How to Survive in a WoW marriage:

I have seen several great posts describing how to get your significant other ‘hooked’ on the game. However, I haven’t seen many that describe what you need to know after you succeed.

Being in a WoW relationship has several advantages, such as:

1-They will forgive unwashed laundry, dirty dishes and a messy office with the following sentence, “Honey, I have to go to Kara tonight and the raid starts at 6.”
2-They give you epics as presents. My husband gave me my first epic staff as an anniversary present. I loved it.
3-Are willing to help you grind.
4-Are willing to help you farm.
5-Will /cheer for you when you get that epic crossbow.
6-Totally understands how painful “liver” quests are.
7-Thinks a weekend playing WoW is better than date night.
8-Has no problems ogling your toon.
9-Can solidify your relationship as you both kill horde
10-Nothing beats when someone asks my husband how his wife handles his WoW addiction,” Bre’s my wife,"he laughs. /shock on other end. Me /pride.

I love playing WoW, but, playing with him, is amazing. I am sure if I didn’t, I would be a WoW widow. I understand why WoW widows feel so much anger towards the game. I completely get it and to all those WoW widows out there, I am sorry.

However, since that is a mute point in my house, here are a few things YOU do need to do if you are successful in hooking your partner

Get their own account immediately.
I can not stress this enough. I never intended to get hooked. Before WoW, I really never played any games, with the exception of Gabriel Knight, and did not think of myself as a gamer. I bought the game as a birthday present and one night, while bored at home I logged in and started a toon. I got hooked.

Hard.

This of course poised a serious problem because Luis and I both wanted to play and we only had one system at the time. Which leads me to my second, equally , if not more important, point:

Get another computer immediately.
If you do not have second system, DO NOT attempt to get your partner hooked. It is very cruel to hook them on the game and have both of you fighting over the system. If you want to hook them, make sure you have another system ready for use or have the means to buy/build one. Luis made me suffer for 4 months before we got a new system. That was a dark time. We don’t like to talk about it.

Make sure to respect their newbiness.
They are not going to know anything about the game. You are their guide, their light, don’t be a jerk and leave them in a lurch (haha rhyme). Take time to explain everything to them when they ask. Be ready for those, “how can you NOT understand that!” moments. They will be plentiful and WILL test your patience. This will teach you how to work as a team and how to persevere over obstacles.

Like GMW suggested, roll an alt to help them out.
You could power-level them, but really, that removes all the learning pains everyone should go through with the game. By powerleveling you may think you are helping them, but in fact you are making it harder. Everyone has run across that Warrior who didn’t know what Charge was, or that Mage who didn’t know what Sheep did. Let them suffer, it will make them stronger and they will learn their class. You are there to wipe up the blood and hold their hands. Be willing to helping them out when the frustration become too much. Remember, this is a game and it is suppose to be fun.

Do not allow the game to overtake your lives.
When you are the only WoW player in the relationship, this is easier to manage, because when your non-WoW player partner is breathing down your neck, and threatening bodily harm, you know it is time to log. However, when you partner is just as happy as you are to spend all day slaughtering murlocs, this becomes harder. Make sure to take time for yourselves outside of the game. Make date nights that don’t involve WoW. Go to the movies. Cuddle. You know what I mean. It is a great deal of fun to play together, but you are separated by space and desks. Make sure you make time for that ‘connection’ you got together for. After all, that is one of the fringe benefits for being in a relationship. Don’t give it up.

Do not allow in-game accomplishments to fester ill-feelings.
You may not think it, but it can happen. I have seen it. Been guilty of it at times. My husband and I are competitive. Not intensely, but just enough. Remember, it is all pixels, even if we do put a great deal of effort towards them. You will have enough to fight about, a game shouldn’t be one of them.

Have fun with each other.
Luis and I have found that WoW has strengthen our relationship in many ways. We have developed a secret language of sort, one only other WoW players understand. We laugh more. I am less serious. He is more playful. All very good times.

These are simply guidelines, but as someone who is in a WoW relationship, they have served me well. May they do the same for you.