Fancy a Mario date tonight?
Staying close to your partner can take some effort. Here's an unusual way to factor some fun into your marriage...
I know people who are worried that if you get married you’ll fall ‘out of love’. I can understand that. Married life can feel mundane sometimes – what with bills, work, and all the boringness of everyday life. So how can you keep the romance alive, or at least not petrify as a couple when you’ve been together for a while?
I think most of the things Kath and I have discovered to be good ‘relationship-boosters’, we’ve discovered by accident. It’s not as if we’ve ever thought ‘We need to keep the romance alive’ but there are things we find help. One is computer games. Weird, hey?
We make a good team
Usually playing computer games is a ‘man thing’ which women put up with. I know I’m generalizing, but generally this is true. However a proper co-op computer game can be a fun husband-wife time too. Being Nintendo fans, we make a good team in Super Mario Kart Double Dash (She drives, I shoot), and Super Mario Smash Football (I pass, she bodychecks opponents) and recently we’ve been teaming up on Lego Star Wars II (I’m Han Solo, she’s Chewbacca – draw your own conclusions).
And apart from being annoyed when my Wookiee sidekick excitedly shoots me in the back, the co-op gaming is fun. We get a sense of achievement when we complete a level, or win a race together.
Side by side
I think that’s a key to staying close – are you focused on the same aim? Whether it’s a computer game or a cause you’re passionate about, having to work together on something, and rely on each other, means you continually learn things about each other. For example, learning how vicious Kath is on the Nintendo football pitch has made me quite cautious about playing real-world sports with her!
There’s another important aspect too, and that’s sitting side-by-side. Have you ever noticed that some of the best conversations you have are when you’re traveling in a car? There’s something about sitting alongside each other which frees you up in conversation; possibly when you aren’t facing each other, talking feels less confrontational.
Factor in the fun times
And finally, of course, one of the main points of playing computer games is that it’s fun (at least when you’re winning!)
Personally I think ‘relationships experts’ don’t put enough emphasis on having fun together as a couple. You can talk about what’s bothering you as much as you want, but the net result is you both feel miserable when you’ve both said your piece. Deciding to waste a couple of hours wasting Koopa Troopers together should cheer both of you up a bit!
Okay, realistically, playing a computer game isn’t going to resolve all your problems if you feel you have serious problems in your relationship. But it is important to do fun things together, and factor fun into your schedule. Otherwise married life can become a drag and you can find yourself growing apart. So, if you feel you don’t have enough fun with your other half, perhaps you need to plan an evening on the PlayStation or the Wii?
Like Mario and Princess Toadstool, you could have a great adventure together.
Written by Kev Kennedy. Posted on 7th May.
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