How Playing Online Video Games Can Help Your Marriage
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games like World
of Warcraft have been cited in several divorces in
recent years. Now a study out of Brigham Young University attempts to look at
what effect, exactly, MMORPGs can have on a marriage.
Researchers identified
349 couples, then asked both spouses detailed questions about game habits and
marital satisfaction. (Caveat: This study looked only at heterosexual couples.)
They then divided the couples into two groups: those in which both spouses
gamed, and those in which only one played.
Some
of the results are not terribly surprising: In couples where only one
person—usually the husband—gamed, there tended to be higher marital
dissatisfaction. Seventy to 75 percent of these couples said that gaming had
hurt their marriages. This negative effect was particularly pronounced when the
gaming spouse picked up the habit after the marriage, suggesting that if a wife
sees her husband and his game as package deal before saying “I do,” it may be
less damaging to a relationship.
Professor
Neil R. Lundberg says in a BYU press release, “It’s
not the hours that make a difference. It’s really what it does to the
relationship—whether or not it creates conflict and quarreling over the game.”
The study also notes that one key predictor of marital happiness is whether a
couple heads to bed at the same time. Since gamers usually log lots of hours at
night, couples in which only one spouse played tended not to go to sleep
together.
Perhaps
more interesting, though, is the results regarding couples that game together.
According to the study, 76 percent of respondents from the “both game” group
“reported that MMORPG playing had a positive effect on their marriages.” Part
of the benefit came from interacting, via their avatars, within the online
world. But! The positive effect was much more pronounced when the husband and
wife did not belong to the same guild, clan, or group. The researchers note,
“Being in the same group with individuals of significantly different ability
levels may lead to potential conflicts and poor performance as a group.” So if
the husband is a much more skilled World of Warcraft player, he may become
frustrated with his wife’s mistakes, and she may resent his resentment. Sharing
the hobby, but not depending on each other for in-game performance, was the
ideal combination.
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