World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade News

For:PC Release Date: 16 January 2007

Online gaming linked to marital dissatisfaction

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70 per cent of couples negatively affected by games.

World of Warcraft screenshot

Online gaming has been linked to marital dissatisfaction, according to a recent study by Brigham Young University.

The study states that 70 to 75 per cent of couples in which only one partner plays games are negatively affected by gaming.

However 76 per cent of couples who play games together and have similar skill levels are said to have more marital satisfaction than other groups tested.

The survey is based on gamers with an average age of 33, who play World of Warcraft. 84 per cent of those who play alone were male, averaging 17.89 hours a week of play time.

VideoGamer.com Analysis

So if your wife refuses to raid you can now blame HER for your future divorce!

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thedanyrand's Avatar

thedanyrand

Clockpunk nailed it. You can do a study like this for pretty much anything and find these results. Any hobby you have that your significant other doesnt will at some point be either an annoyance or problem. How big the problem gets its due to the people involved much more than the hobby itself.
Posted 19:55 on 16 February 2012
Bloodstorm's Avatar

Bloodstorm

Here's the thing, she made my WoW addiction seem like a casual session, her game collection was impressive, much more than mine. My only vice in gaming was my Virtua Fighter 5 online.....it WAS the only game that got me that excited i couldn't help but get passionate, IF ANY OF YOU TAKE THAT THE WRONG WAY........but yea, i'm over that now, this one not only likes my Street Fighting.....SHE ENCOURAGES IT!


But yea, point is, gaming had nothing to do with it.

As Cody would say in Ultra 1, if it hits......


JACKPOT!!!!!!!
Posted 18:26 on 16 February 2012
Clockpunk's Avatar

Clockpunk@ Bloodstorm

That's the thing - gaming is becoming increasingly integrated into the lives of a teadily growing amount of people, and so pseudo-'scientists' will always try to link it to any social development they can think of - the phrase "can't see the woods for the trees", springs to mind. ;)
Posted 18:22 on 16 February 2012
Bloodstorm's Avatar

Bloodstorm

Nah, it's all good.

I wish people would put the blame on the real factors instead of making a scapegoat out of gaming.
Posted 18:18 on 16 February 2012
draytone's Avatar

draytone

Sore subject?
Posted 18:17 on 16 February 2012
Bloodstorm's Avatar

Bloodstorm

I'd much rather blame my ex-best friend for my break up.
Posted 18:16 on 16 February 2012
draytone's Avatar

draytone

I could totally understand why it would affect relationships, but there will always be an underlying problem that's caused the rift. Gaming is most likely to be an escape from the relationship.
Posted 18:10 on 16 February 2012
Endless's Avatar

Endless

Fact of the matter is, if it wasnt video games, it'd be something else. The relationships that struggled to flourish under these circumstances would have gradually grew apart over time anyway.

It's all about balance, you can both have wildly different interests and hobbies, but as long as you regularly take time to be together and understand and appreciate why each other has such interests. Thats what a healthy relationship is: Sharing and enjoying the time you spend together while allowing your partner time to be themselves, as they do you.

I know several girls that LOVE the fact that their partner spends hours on Battlefield or SWTOR because it means they can catch up on all the TV programs. But they still make time to be together as well. Balance.
Posted 16:53 on 16 February 2012
EverTheOptimist's Avatar

EverTheOptimist

Agree completely with Clockpunk. I have a mate who loves restoring cars and has just built a bigger garage at their house. He really enjoys it but it's not a quick and easy hobby - it takes months and months of long hours. His girlfriend, understandably, isn't always happy about this.

I work a 9-5, Monday to Friday and I realistically spend 14 hours a week playing games (1.5 hours of a weekday evening, 3.5 hours a day at weekends). I have a girlfriend, no kids and no pets (as yet) and always balance my time properly. My girlfriend likes games on her iPhone but she also enjoys watching me play certain games when she likes the story (Alan Wake, LA Noire), so she has no problem with gaming at all, for which I'm grateful!
Posted 16:46 on 16 February 2012
Clockpunk's Avatar

Clockpunk

Brilliant analysis! :D

But joking aside, time for a critical analysis of the experiment synopsis: it seems to suffer the same 'attention-grabbing' distortion that most 'studies' of its ilk suffer from - namely the exact same results could be applied to any hobby or interest with which an amount of time is spent on a daily basis. The exact same could be said of a devotion to classic car resoration, amateur ham radio operation, or any number of enthusiams. The lab report intonates that it is not the games themselves that are the issue, but the outlying issues associated with a higher-than-expected amount of time spent pursuing the interest - but is perfectly content with expressly suggesting the effects are solely down to the game, Game, GAME!!!

... oh wait, its only the Journal of 'Health Sciences'. That explains a lot.
Posted 15:06 on 16 February 2012