Spare a thought for the gaming widows

Christmas – a time for love, sharing and dropping some ever so slight hints to your boyfriend that you would really like some more jewellery from Pandora.

However, as the season sales begin, so do the video game releases, with Black Ops 3, Fallout 4, Halo 5 and Fifa 16 all being recently release. So while you’re “just window shopping” this year, spare a thought for a gaming widow, because if your boyfriend waits until he’s respawning on COD to reply to your Christmas demands, he’s not a problem. But if you walk up to him wearing nothing but a g-string and a smile and he still doesn’t respond, you may have to don some black and join the club instead.

Just smash it

The gaming widow can be caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, she knows her boyfriend’s loyalty hasn’t faltered – he’d have had to leave his room and talk to someone for that to have happened. On the other hand though, she can’t help but feel she’s come second. Not to another girl or bromance or even his mother – but to a game.

Rob and Charl

Game free and happy as can be

“It’s not just a game, it’s like watching a movie in which you are involved”, says Psychology fresher, Rob Sheridan. The Fallout fan, who was awake all Wednesday following the game’s 12am release, said: “You get drawn into the story. It’s more interactive.”

Luckily, he still has his priorities in check and says that if his house were on fire, he would save his girlfriend first. He quickly added: “But I’d go back for the PC.”

Rob even snuck off to game once when he and Charl were visiting his nan. He said he was going upstairs to check a few email but after an hour the pair became increasingly concerned. They went upstairs to see where he’d gone – he was 40 minutes into a game. He didn’t even notice them walk into the room until they pulled his headphones off.

Really? You brought it to bed?

After a fortnight of seeing him talk to his game more than you, it can be tempting to turn into a bunny boiler and put a fist through the screen. However, not only is this a short-term relief, but it’s also going to cause a major rift in your relationship and possibly your bank account if he decides to take it further. Luckily, all gamers have to come back from the dead at some point.

Mike and Loretta

Lorretta Eley, studying art in her final year, said: “[My boyfriend] obsesses quite often, he’s still going on about the new Fallout game.”

She reckons this obsession could last until after Christmas, when he is able to play the game properly. But after nearly two and a half years together, this seasoned gaming widow has learnt to take her boyfriend’s phases in her stride. Loretta said: “I used to get annoyed. Now I’m okay, as it’s who he is, gaming is just part of his personality.”

The art student says she’s learned to make use of these phases to take notes of games he may like for birthdays and Christmases. When asked what advice she would give to other gaming widows, she said: “It’s good to try and join in, it’s kind of brought us closer together and I can understand his gaming phases better.”

Though the gaming boyfriend has his flaws, what really matters is that when he shuts down his console, you once again become number one. If the relationship is a good one, you should be able to pursue your own hobbies, as well as take an interest in his. Who knows, maybe if you play a few rounds of his favourite game, he’ll do something you like. Like taking you shopping. For jewellery. In Pandora.