Ever gone on a date and ended up with a man gabbing about elves, dwarves, and avatars?
Trust me. This is more common than you know.
A common scenario: You go over to your crush/boyfriend's house. They greet you at the door with a bear hug. He says, "Wanna play a game?"
On the surface, this could be fun.
At this point, you get excited thinking strip poker or a NC-17 rated version of Battleship. As you trek up the stairs and turn left into his computer room, you realize that unless he has strip poker on a CD-ROM, you won't be playing. Your "friend" then starts gabbing about the elves, dwarves and avatars. Is this a "Lord of the Rings" nightmare? Hardly. He wants to play "World of Warcraft." Huh?
"Us" playing eventually turns into him swiveling his wireless mouse and you watching, bored. I went though this situation most of my freshman year in college when I could have been mastering tai-chi moves or belly dancing. Time and time again, I'd suck it up. My deluded mantra: When you have a crush, it's better to be bored than not there at all.
Or is it?
After whining to my girlfriend over nachos (the best comfort food ever), I come to the conclusion that he was cheating on me with "Warcraft."
"Is that even possible?" she asks as cheese dribbles down my top. As she tries to reason with me, I pull out her dirty laundry. "Didn't your boyfriend ditch your six-month anniversary to spend the night playing "EverQuest" with his roommates claiming he lost track of time?" It sounds like we were both in relationship hell.
At this point I wonder: Are video games getting in the way of relationships?
As a UW-Milwaukee co-ed, I realize that winter is at least eight months out of the year, and staying inside usually beats bracing the cold. It's natural for one's friends to congregate at a designee's house to chill, and males socialize via the video game.
Women? We don't.
On the other hand, there comes to a point when spring reappears and the mouse needs to be traded for the Frisbee.
I suppose the main question is: What's so great about "Warcraft"? I could spend the rest of my adult life figuring that out and not getting anywhere. More importantly, why trade in real human companionship for a robot?
I'm all into fantasy games diverting you from your problems, but it seems like a fantasy life is taking over reality for many people, girls included. My male roommate's schedule revolves around work, "Warcraft," and drinking. Seeing someone, especially a person you care about, spend so much time playing a video game that won't get them anywhere in a productive society is sad and a waste of time.
I'm not dissing anyone's hobbies, but spending eight hours a day playing a computer game is crazy. What's worse is ignoring a friend when they come over. I don't think video games are bad by any means, but how can you make a relationship work with a gaming addiction? In certain aspects, it's almost as bad as alcoholism and gambling. With everything, moderation is key, but I've never met a gamer with a "moderate" playing schedule.
Yes, "Warcraft" is an addiction.
As a result of me being invisible in my relationship, I realized that it wasn't me who was too boring or humorless or toothless. I live in the city of plenty,unlike when I attended my former college in La Crosse. I discovered the problem was with my now ex-boyfriend. Anyone who would rather have an avatar over a real woman deserves that. I won't accept my partner overlooking me just to see the computer. In relationships, it's always something ... but it shouldn't be this.
