Gaming With My Girl

Did you know playing board games with your significant other can release the feel-good bonding hormone? I didn’t. But I think it’s true. And now I wonder, what about video games?

You can read the intriguing article over at Geek and Sundry:

Couples who play board games together release love hormones Baylor study finds.

Basically, the study showed increased love hormone levels between men and women when playing board games together. Who knew!?

Anecdotally, this makes sense. When my wife and I were dating before we were married (I specify that because we still date in marriage!), we played board games together a lot (Mastermind. She usually won. All the time). I’d say it helped us bond as a couple, having fun together.

We even once planned to collect board games for fun in our marriage, like a hobby for the two of us to share! (Is that geeky or what?)

I enjoy my wife and our time together most when we are playful or adventurous. So again, the board-game-love-hormone connection seems to play into it.

But what about video games?

My wife and I also played Nintendo games together a lot when we were newlyweds. Now, 17 years later, we’re doing it again. This time, we either watch each other playing Zelda or we visit each other’s towns in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

I think the key factors in the love-hormone release are physical presence together plus verbal interaction over the gaming experience. Discussing rules or strategy and engaging in friendly competition or cooperation are also factors at play (see what I did there?).

Well, I’ll just say it, “I’m game!”

If bonding together with my lovely wife means I first get to play more games with her, count me in – win! Maybe it’s like fore-foreplay.

I must also note, the Geek and Sundry article linked above was published on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day. On that very same day is when I gave my wife a gift: a Nintendo New 2DS XL and the game Animal Crossing: New Leaf!

What games do you play with your significant other?