer/geek chick and you'll be happy. 

I've never heard better advice.

on Oct 28, 2009

Yeah too bad all the gamer chicks are already taken..

on Oct 28, 2009

LEADER MkII
Yeah too bad all the gamer chicks are already taken..

 

They aren't.  Then again you don't need a hardcore gamer chick.  I wouldn't classify my wife as that unless you think Nancy Drew is hardcore. 

BUT she understands games, likes them in general, but more important she knows that *I* like them and enjoy them.  We are secure enough in our relationship that we don't need to spend 24x7 together.  She's got her stuff she does, I've got stuff I do.  We always make sure we have a couple "date nights" each week and spend time doing things together.  That's more important then anything.  If your girlfriend or wife thinks games are for kids and hope you "grow up" someday, well, that's the wrong attitude.  You want one that at the least understands that it's your hobby just like her hobby might be scrapbooking or something.

Having said that, if you're spending 10 hours a day gaming and never spend any time with her then that's *your* problem.  Dragon Age comes out next week and I'll be playing it like crazy.  BUT the wife and I will still go out to dinner or to a hockey game on the weekend.  We'll still watch our TV shows together and all that.  It's not like I'm going to go into a cave to 2 months not to be seen.  That is just as bad as the woman not understanding/accepting that games is something important to you.

Balance is the key to a long and healthy marrage.  Take that advice from someone who's been married well over a decade and still happy.    By far I'm no expert but most of my friends have long ago got divorced so I must be doing something right. 

on Oct 28, 2009

im with you on the barbie thing. cant stand stupid women.

but a nice small ass is also very important to me. 

if i have to choose between a smart girl with a nice small ass, but who hates gaming or one with a big butt but love for games, id take the small ass any day of the week with no regrets. gaming is something i do when i have nothing better to do... just so happens that this is most of the time : ) (due to lack of aforementioned petite-bottomed shegenius)

on Oct 28, 2009

I agree with inerz, lucky bastards. My wife is an occasional gamer. I wouldn't consider facebook games to be part of what describes a gamer. She loves them dam farmville, farmtown, yoville and all those other farm and ville knock offs facebook has. Her most recent obcession was Cafe World, and I thought I was bad with my game obssesions.

I am addicted to the Call of Duty Series, have not played other games like this yet. I was able to get my wife to try it out once but she quickly got frustrated with the amount of buttons needed to play the game on PC. I was hoping to get her into it so she could join me in my clan where we have a few sisters who play games like these and are quite good at them. Point and click, that's her kind of game.

That's ok though, PC gaming will be like my personal basement, a place where I can be myself, my own personal time.

Besides, It's bad enough I take out my frustration son these games by getting mad and slamming the table, having my 11 year old son also do the same (I'm stopping that though, too young to be stressing so much) only to have my wife start doing that too.

on Oct 28, 2009

Yeah too bad all the gamer chicks are already taken..

LOL, it's funny how not so long ago the idea of computers and gaming was a geek thing and geeks and girls were like water and oil. Now a days some of the hotest girls I've seen are on shows like Attack of the Show, Tekzilla, Cnet podcast and even those E3 shows.

Talk about mixing the prom queen with the most Science Fair winner.

on Oct 29, 2009

It was fun playing with her, but she hasn't expressed any interest in other RPG games

My partner played through NWN and an RPG gamer was born, she's already pre-ordered Dragon Age and is very excited about it on account of her NWN experience...I would strongly recommend showing her their website, especially the characters section...she may just find her next adventure there

Unfortunately for your situation, theres no multi, but I'm confident she'll love it. 800,000 words of dialogue. Eek!

eah too bad all the gamer chicks are already taken..

Just make more! Share and convert!

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