I love when stories like this hit the internet. According to a poll by an online UK discount site MyVoucherCodes (now that’s credibility if I’ve ever seen it), one in five women have kicked their partner to the curb for an overindulgence in gaming or surfing the web. The “research” goes further by stating 80% of women believe their significant other spends too much time gaming and 70% cited it as a cause for arguments. On the other side, 72% of men felt their better halves were on the internet too much, but only 6% thought it was grounds for walking out the door. And what game was blamed for the most conflicts? You guessed it: Call of Duty.
Oh, boy. In all honesty, I tend to climb on top of a soapbox fairly quickly when discussing things of this nature, so I will try to temper my opinion and keep it simple. I am a firm believer in the concept of moderation. In the course of my life, I have burrowed into the world of one game or another a little bit too much and negatively affected things around me. Nowadays, while still doing a lot of gaming, I try to not retreat into my “dark place.” That said, I see no difference between gaming and any other form of entertainment (on purely an individual’s interest level). It irks me that many people who criticize gamers for spending too much time playing games think nothing of spending five hours a night, every night, watching television or cruising Facebook.
Moral of the story: Don’t neglect the important people and things in your life. Unless they annoy you. Then it’s alright to tell them “the monsters won’t kill themselves” before unsheathing your virtual sword.
Source: VG247
Photo: Steve Wampler
