Heh - I almost forgot to tell you guys...

Night before last, my wife (who works the graveyard shift, 10:30p-6:30a) was off, but I still had to go to bed, because I had to work yesterday. She, however, did not come to bed with me that night, but rather, stayed up -- playing a computer game!! It was RollerCoaster Tycoon, not a real game, but that's not the point.

I was so proud.

RollerCoaster Tycoon isn't a real game? Compared to what?

I'd put it in that upper echelon of strategy gaming with SimCity and Civilization...

Okay, fair enough. I love it. My wife and I play it a lot.

I just know that a lot of times around here, some people (can't remember who) refer to games like the Sims and RCT with a bit of disdain, as if they're not real games.

I don't judge. I could care less if they're real games or not. I like them both, my wife loves them both, and so, consequently, I wind up playing them both quite frequently. Granted, neither one of them is usually first on my list of games, and when I'm playing it's gonna be BGII. But, when we're playing, it's either the Sims or RCT, or another game along those lines. (Caesar 3 or Tropico, occasionally.)

It is good to have a gaming wife. Mine got back into the habit in the last 18 months after years of not playing. (I try to set a good example for my family).

After working her way through the Black Isle/Bioware titles, she picked up X-Com. First RPGS, now tactical combat. And she is considering installing Master of Orion.

I hold that everybody likes games, but they may not know it yet.

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I hold that everybody likes games, but they may not know it yet.

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My girlfriend would like to break my computer into bite size pieces and force-feed them to me.

My wife is a Freecell junkie. Whenever we go computer shopping, she will invariably ask the sales rep. if the computer has Freecell on it. The rep. will always patiently explain that Freecell is included with Windows, but Barb will always ask anyway.

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My girlfriend would like to break my computer into bite size pieces and force-feed them to me.

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"After working her way through the Black Isle/Bioware titles, she picked up X-Com. "

That game is hypnotic, isn't it? I've never seen anything like X-Com. No marketing to speak of, but it took off with gamers like crazy, and I've never met anyone who just plain didn't like it, gamer or non-gamer.

Man I'm pissed that the "sequel" got canned.

I have a story with a happy ending... after being ridiculed for buying a set of Maracas and Samba de Amigo, my girlfriend tried it. She loved it so much that she had me set it up for our next big house party!

Sure, it isn't a pc game success, but a game is a game, right?

Murph,

Thanks a ton for your advice. It had a couple of good points that have been staring me in the face, but which I just didn't want to see.

1. Don't play when she's around, unless she's asleep.

2. Get involved in her hobbies more.

While nothing is perfect, such as the fact that I can even get in trouble playing after she's gone to bed, and she isn't exactly a "hobby" person, I totally ADMIT that I have to follow this advice. I don't know if she'll ever be a gamer, but my life will be a lot better if I stop hearing these four things:

"1.) "I hate that computer. I wish you'd just get rid of it!"
2.) "I feel like you care about your computer more than you care about me!"

4.) "I think that computer is your mistress!" "


I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks Murph,

Rob

"4.) "I think that computer is your mistress!" "
"

Hey, at least she hasn't accused you of having an "internet girlfriend" yet...

"That game is hypnotic, isn't it? I've never seen anything like X-Com. No marketing to speak of, but it took off with gamers like crazy, and I've never met anyone who just plain didn't like it, gamer or non-gamer."

It's a weird little thing. She has always been into fantasy/sci-fi, but not big on shooting things. Hacking them to death to halberds was OK, but the shooting...Still, X-Com has broken the barrier. The limited strategy element has proven to be her entree into serious strategy games.

BTW, my wife's exposure to gaming has given me many insights into the casual gaming mind. I should write this stuff down. No matter what you may read, narrative or a ripping story is not the thing.

"My girlfriend would like to break my computer into bite size pieces and force-feed them to me."

I'll just refer you to my wife's post in the Chasing Amy thread. Scroll down to the post by Pepper (not her real name).

I've been telling her that she should expand on it a bit and pitch it to the gaming magazines. Dealing with the wife/girlfriend issue is a common task, and I think most gamers would welcome some advice about how to do it.

One of my favorite Usenet posts had a bit about amateur gamers vs. real ones. It went something like this:

Amateur gamers talk of game strategies. Real gamers discuss wife management.

Hmmm... more excellent advice/insight from the Qt3 message board. I will begin implementation immediately. Which basically means I won't be hounding down a copy of AO today, and firing up the Dell, but instead will spend some time together.

I agree, I would be riveted to an article about these issues in any of the mags. It does point out that our particular passion is more alienated than the traditional male pasttimes: sports, drinking, fishing, etc. When is the last time ESPN ran a "manage the relationship first" segment?

"It does point out that our particular passion is more alienated than the traditional male pasttimes: sports, drinking, fishing, etc. When is the last time ESPN ran a "manage the relationship first" segment?"

Hey, hey, HEY! Drinking is not a 'traditional male pasttime,' it's a universal bond of brotherhood. It is the glue that ties all pasttimes together. Can you fish and play basketball? Can you play poker and hockey? Nay! But drinking, no, drinking you can do with any of these.

I ache at the blasphemy of your words. In fact, I'm going to grab a beer right now in an attempt to atone for your misguidedness.


- Raife