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1up Repost: From Carnage to Cuddling


On 03/21/2013 at 09:23 AM by Jesse Miller

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With 1up closing down, my girlfriend wished for me to save a few choice blogs from going down with the ship.  This is one of those blogs - completely unedited.  Enjoy.

Originally published on June 1, 2011

I recently moved into a new place with my girlfriend.  Up until this point we had only seen each other a couple nights on weekdays and a majority of weekends.  Nights that didn’t include her in my plans would usually consist of hanging with the guys or settling in for a good night’s worth of gaming.

As Bob Dylan put it, the times, they are a changin’.

I’ve lived with people before, past girlfriends included.  This isn’t my first rodeo.  But I’ve never shared a one bedroom city apartment with someone before.  Needless to say, this is a very different living situation than the one I have been used to.

We’re in each other’s faces all the time.  I consider myself a minimalist.  I don’t need a lot of space or things to be happy.  But even I must admit that it is hard to escape and get some alone time under these circumstances.  She’d tell you the same thing.

So we have to find ways to blow off steam in the same vicinity – even when we want nothing more than to be apart for a little bit.  Mostly we fight.  This is how I discovered how much I suck at Soul Calibur IV.

Okay, so I’m not terrible at the game, but I’m certainly no expert.  I bought the game at the request of my lovely partner who also likes to game, just not as much as me.  She likes fighting games; a genre that I have had little affinity for outside of the bloodstained Mortal Kombat series, which I’m actually quite good at.  We’ve been able to find a balance of sorts – she’ll pummel me with unbloodied swords and in turn I’ll rip her limbs off in a gory spectacle. 

It all works out rather well though I do, on occasion, express some minor concern with her preference in character: Tira.

For those that don’t have experience with the Soul Calibur series, Tira is a psychotic little thing with a deadly circular blade and multiple personalities.  Her voice is like nails on a chalk board. 

My girlfriend hates to fight Nightmare with her, so naturally he has become my weapon of choice as it were.  The battles have become epic.

While Soul Calibur has brought a healthy level of competition to our relationship, Resistance has brought cooperation to the forefront.

 I’ve always been a fan of co-op modes in games.  As the phrase goes, I work well with others, so being able to share this with my live in girlfriend was a real treat.  I bought Resistance a while ago when I bought my PS3 this past November.  It was actually my girlfriend that recommended that I pick it up in the first place, but it wasn’t until she moved in that we got a chance to play it.

Co-op can be taxing on a relationship in the beginning.  If there is no communication and each does their own thing then you are ultimately doomed to fail.  For example, if you don’t tell your girlfriend that you threw a grenade at the enemy while she’s charging in and she gets a face full of hedgehog, well, she’s going to be mad at you.  This may result in her hogging all the medkits when you only have one bar of health left.

It isn’t until you start working as a unit that the real fun really begins.  What started off as an awkward mess, ended up in a graceful dance of bullets and carnage.  I must say, we’re both very disappointed that Resistance 2 doesn’t include co-op, though it looks as though the third entry may fix that.

At the end of it all we have found new ways to have fun together, whether it be kicking the crap out of each other or by travelling through enemy infested territory as a solid unit.

The point is, choose your games wisely and they can actually add to your relationship.  Decide to play WoW all day and it may lead to its downfall.

Please feel free to add your stories in the comments section below.

Happy Gaming.


 

Comments

Super Step Contributing Writer

03/21/2013 at 09:35 AM

I more or less lived with my ex girlfriend and her roommate last summer, but the closest I got to dating a gamer was my ex girlfriend from last fall (her mom had a Wii we never were quite able to get working), so I've never lived with, or even been with a gamer as far as relationships. Then again, pretty much all of the girls I've dated were from when I was in college and after, and that's when I mostly stopped gaming because of expenses (my college jobs paid room, board, a stipend once I promoted, and in the summer I got paid in tips; plus, I had a sushi addiction, which can be expensive), so there ya go.

One thing I will tell you: give a girl who's playing for the first time a controller and/or quarter, depending on the setting, and I'll show you someone who will usually whip the ass of the guy bragging about his skills in the game and/or hogging the cabinet.

Matt Snee Staff Writer

03/21/2013 at 09:39 AM

never been in a relationship with a true gamer girl, but I've played with girlfriends before.  It's a lovely experience when you are so passionate about games.  

Jesse Miller Staff Writer

03/21/2013 at 11:23 AM

Since this we've moved - no more single bedroom apartment, huzzah! - and we've also completed Rayman Origins and played some LEGO Batman 2 together. 

natron

03/21/2013 at 04:20 PM

New Super Mario Bros. can expose the kind of person you are, deep down inside. It exposes all your greedy, self-preservationist tendencies and bares them to your fellow players. On the flip side, it can highlight your level of patience, cooperation and understanding. The fact that I am able to play NSMB Wii (and Wii U) with my wife and we work together symbiotically and compensate for each-others quirks and short comings actually says a lot about the strength of our relationship.

leeradical42

03/21/2013 at 11:49 AM

Well no problem for me my wife only plays games on her phone and as far as my 360 is concerned thats my girlfrein im cheating with my 360 lol so no happy medium there as long as my gaming doesnt interfere with our time its all good lol

Angelo Grant Staff Writer

03/21/2013 at 04:28 PM

This is exactly the kind of thing my wife would ask me to do too. I think she's saved like, every email I've sent her with anything mushy in it. Ever.

Also, Tira is awesome.

transmet2033

03/21/2013 at 04:44 PM

My wife always had videogames around when she was growing up.  She is not really a gamer, but she does love mario kart...  come on nintendo announce mario kart U.

Ranger1

03/22/2013 at 08:08 AM

I'm the serious gamer in the relationship. Jay likes game OK, but his preferred genre are strategy games. Although, he seems to have gotten into Pinball lately, and I might see if he wants to play Gears of War with me some evening.

Jamie Alston Staff Writer

03/22/2013 at 08:34 AM

It'd be nice if my wife would be into video gaming like I am. She's more into her little cell phone games. It's not the same though.
It's cool though...she makes up for it in other ways.

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