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PC Games (Games) XBox (Games) Entertainment Games

Online Gaming for Couples? 452

Posted by Cliff from the games-for-long-distance-relationships dept.
psuedo_samurai asks: "My longtime girlfriend recently had to move to complete her studies at a University, which is nowhere near where I live. Talking on the phone is quickly becoming old, as I'm a typical guy and hate being on the phone longer than 3 minutes, but I try. So I was thinking - I like games, she likes to talk, why not combine the two? So are there any online games suggested for couples using a headset? I can't see Counter-Strike or Rainbow Six working, but I was thinking maybe DDR Ultramix on Xbox Live? How about PC titles with headset support? Any suggestions?"
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Online Gaming for Couples? More

Online Gaming for Couples?

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  • well... (Score:4, Funny)

    by aveng0 ( 590814 ) <(david) (at) (chinacat.ca)> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:06PM (#8145064) Homepage
    you can try cybersex
    • What could be more romantic than to meet your loved one on de_dust under the tunnel with knives only...only to be betrayed by someone pulling a deagle.

      If that's not love...then...um...it's something unlike love.
      • Hey, I'm all about playing videogames with my boyfriend. He's studying to be a teacher, and he's just naturally good at helping me learn the different controls. Though I frickin' hate reverse-mouse/analog. Drives me nuts. If I wanna look down, I should move my hand/analog down, right??

        I'm kind of a button masher, but he's slowly but surely teaching me the intricacies of Soul Calibur II for Xbox. I've never been good at fighting games of that style, but hey, if you know one you can learn 'em all, and for s

    • More seriously.... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by raehl ( 609729 ) <raehl311@@@yahoo...com> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @04:50PM (#8145830) Homepage
      Invest in webcams.

      My girlfriend lives a bit under 2 hours from me. We see each other on weekends and sometimes during the week, but not as often as we'd like.

      I was always getting in trouble by misinterpreting things said on IM, so I got us two webcams for Christmas. The visual interaction beats anything you'll get in an online game.

      Now, if I can just figure out how to best conform to Valentine's day....

  • Nothing like... (Score:5, Funny)

    by wviperw ( 706068 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:06PM (#8145065) Homepage Journal
    ...Gibbin' the ole' GF to show her your true affection.

    • Re:Nothing like... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by bigman2003 ( 671309 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:38PM (#8145330) Homepage
      Instead of killing, etc- try some games where death is not the point. Also- the idea of 'typing' or 'chatting' (typing wise) isn't good. Go with the real voice.

      I would recommend an Xbox, with Xbox live.

      3 Excellent games that women really do like, and are Live capable:
      • Top Spin tennis. Excellent game. Women like it too!
      • Links 2004 golf. Cool thing is, you don't have to play at the same skill level. Lag is not an issue and it can be fairly easy- yet still challenging.
      • The grand-daddy of all chick games- Tetris. Comes with new Xboxes. Good game, and chicks love it.
      All three of them will let you play, and are good games. Yet all of them are women friendly, but guys like them too. My wife plays all of them, even without me.

      • Remember that girls are individuals too... (Score:5, Insightful)

        by lazypenguingirl ( 743158 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @04:19PM (#8145631) Journal
        Most of my female friends if you suggested they play tennis or golf games, they'd just as rather whack you over the head with a racket or club. Girls can be just as bloodthirsty in gaming as guys, and it really does boil down to personal preference. Tetris is great from time to time, but it gets old. MMORPGs can be good (I'm eagerly awaiting the release of World of Warcraft so my bf and I can play, and yes we signed up for the beta). I'm not as rabid a gamer as he, I'd rather just spend my computer time sometimes working on my personal programming/networking projects. But I adore the exploratory aspects of MMORPGs and games such as Morrowind (wide expansive landscapes), some killing or even a lot (I have a few female friends who are rapid GTAers, me, I do "GTA: Morrowind" at times to alleviate stress, working on my goal of strategically eradicating the 3k+ named NPCs in the game), and some people prefer to focus on the RP aspects of MMORPGs. Everyone looks for different things in a game, both guys and girls, and I think the guy who originally asked the question should probably get to know his girl better and her preferences and maybe suggest games she could play to occupy some of the time he won't be around. Not try to get her to play just to say they are doing something "together" and "communicating." Girls are people too, k?

