If you were to ask a cross-section of people, a fair number would probably suggest that playing video games was a solo activity, which is probably bad news if you are in a relationship and not spending enough time with your partner.
However, you may be surprised to discover that we might have give video gaming a bad press, and it is possible that when it comes to sharing video game time together and both enjoying the fun, it could actually help to strengthen your relationship.
Using a quiet keyboard can help to avoid disturbing your partner when you are gaming alone, but it seems that you might be missing a trick if you don’t actually invite them to join you and break new levels together.
Working as a team
When you start to think about it, the idea of gaming together can start to make a lot of sense.
As partners in love, you know what your relative strengths and weaknesses are, meaning that you can look out for each and cover for your partner where they are not so strong, and the other way around..
There are bound to be elements of a game that you might struggle with, whereas your partner might find them a breeze. Teamwork feels good, and when you work and play together to complement each other, that can make video gaming an activity that could easily help to strengthen your bond.
A shared interest
It doesn’t have to be the classic scenario where one of you becomes the game widow, and there are believed to be a growing number of couples who add playing video games together to their list of shared interests.
Some couples who are already gaming together, have noted an improvement in the physical as well as the emotional side of their relationship.
Playing a game of tennis against each other or going for a run with each other is all very nice, but the adrenaline rush that you might get together while playing the latest version of a fast-paced high stakes game like Grand Theft Auto, could take things to a different level.
Even if one of you is better at gaming than the other, you can still share the experience and look out for each other and enjoy the rush that can come when you are using games to see how you both cope under the pressure of being at the heart of the action that is happening on the screen.
Still connected even when you are apart
Sometimes a relationship can come under strain when you are forced to be apart on a regular basis, maybe because one of you has to work away a lot of the time.
Video games offer you the chance to stay connected from a distance, if you both have something like an Xbox for example. You can both play a game together even when you are not in the same state let alone the same room, and that experience could help you to stay connected even when you are physically separated from each other for a period of time.
It seems that video games are good to share, and those that play together might just stay together.
Jay Lacey is a keen gamer, and it’s a passion he is able to share with his girlfriend. A media student, Jay is a semi-regular contributor to gaming/tech publications around the web.
