UO Thursday!

JNBrickey

I want to play.

On Tuesday when Modern Warfare 3 came out a girl I used to work with and that I've stayed in loose contact with since posted a FB status along the lines of "I'm so glad my husband doesn't care about video games and would rather spend time with me!"

Maybe it's unpopular but that totally rubbed me the wrong way.  My DH no longer plays video games at home, but sometimes when we visit my parents he'll play with my brother over there. . . and even if he wanted to play at home sometimes, it just wouldn't bother me.  It's a hobby for some people, not an obsession and I just read the status as "I'm so glad my husband doesn't have hobbies and would rather spend time with me!"  I mean, this woman's husband goes golfing without her.  Same thing, isn't it?  I love to read a book and would wanna punch DH if he said "I wish you wouldn't care about books and would rather spend time with me."  It doesn't have to be either or, right?

Thank you, UO Thursday, for allowing me to vent.

CanuckFan03

Haha! My DH plays sometimes (SIGNIFICANTLY less since LO came), but I don't mind it too much. Then I get time to bump, Facebook, surf the net. Your friend sounds like she thinks video games means hours and hours at a time?

aerotigergirl

That's just what I was thinking... It seems like there is a stereotype that men who play video games are all obsessed with them, and don't do anything else.

It sounds like your friend buys this stereotype hook, line and sinker. She also seems a little insecure, maybe. Like she's trying to point out to the world how awesome her marriage is and how much her DH loves her? Seems a bit desperate, imho.

Athena0809

aerotigergirl:

That's just what I was thinking... It seems like there is a stereotype that men who play video games are all obsessed with them, and don't do anything else.

It sounds like your friend buys this stereotype hook, line and sinker. She also seems a little insecure, maybe. Like she's trying to point out to the world how awesome her marriage is and how much her DH loves her? Seems a bit desperate, imho.

This. I have to admit I kind of believe that stereotype, only because all I've seen (some of DH's friends, my cousin's DH, my brother a few years back) is the guy with the controller in his hands, headphones on talking to some guy in Japan he's playing with, all this for hours and hours.

But I understand some "hobbies" are not much different, for example DH is into Fantasy Football and could be on the computer for up to two hours! So how is that different than playing a video game, right? So I get what the OP is saying. It's just that IMO video games seem a little childish, and I am glad DH doesn't like them at all because the men I've met that play video games spend hundreds a month, while fantasy football costs $40 to play for the season

McAllie5

DH and I both really love video games, and we used to play them all the time. I won't lie, I have on occasion spent 8 hours playing in a row. But the last time I did that I was newly married, unemployed, and a brand new game had come out.

Since DS came along, DH has barely played any games, and when he does it doesn't bother me. (I haven't either, for the record!)

Yes, I have met the "stereotypical gamer guys". I had a lot of friends like that in college. There's a huge spectrum there, and yes there are people who spend hundreds each month on games, and then there are people (like DH and I) who save up and maybe buy 1-2 games a year, if that, and they're $40-60 each. There's a huge range. I think this is true for a lot of hobbies. 

To the OP, a hobby is a hobby, and I think everyone should have some outlet for some personal time. I would have been a little upset by the FB status, too.