        • Re:Remember that girls are individuals too... (Score:4, Interesting)

          by bigman2003 ( 671309 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @04:45PM (#8145802) Homepage
          Lazy Penguin Girl-

          Normally, I would agree with you- saying that girls would like 'golf and tennis' sounds pretty bad. Your friends might want to whack me over the head for suggesting that they play these games, but they may change their minds once they see them in action. Plus, just seeing the blood dripping from my face might satisfy their primal urge to kill.

          But- more than being good 'chick' games, I've found that Links 2004 and Top Spin are UNIVERSAL games. I've probably had 30 different people (even numbers of each gender) come over to my housing playing games in the last year.

          The 2 universal favorites by far are Links and Top Spin. The women especially liked Top Spin- and as I mentioned before, Tetris. I have yet to meet a woman who looks at Halo, and says "I want to play too".

          It does sound stupid though- "get your girlfriend to play sports games" - but these just aren't sports games. The appeal is much greater than that. (at least from my experience when trying to get these girls/women to play games)

      • Re:Nothing like... (Score:5, Funny)

        by arivanov ( 12034 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @04:46PM (#8145803) Homepage
        Bollocks. There is nothing like crawling from behind on your dear honey pointing the double barrel at the head and blowing it off. I did not believe it myself until I saw it working for a family of friends.

        They ran a company together so they had to live with each other 24h round the clock. They used to quarrel like crazy and were on the verge of a divorce. Then everything went quiet and I did not understand what happend until I visited their office during lunch break and found them playing doom death match, no monsters. The happiness continued for around 2 years (switching from doom to quake at one point).

        Recently due to economic conditions the company had to be wound down and they found jobs in different places. As a result they could no longer find time for the daily relaxing "blow your partners head off" session. Quarrles returned and it all ended in a divorce.

        So, it all depends. And IMO it is much better to vent all the anger in cyberspace instead of having a shouting match in the kitchen.

  • Go with the classics. (Score:4, Funny)

    by SargeZT ( 609463 ) * <pshanahan@mn.rr.com> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:07PM (#8145076) Homepage
    Cyber online using Good ol' Netmeeting and Notepad.

  • Hmmmm (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Wooji ( 726163 )
    A friend of mine and his girlfriend, plays AA together. They use TS.

  • Duke Nukem 3D (Score:4, Funny)

    by code_echelon ( 709189 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:08PM (#8145085)
    Duke Nukem, he loves the ladies so I would suggest, Duke Nukem 3D. Oh wait . . .

  • Why? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Hobbex ( 41473 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:08PM (#8145086)
    So I was thinking - I like games, she likes to talk, why not combine the two?

    How come this guy has a girlfriend and I don't?

  • PSO (Score:4, Informative)

    by zenintrude ( 462825 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:08PM (#8145087)
    I've found that a lot of girls really like the communication and character outfitting aspects of Phantasy Star Online. Back in the days of the Dreamcast, my sister would lord over my copy for hours on end.

    Whether they prefer typing (GCN) or voice (XB) communication is pretty much the only difference in the versions.

  • not exactly voice based (Score:5, Insightful)

    by morgajel ( 568462 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:08PM (#8145090)
    ...but my wife and I both play neverwinter nights- great multiplayer game that can provide good laughs if you have a good module. I highly suggest the nordock module.

  • Frankly no, (Score:4, Insightful)

    by SonicTooth ( 561342 ) <willis AT irmak DOT org> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:09PM (#8145102) Homepage
    I really don't see how gaming would help. The idea is communication and gaming would just cloud that with alterior motives. Not only that but you would also both have to choose "avatars" in the gaming world presenting more complications.

    How about writing letters, sending nice postcards, and an occasional phone call. Or even if you must go the technological route a communal blog?
    • Frankly, I think playing a MMORPG and using the phone or Voice Over IP, offers more of a shared experience than watching a movie/tv together (although it's seriously disadvantaged in the snuggling area ;). I was in the exact same situation 7 years ago as the original poster and it worked out great for me. We now have side by side computer workstations and game together.

