Gaming and your Significant Other

[alsih2o]

The first two years of my marriage my wife knew I used to game.

The next 4 and half I gamed weekly (nearly weekly, real life and all) and she showed the same level of interest she shows in all other things that were "me" things. She wsn't into target shooting but she ws proud when I improved. She wasn't into identifying mosses and molds in the woods but she asked good questions if I pointed somehting out. And when I gamed she asked how it went and had a roung idea of where th plot was. ("Did you make the giant guys leave the snowy valley fort place?")

Then, a co-worker of hers was asking about the hobby and she explained how it was part storytelling, part game and part BSing with my friends.

Co-worker says "So, it si like poker night, just as much about socialization as about the game?"

She arranged for he and his wife to come out and run a short module. We played twice as a group and she has now been with my regilar gaming group for thirteen months.

We saw some topiary in a documentary we wre watching the other day. Later, when we were driving, I aksed her "If we could only have 1 shaped bush in the yard, what animal or thing would you want to have?"

"Hmmm," she said. "a dragon."



Sooooooooooooooo cool.

 

[squat45]

Now she games

Been married 10 years this coming July... the first 2 years she HATED!!!!! me gaming, even so much as to try to sabotage the game (all my files, etc. - I didn't know at the time). Then, she was talking to one of her teachers in College (a religion professor at a religious school nevertheless) and he explained the game to her in a whole new light (as he and his kids played). She asked to sit in the next time and has played ever since.

We have a family and she has thought of dropping out, but she keeps coming back - and she is one of the better players in the game and gets frustrated when others do "stupid things" in the game - so she is a true convert.

 

[Quickbeam]

My lovely wife really has no interest in gaming, and insofar as it doesn't cause me to thoroughly neglect her or our children, she's fine with the hobby. Truth be told, her only gripe is that there are sessions where the time gets away from me and I return home later than if I'd gone out to local clubs or barhopping.

All in all, though, she is quite supportive. She has prepared snacks (and the occasional meal) for sessions I've hosted; she's cool with me going to GenCon every year; doesn't have a problem with me attending Gamedays as long as she gets days to herself in return; and happens to like most of my gaming buddies.

 

[TheEvil]

I need a "They know but just don't get it" option.

If your SO knows you are gaming, they are either okay with it or they aren't.
Unless of course you would care to expand on what you mean by 'They don't get it.'

 

[nakia]

My wife knows, does not game, but is supportive of my hobby. She knows it makes me happy, so it is important to her for that reason.

 

[punkorange]

I could not understand hiding something that is as much a part of my life as gaming is from my wife. That being said my wife knows I game weekly, sometimes more. She doesn't presently game with me but has before. She is actually thinking of getting into a new game with us, and that makes me proud.

 

[Sado]

She knows and thinks it's dumb.

(Just like I think her fashion magazines, 40 pairs of shoes, and $400 purses are dumb)

 

[The Shaman]

I managed to get my wife to play d20 Modern by tapping her interest in shows like The X-Files, Millenium, and Alias, and she's enjoyed it very much - right up until I killed her character a couple of weeks ago.

:\

This is her first character death - she's not taking it well.

 

[Evilhalfling]

Nine years of marriage and she listens to and helps develop plots, occasionally plays oneshots but not campaigns, and loves reading KoDT.

she gets frustrated with my obession sometimes.
I couldn't imagine marrying someone who disapproved of the hobby.

 

[AIM-54]

My girlfriend knows about it, but doesn't play. She's sat through two of my SR sessions and parts of one D&D session. She doesn't really like fantasy and thus thinks D&D is silly (as well as having magic in SR), but she has expressed some interest in playing SR, so I'm working on the conversion.