With Valentine’s merchandise on the shelves since the beginning of January, it may have slipped your mind that Valentine’s Day is now just under a week away. So as you are continuing to level up or getting ready for the next game, remember your significant other needs attention too. Here are some small things you can do to remind your non-gamer SO that you love them too.
ALSO, these are good thing things to keep in mind in reverse if your SO is the gamer!
Play a Game Together (Co-op is Great)
There are lots of games that can be fun no matter what your interests are. Think Portal 2, Castle Crashers, MineCraft, and fighting or racing games. The key to this one is to understand that you both may not want to play for the same length of time. So set your expectations to 20-30 minutes the first few tries.
Board games and tabletop games are a lot of fun but often forgotten. Grab something fairly new or choose a more traditional one. How about Scrabble or Battleship? Take the game with you to the bar or coffee shop for a great date.
While I don’t traditionally recommend mobile games for hanging out with your SO, there are some that are so fun it’s worth taking the time. Try out Trivia Crack (reviewed with high marks here), Heads Up!, or 4 Pics 1 Word.
Plan Something
Doesn’t matter what it is. Make dinner, make reservations, buy a small trinket, make a card, text them you love them, whatever, just let them know you were thinking about them. You could even do it for Valentines Day.
Give them Space
Understand your SO has their own way to wind down or deal with stresses, so give them the space to do what they enjoy – no ktvetching. Of course, this goes both ways.
Manage Expectations
Sometimes it’s as simple as letting the other person know what time you will be able to stop playing to spend some time with them, then actually follow through and log off (that’s key!). It does not have to be long, maybe just long enough to eat dinner together or a walk around the block before you are back to it.
The trick is not to agree to help a guildmate run an instance right before you need to log off. Trust me, I know from experience, it’s never as quick as you think it will be.
On the flip side, if you are a non-gamer, sometimes it’s as simple as hanging out with your SO while they play. Read a book or browse online while sitting next to them while they raid. It’s ok if you are doing different things.
