Video games are fun by yourself, but sometimes, video games make for a cooler experience when you get to share them with someone special.
Many video games on the market today are meant to be enjoyed with a friend. Games like Call of Duty, Fallout 76, and Star Wars: Battlefront II are multiplayer-driven games, and though they still have much to offer for solo gamers, they really are intended for online play.
To go even further, playing video games with your friends is cool, but playing online with your significant other is a whole new experience. Especially if you live separately, this can be a great way to bond and spend time together that is more than just texting or FaceTiming. When you play video games with your boo, you are given the chance to engage in some friendly cooperation or competition, communicate with each other in between playtime, and connect over something you both have a common love for.
Work as a Team, or Let Out Your Aggression (Virtually)
Many online game modes consist of opposing teams both vying for the same objective in order to win. In her article "Video Games and Relationships: A List of Pros and Cons," Julie Ellis highlights this kind of multiplayer gaming as a good way for couples to connect and spend time together. Ellis provides options for both cooperation and competition, describing how "couples with a bit of a competitive streak can play games against one another" with "a second alternative [being] that couples can team up together to defeat video games or play online games with one another."
If you and your partner are playing on the same team, this gives you the chance to work as a pair in order to achieve victory for your team. You are guaranteed to have at least one person on your team that has your back and that you can effectively communicate discoveries, dangers, triumphs, and losses to. Being able to work together and problem-solve is a skill needed in all relationships, and developing this skill virtually leaves the potential for its translation into reality.
Conversely, everyone loves a little friendly competition. When you’re going at it from opposing sides, friendly banter, teasing, challenging, and tension can ensue, and this can be a lot of fun. Plus, if you’re annoyed with your partner, I guarantee you’ll at least feel a little better taking them out on the battlefield a few times as you play through a match.
No Awkward Silences During Loading Times
Multiplayer games are known for their rather long load times as the map is constructed and the players are dumped in the game according to their internet speeds. If you’re connected to your partner through a headset or even just sharing the couch, you can fill this time by talking about your days, about the game, about current issues you’re both struggling with in life, etc. as you wait for the next match to begin. These times force you to communicate with each other. If you can block out a half hour to an hour for video games a couple times a week, you will at least have some guaranteed time where you know you will be able to talk.
Common Interests Bring People Closer Together
Whether you both really, really love Star Wars, or you just really like playing video games, you are bonding over something that makes you both happy. Finding common interests early on in a budding relationship can critically form the foundation for the rest of its course, as this gives you things to talk about, allowing you both to get engaged and interested in conversation.
Sandra Grauschopf points out how, "unlike people who meet through dating sites, people who game together know that they have interests in common right off the bat" in her piece "I Found Love in an Online Game." Therefore, the earlier this particular shared interest is discovered, the better! It gives you an activity you can do together that you both will love, and it will not be long before the two of you are having a blast together.
I am not saying that you should base your ideal partner off of whether or not they play video games, nor that introducing gaming together is always going to be a good thing for every single relationship. It truly depends on the relationship and each of the interests and personalities of both parties that comprise it.
However, if you both do happen to enjoy gaming here and there, it would not at all be a bad idea to try to incorporate it into your dynamic. Not only does it give you a new medium to interact through, but it provides you the opportunity to make more meaningful connections and memories that will soon be precious to both of you.