The New York Times was the last news publication I expected to run into a story on “How to Date a Video Gamer.” Of course, the first thing that ran across my mind was Kate Hudson’s character in “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” who covers the “How To” beat for a magazine.
OK, “Andie Anderson,” how do I date a video gamer?
Here’s the secret: Play video games, too. I laughed hysterically at the initial message.
I can’t say that I’ve ever dated an avid gamer, but I do have a brother who was beyond obsessed in his younger days and I have quite a few guy friends. So I think I have some expertise in the subject matter.
Men enjoy video games. It’s yet another one of those “boys will be boys” facts of life.
According to the Times, a recent study found that when men play video games, a part of the brain is activated that involves feelings of reward and addiction. OK, I get that.
In an effort to bond with my brother, or to not be left out when I was hanging with the boys, I had to adapt to a guy’s way of life and sometimes that meant playing video games and other things (like loud belches and crude jokes).
My first video game experience was with Sega at my grandmother’s when I was eight years old. I only played for my brothers’ amusement as he beat the crap out of me with his superb hand-eye coordination, while I was still trying to figure it out. Eventually I got the hang of it and I started to enjoy playing “Mortal Kombat.”
When the first “Harry Potter” video game came out I was glued to the PlayStation for hours at a time. My most recent bout with video games was a few years ago when I inherited this cheap little game controller you just plug into your TV set, with a wide selection of arcade games to choose from.
I hate to admit it, but I was totally addicted to “Super Mario Bros.” and “Pacman.”
Women can become addicted to video games just as easily as guys. Once you start you just can’t stop, especially if you’re the kind of person who has to finish what you started.
The Times illustrated this point featuring a couple who got so wrapped up in video games that relationship productivity was lost and they eventually had to quit playing cold-turkey.
The way I see it, you have two options when it comes to dating a gamer: Become a gamer yourself or deal with it. Becoming a gamer to please somebody else would not be advisable.
So if you’re dating a video gamer and you don’t like it, deal with it. He’ll make time for you soon enough.
Niki Payne is a senior journalism major, an assistant city editor and a columnist for the Daily Forty-Niner.
