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Co-Op Couples: How Much is Too Much?

Can you ever have too much co-op?

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For most people with a hobby, finding someone else who enjoys it exactly as much as you do is rare. It seems there are always those who like it more than or less than you do, with few being right at your level of passion. I’ve been playing guitar for over 16 years, and despite living in different cities with different aged people of all instruments and playing styles, I rarely if ever find someone on my level who wants to play as frequently as I do. I’m a football fan, and I have friends who are fans of varying degrees. Some are the insane, scream-at-the-TV types, and others are very casual and only watch during playoffs.

In the video game arena, too, there are is a similar spectrum between the hardcore and the casual. The Xbox Live service has divided up video gamers into different categories just like these when you register for Live, to better help you find like-minded people to game with. I’ve come to the conclusion that those of us who call ourselves “gamers” have a spouse willing to play a game or two with us, albeit typically with much less frequency or length of time playing.


Aren't they romantic?

My wife grew up playing video games off and on. She loved the Mario series and even had a Game Boy at one point. Her favorites were GoldenEye and anything in the Mario Kart series. When she started dating me I moved her to WWF Wrestlemania 2000. It was easy as she was always on my team (one of her requirements for playing with me, about which I’ll address in a future article) and I could always bail her out (sometimes without her knowing!). Despite trying everything I tried, I soon found she never wanted to play as much or as long as I did. She was simply not that type of fan.



 
Reads: 5134
 
Author
James "justabaldguy" Wyatt
Guest Author

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CosmicChameleon
11:52 AM
4/26/2012

This article rings very true for what I've seen with almost every couple I come across in all walks of life, in regards to most things... couples don't usually share the EXACT same level of passion in regards to anything. And thus, they are always compromising on who's hobby they spend time on next, etc etc etc...

This is why I consider myself one of the luckiest men alive! My gorgeous wife and I share practically the exact same level of passion in regards to EVERYTHING we do! And gaming is no exception! My wife is literally almost ON PAR with me when it comes to any and all video games we play... and let me tell you, we play a LOT! To give you an example, my wife can easily hold her own in L4D2's Expert Realism mode! (And that's just the icing on the cake!)
Oh, and when it comes to HOW LONG she want's to play video games... let's just say that we've been able to game for HOURS on end, only stopping when we both could not keep our eyes open any longer!!

So yeah, we are definitely that rare gem of a couple who share the same level of passion in everything we do. And it certainly doesn't stop with just gaming. We go to the gym together; we love the same movies, TV shows, and music; we love the same foods; we even love to just sit and chat with each other about the meaning of life! Everything we do, we do it together and with equal passion!

Bow down! ;-P LOL


CosmicChameleon
11:54 AM
4/26/2012

P.S. I also just got my wife into snowboarding this past winter! And now she is as into snowboarding as I have been for years! WOOT!! =D


Treadstone71
12:30 PM
4/26/2012

For me it was a matter of finding the right types of games

Money and Clothing.

Any third Person CRPG (MMO or local Co-op) that lets you collect money, loot, and buy clothes, my wife will play with me for hours on end. I knew I was in good when, one middle of the night, after an all day Diablo II session, she started talking in her sleep and saying "Wait! Wait! Woah - Look at all those items!!"

I got her into Matrix Online and we were playing for several days when she started having inventory issues. I slid over to see what could possibly be the problem, only to realize that she was keeping every piece of clothing she picked up - even the ones that didn't grant any Buffs or Duffs! It took me about 10 minutes to get through to her that she needed to ditch all the "White Level" clothing. I still laugh to this day over that.


igrat22
5:46 PM
4/26/2012

Depends on if the wife was a gamer before the husband. I am the wifey in my group but I was a gamer long before I met my hubby. We have tons of co-op games we play together. We have got thru many a Dynasty Warriors game and for anyone familiar with the tital it is hours upon hours of hack and slash(love me some Lu Bu). We also have our seprate games but 90% of the time we like to play together. Which is why I love the co-optimus site. Has helped us find new titles to play.


Biohzrd451
7:24 AM
4/27/2012

Very good article. My wife doesn't game nearly as much as she use to and we are lucky when we can squeeze in an hour of play together but when we do I savor every moment of it because I have someone to joke around with who is in the same room.


justabaldguy
5:30 PM
4/27/2012

@CosmicChameleon I do indeed bow before you!

@Treadstone71 I'm still looking for the right game, but I think for her the more casual the better. Plants vs Zombies is good for her, though again she'll be ready to call it quits before me!

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Total Comments: 6

Release Date: 02.15.2005
Genre: FPS
ESRB: Teen

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