Marie and Robert exchanged phone numbers in preparation for a game night at Robert’s place. Little did they know then, they were embarking on a lifelong quest together.
Robert is in the Army, and Marie is attending George Washington University – seeking an addition to her already impressive Master’s Degree collection (this one is in Digital Forensics) while clerking for a lawyer in Alexandria.
So which one of these soon-to-be-wed lovebirds will you catch yelling “EAT FACE!” as a 2am battle cry? Who’s out-leveling who? Who almost installed parental controls on their computers so they could get some IRL stuff done?
Read on to find out!
How long have you been playing video games?
Marie: Since childhood, whenever I could grab the controller away from my brother on whatever system we had. The whole family played Zelda—you know which version, the gold cartridge. Ellis outleveled us all, but Mom did fairly well for herself.
Robert: A while now. I couldn’t have been older than 8 or 9 when my family got a Packard Bell 386 (high technology at the time). I spent hours on games like Jewel Thief, Commander Keen and Jetpack. I really haven’t stopped playing since.
Did games play a part in how you met?
Robert: Not video games, but you could say that board games did. The first real interaction I had with Marie was when I threw a game night for people in my firm. Marie couldn’t make it, but gave me her number so I could contact her for the next one.
Do games play a role in your relationship now?
Marie: We currently play World of Warcraft together as a way of spending time together now that he’s out of state. We’re working on unlocking a deathknight for him on the server so that he can tank and PvP. Personally, I’m having a blast playing my Pandaren Shadow Priest. It’s a great way for us to have couple time without incurring substantial transportation costs.
What’s your favorite game to play solo?
Marie: I’m a little ashamed to admit that it’s a toss up between Lego Batman on my Xbox and World of Warcraft, though WoW is becoming such a part of my relationship with Robert, I’m going to have to go with Lego Batman. I’m working my way through Dragon Age, but with grad school and work, I’ve had to put that on hold.
Robert: Baldur’s Gate 2 has to be up there, though I’m also really enjoying the Witcher 2 at the moment.
What’s your favorite game to play together?
Marie: World of Warcraft is taking precedence at the moment, but I have *plenty* of video from Robert’s forays into the world of Dance Central. He’ll never be able to run for president.
Robert: World of Warcraft would be the easy answer, though Dance Central on the kinect has provided some fantastic moments. Its really amusing when her martial arts background peeks through and she drops into a fighter stance between dance moves.
What is the best thing about gaming together?
Marie: As corny as it may sound, watching Robert. He gets really enthusiastic and really focused on attaining his goal, whether that be quest completion or dungeon-clearing. I love getting to spend time with him and his buddies, and it’s pretty awesome to throw out heals while watching them clear out trash. Plus, it lets me indulge my own deep love for face-melting.
Robert: Probably the fact that I don’t have to sneak away for “guy time” to do it. Plenty of my buddies have to put their wives or girlfriends on hold to play for a few hours; I don’t, and that makes me a pretty lucky guy. Plus, being able to both work towards the same goal, even if that goal is to beat the pixelated stuffing out of something, is rather satisfying.
What is the worst thing about gaming together?
Marie: Trying to get actual life things accomplished. It’s so easy to get pulled into the world, but sometimes, we really do have to do things like sleep, discuss wedding planning, etc. Also, because I’m in grad school, he has more spare time to play, so he’s out-leveling me.
Robert: We’ve been known to occasionally lose track of time while playing, I suppose that looking up at the clock after calling for “just one more dungeon run” and realizing that its 2am might be a bad thing.
Any funny stories about being a couple of gamers?
Marie: I can truthfully say that I’ve threatened to install parental controls on his computer so that we can get some things done. Additionally, we’ve even developed some interesting couple’s lingo–at one point, I got flustered in a dungeon and shouted at a mob to “Eat Face” as I used the shadow priest’s version of life drain. It’s become sort of a thing. However, in my defense, it was 2am.
How does gaming make your relationship better?
Marie: It’s been a great way to learn to communicate and to learn to act as part of a team. I’ve spent a great deal of time leveling on my own, and I’m learning how to work in tandem with my partner. That’s got some pretty real implications for the rest of our relationship.
Robert: We’ve really come to a deeper emotional understanding through our shared love of gnome punting… Seriously though, I don’t know if it makes us better, but it’s a blast to game with a partner.
The Lesson of this Love Story
Marie and Robert really show the way gaming together can lead to better communication and more quality time together. They’re clearly deeply in love, even when they’re deep in a raid. If you’ve been considering game time as prime solo time, you may be missing out on a chance to share some pretty cool moments with your significant other.
Just keep an eye on that out-leveling, Robert; it can be a sore spot among passionate gaming couples, and Marie sounds like a formidable lady (especially at 2am).
Thanks for sharing your time and your story with us Marie and Robert!
Published: Feb 12, 2013 08:57 am