Despite negative effects shared experiences are good for couples

Mar 9, 2012 20:01 GMT  ·  By

A new study from the Brigham Young University has suggested that those couples who play video games together are able to strengthen their relationship although there are also a number of negative side effects linked to the activity.

The study has surveyed 349 heterosexual couples, selecting only those who had at least one member, either male or female, who was engaged with massive multiplayer online role-playing games, like World of Warcraft and its ilk.

Those included in the study had an average age of 33 and had a marriage that lasted for an average of seven days.

75 percent of those couples in which only one member was engaged with MMOs reported that they had an adverse effect, with the main complaints from the other partner being: a reduction in the amount of time spent together, conversations that were trivialized and an interruption in sleep patterns.

But when the couples played the games together 76% of them reported positive overall effects on their relationship although some of the negative effects were also reported and had an impact.

Neil Lundberg, who is one of the researchers working at the Brigham Young University on the study stated, “Particularly when husbands are heavy gamers, it clearly has a negative impact on their marriages.”

The study has also found that men are more engaged with MMO titles than women, with 84 percent of the men playing in the couples that had just one gamer and the male partner playing more than the woman when the couples were both engaged in 73% of the cases.

Lundberg added that the communication mechanics of the couple mattered when gaming impact was evaluated, “It’s not the hours that make a difference. It’s really what it does to the relationship – whether or not it creates conflict and quarrelling over the game.”