For most people with a hobby, finding someone else who enjoys it exactly as much as you do is rare. It seems there are always those who like it more than or less than you do, with few being right at your level of passion. I’ve been playing guitar for over 16 years, and despite living in different cities with different aged people of all instruments and playing styles, I rarely if ever find someone on my level who wants to play as frequently as I do. I’m a football fan, and I have friends who are fans of varying degrees. Some are the insane, scream-at-the-TV types, and others are very casual and only watch during playoffs.
In the video game arena, too, there are is a similar spectrum between the hardcore and the casual. The Xbox Live service has divided up video gamers into different categories just like these when you register for Live, to better help you find like-minded people to game with. I’ve come to the conclusion that those of us who call ourselves “gamers” have a spouse willing to play a game or two with us, albeit typically with much less frequency or length of time playing.
Aren't they romantic?
My wife grew up playing video games off and on. She loved the Mario series and even had a Game Boy at one point. Her favorites were GoldenEye and anything in the Mario Kart series. When she started dating me I moved her to WWF Wrestlemania 2000. It was easy as she was always on my team (one of her requirements for playing with me, about which I’ll address in a future article) and I could always bail her out (sometimes without her knowing!). Despite trying everything I tried, I soon found she never wanted to play as much or as long as I did. She was simply not that type of fan.