When the relationship is still young and fresh some gamers may only admit to “playing the occasional video game” when their passion for games actually extends way further than that. To help you distinguish the casual players from the hardcore gamers, here are some sure fire signs that you may just be dating a gamer:
1. He wears weird t-shirts with cartoon characters on them
If your date rocks up at your place with a Batman or Superman T-shirt, beware. If the shirt has a cartoon character you don’t recognize or some acronym that you have never heard off and a logo that doesn’t look very business-like, these are probably gaming-related. Gamers have their own geeky dress-code, so you may think he has no sense of fashion, but he will wear those shirts with pride.
2. His PC costs more than his car
If he comes to fetch you in a beat-up old car (or bike) but his PC is all shiny with water cooling, LED lights everywhere, a keyboard with the WASD keys in a different color and a mouse with more buttons that you could ever imagine one would need on a mouse, consider this one huge red flag.
3. He can’t remember your birthday, but knows the launch date of every game
If he misses your birthday party because of a “con”, you can know for sure that he isn’t referring to a con-artist who happened to cross his way – he more than likely gave preference to some gaming convention. The ultimate test on whether you are dating a gamer is to ask him when the new Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto is due to be released.
4. Azaroth counts as a travel destination for a weekend out
If you ask him what exotic location he would like to visit this weekend, his answer would most probably be something like “Azaroth” or any other town you have never heard of… because they don’t exist in real life.
5. Playing a co-op game together or visiting an arcade is his idea of a romantic date
When date night comes and he tells you to cuddle up on the couch with him, handing you a controller, there is no question about it…
6. The only sports he watches is Starcraft
Most gamers are not really into sports. Besides, who wants to watch other people running around with a ball if you can run around with a gun or a sword in a game yourself?
7. If he puts on a headset, tells you he is having a night with” the guys” and locks himself in his room
This one is self-explanatory. He obviously is playing a multiplayer online game with his friends, chatting to them through his headset. This is one of the perks of dating a video gamer - they don't go out in the streets, get drunk and cause trouble, they stay right at home for their social gatherings.
8. He can poke holes in the wall with his index finger
From all the button bashing, gamers have amazing finger dexterity. The things he can do with his index finger and thumb are quite impressive…
9. He refers to taking the next step in your relationship as “levelling up”
If he uses terms like “pause,” “level up” or “game over” to describe your relationship, you are definitely in trouble.
10. He always takes some gadget to bed
Whether it is a laptop, PSP, DS or tablet, gamers love their gadgets – and to play a quick game or read up on the latest gaming news just before bedtime.
11. His pets are named after Pokemon or other video game characters
If your partner’s pets have outlandish names such as “Skitty,” “Mowith”, “Pikachu” or “Growlithe” you can know that the passion goes back a while…
12. Every time he gets hurt, he asks for food
In many games, food replenish the character’s health, so instead of a bandaid, a gamer may appreciate an energy bar, or a turkey...
13. He expects rewards or recognition in the form of “achievements” every time he does something for you
14. He has all kinds of weird dolls on display in his room, called “action figures”
If you want to keep the relationship going, just don’t EVER refer to them as dolls.
15. He has more consoles than you have shoes
The further back the consoles go, the more hardcore he is.