1. Learn from the game
Games like World of Warcraft use classic behavioral control techniques: they tie small rewards very closely to repetitive chores. If your spouse is neglecting household tasks — a common complaint among sufferers — try employing a little positive reinforcement. The next time he empties the trash, play a loud ‘Ding!’ sound and tell him his Refuse-Disposal skill just increased.
Love it! Read the rest of the article here. Thanks to my friend Karen for the lead.
Gaming isn’t a problem in our marriage because H and I both love gaming! Sometimes we play separately — I’d play Puzzle Quest on my DS or Sims on the computer, and he’d play God of War on his PSP. Sometimes we’d play together — competing against each other in Wheel of Fortune on the computer, or playing a team in PS2’s Star Wars Lego. Super duper fun.
My husband and I were having breakfast one time (we were still working at the same office then), and part of our conversation went something like this:
Me: “I got a body skill! I saw a gym and then went to the punching bag ’til I gained one body point.”
H: “How’d you do that?! Where were you?”
Me: “I just walked and walked and saw this gym. There was even a boxing ring and a mirror so you can practice your charisma.”
H: “Whoa!”
An officemate passed by and did a double-take when she saw it was us she had been hearing.
Officemate: “Oi! I thought a couple of buddies were talking. I didn’t think it was a husband and wife talking that way!”
That was nice! 😀 We were talking about The Urbz: Sims in the City on Game Boy Advance.
The couple that games together, stays together.
But if you don’t, then maybe the above article can help. Now excuse me, I have to beat H’s high score on Luxor.
Hi! I'm Toni Tiu,
and I've been blogging at
at Wifely Steps since 2003. This started as a blog to help newly weds adjust to married life. It has evolved into a home and parenting blog. I write about things close to my heart -- good eats, good reads, family, marriage, and the little things that make everyday happy.
dyanie
March 19, 2008 at 11:16 am (16 years ago)“The couple that games together, stays together”. – I agree! (Haha, as if nakaka relate ako heheh )
Stay happy and keep on playing together!:)
Jeanny
March 19, 2008 at 11:32 am (16 years ago)Aliw talga kau ni D.
You right the
Rach (Heart of Rachel)
March 19, 2008 at 11:51 am (16 years ago)That’s great Toni. I think it’s nice when a husband and wife share the same interests.
Kittymama
March 19, 2008 at 12:31 pm (16 years ago)I love Luxor! How do you get past Level 10-4? I’m stumped!
My whole family is game-addicted, from husband to wife to fifteen-year-old-son (he’s got the worst case, believe me) and we do have great fun playing together or against each other. Conversations like you have with your husband are also commonplace in our household, and people often find it queer that we talk about skill points or comfort level or wants and desires or the aisle of sobek, among many other game jargon. (I wrote about it once here at http://okasaneko.wordpress.com/2007/12/06/crossing-the-game-divide/) I think family unity is fostered by the similarities in people’s interests, so they don’t tend to do their own thing while others are wandering off to different directions. I jusy wish body points get translated to real life, hehe.
Long segue, sorry, Toni, but I have a tag for you at http://okasaneko.wordpress.com/2008/03/19/bag-voyeur/. I hope you don’t mind doing it as it does make for a great blog article!
One of these days, let’s you and me play a game, okay?
Candice
March 19, 2008 at 3:30 pm (16 years ago)I’m not very sophisticated when it comes to gaming. In fact, I don’t think I can rightfully call myself a gamer. I’ve played and enjoyed only three games: the SIMS, Age of Empires and Star Wars Battlegrounds. On the other hand, I think I slowed down an impending addiction on my husband’s part. However, gaming has been good for us, when we tried playing with each other. It’s just SW Battlegrounds now (although I got him addicted to SIMS before), but we sure have fun with it. I just make sure we play on the same team cos he ends up resenting me when I win. Haha.
Gracey
March 19, 2008 at 8:11 pm (16 years ago)Hahah, a lot of men think it’s cool when their gf/wives play games with them. I can remember one time when I was only buddies with Mike and I was in Pinas, he mentioned that he plays Starcraft Broodwars so I told him, I do too and that I was competing in Cebu that time. He thought it was a sort of joke until we played together and I wiped out his race in 5 minutes. After that, he had me play against his friends and I beat them all. lol. I taught him strategies and played a lot of one on one games because he wanted to beat me at least more than once, but the teacher is still better than the student. 😀 Then there was Counterstrike we got addicted to Ragnarok Online for 4 years (we stopped last year) and when we’re in parties, we’ll use RO codes to talk so other people won’t know what we’re talking about. Now he’s alone playing WOW because I’m not into that anymore. I’m his audience when he plays, his # 1 cheerleader.
We do play boardgames with friends and games on his DS. He’s thinking of getting a Wii but they keep selling out when we’re in stores so he’s kind of given up on that.
I think it is important to have common things to share with your spouse, something that the other really likes, so instead of that person spending it with other people, they spend it together. Then, it is guaranteed that they will stay together.
Meeya
March 19, 2008 at 10:54 pm (16 years ago)haha, i totally kick my hubby’s butt on luxor. 😀
caryn
March 20, 2008 at 12:02 pm (16 years ago)i think its really great when you find something that you both can enjoy doing. funny nga lang kasi both of us suck at gaming. hahahha.
sha
March 20, 2008 at 7:32 pm (16 years ago)used too with my ex till i stopped playing with him it was also the beginning of the end…
i slowed down now… but still play at lot of board games.
bambit
March 21, 2008 at 6:32 am (16 years ago)sam and i used to teach each other the tips and tricks to battle realms. we were hooked back then. now we make websites together. magkaharap nga ang arrangement ng computer tables namin sa “home office”
Lisa
March 25, 2008 at 8:51 pm (16 years ago)“The couple that games together, stays together.”
Strangely true. Hubby and I bond over games often… Baldur’s Gate 2, Civ IV, Jagged Alliance 2, etc.
Looking forward to SIms 3!