Could CoD: Advanced Warfare be a marriage killer like its previous brethren? Interestingly enough, more and more people are reporting that games like Call Of Duty are the primary reason for their relationship ending.
In a related report by The Inquisitr , the CoD: Advanced Warfare PS4 version is already being claimed to the “definitive” edition that even the developers themselves prefer. Regardless of the PS4 vs. Xbox One battle, some gamers have noticed how the new Call Of Duty seems to be borrowing heavily from Titanfall and other games.
Video games ending marriages is not exactly a new trend. For example, there’s a website called Online Gamers Anonymous which claims to “assist in recovery from the problems caused by excessive game playing, whether it be computer, video, console, or on-line.” In their forums, you’ll find wives who complain about Call Of Duty bros neglecting their partners, kids, and jobs, sometimes spending six hour every day playing.
A 2010 study cited both World Of Warcraft and Call Of Duty as the main marriage killer, with the number of divorce filings claiming gaming as the number one reason jumping from five to 15 percent just in recent years. In a 2011 survey of 721 Japanese women, video games were found to be the fourth most common reason for ending a marriage. Based on a recent Bob & Sheri chat over a relationship-ending survey, gaming in general, and Call of Duty in particular, is ending more and more marriages, reaching the top five reasons which include more common reasons like adultery and finances. As Bob put it, a “father’s call of duty is to take care of his kids, not play that stupid game.”
Even some of the guys admit that their gaming habits affected their marriage. For example, Rob Morris , a Senior Editor at gaming and entertainment website, claimed gaming played a role in getting divorced after 10 years of marriage:
“Gaming created quite a bit of turmoil in my marriage because I am not a TV watcher and she was. I can’t say that video games had nothing to do with it because I am certain that her resentment of my time in gamer-land pushed things along but I knew the marriage was going to end anyway.”
All in all, the common thread among gamers who make their marriage work is that they do not let their hobbies dominate their relationship with misplaced priorities. Hobbies will not always overlap and if you’re going to spend an excessive amount of time playing CoD: Advanced Warfare (as we all plan to), then it’s probably wise to schedule it for when your spouse is also doing a hobby you don’t like yourself. For example, my own wife loves Mario Kart and we’ll play that together, but she hates first person shooters so I’ll play Titanfall when she’s not at home. But you should also try to find a common hobby that you both enjoy.
This advice is not only for the guys, though. I do know of at least one couple where the girl loves Halo and is looking forward to CoD: Advanced Warfare, whereas the guy finds it all boring. Male gamers might be surprised to find out that Infinity Ward claims female Call Of Duty players comprise 25 percent of all multiplayer gamers . According to a study by the Entertainment Software Association called 2013 Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry, 45 percent of gamers are women and they make up 46 percent of the most habitual video game purchasers. The ESA also found that adult women represent 31 percent of the video game population and boys 17 and under make up only 19 percent of gamers.
How do you keep your gaming habit from negatively affecting your marriage?
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