      A side benefit: She was a casual gamer at most when we met (I used to rib her for playing solitaire). But now look at her! [offlinetshirts.com] My only

    • Re:Frankly no, (Score:4, Insightful)

      by JaredOfEuropa ( 526365 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:54PM (#8145440) Journal
      How about writing letters, sending nice postcards, and an occasional phone call..
      Well, I don't see gaming as a substitute for these, but... Playing an online game is a nice activity that you can do together with your sweetheart, like going on a walk together and talking all the while.

      Some online games are good enough to get to know new people. I've made a few good friends through Ultima Online, and there are couples that ended up getting married after meeting in-game and playing together for a while. So I don't see why it wouldn't work for couples who are already together, but (temporarily) living apart.

    • Chances are, you are right. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by twitter ( 104583 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @04:13PM (#8145579) Homepage Journal
      You are right, gamming is not going to help but not for the reason you think. The problem is not the additional complications of gamming, the problem is a lack of interest on her part. She's not going to go for this because she's not interested in OTHER computer based forms of communications. They are not emailing and instant messaging, why whould she want a far more complicated interface?

      It's not easy to maintain a relationship like that. It took me years to get the woman I married interested in email. Moving to a different state was tough. All she would do is mail, even though she was a draftsman and her dad maintained a computer with email on it and gave her an account with her ISP. It was very frustrating to read week old letters when we had much faster mailing set up. I put up with it and simply snail mailed her back or phoned if anything was urgent. She did not like that her dad could read her mail and considered my email nagging a drag and a put off. Don't go there with games.

      If she was interested in a particular game, that could be a common interest and great. Of course, if that were the case, he would be asking her not Slashdot.

      My wife now likes email and IM. She's root on her own machine in her own house and that works for her. We keep up a lively conversation when I go to work. One day, I'm going to find a game that we might like to play together.

  • Careful... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by CarrionBird ( 589738 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:09PM (#8145103) Journal
    .... how you suggest that one. Or your character may lose all his nookie points. What!?!? So talking to me is so hard...... You may not wanna go there.

  • Dude, you are SOOOO wrong. (Score:5, Informative)

    by imadork ( 226897 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:09PM (#8145107) Homepage
    So I was thinking - I like games, she likes to talk, why not combine the two?

    Unless she likes games too, this doesn't stand a chance in hell of working out well for you. You are trying to use logic -- guy logic -- to deal with women. The sooner you learn how futile this is, the better it is for you.

  • Ask her first. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:09PM (#8145109) Homepage Journal

    I'm a typical guy and hate being on the phone longer than 3 minutes, but I try. So I was thinking - I like games, she likes to talk, why not combine the two?

    Not knowing the full situation I have to ask: Have you asked her if she'd like to be in an online game for longer than 3 minutes? If she's like many (most?) women she would want to have your full attention during a conversation (the 4 other /.'ers that have been with a woman will back me up on this :))
    It sounds like you want to have your cake and eat it too; make sure this is what she wants before you send her all sorts of geek gear. She may just twist your intentions into thinking you're pushing her away.

    • Talking to you or spending time? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by sterno ( 16320 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:38PM (#8145328) Homepage
      Here's the thing, if the goal here is to have a conversation, then, no, this probably isn't a good solution. If the goal, on the other hand, is to create a sense of being together, then this would work well.

      I mean, when you are in a relationship long enough, you tend to have less conversations, and it's more time just spent being around the other person. Doing things together, or sometimes just being in the same place but doing your own things.

      If you have a long distance relationship, it's easy to stay in communication these days. The trick is creating that sense of physical proximity, that the other person is somehow there. This may be possible, to a degree, through a gaming environment.

      • Girl POV (Score:5, Insightful)

        by nano-second ( 54714 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @04:57PM (#8145871)
        As a geek girl in an ldr with a geek guy, I have to say that this idea has merits as PART of maintaining your relationship. My bf and I are starting to find irc and phone not enough: you tend to focus on news, or external stuff and miss out on the sense of shared experiences.

        In addition to other modes of communication, playing a game together would really help create that shared experience, but do not think that you can REPLACE the phone conversations. I would suggest that if she is not a gamer, you should find a long list of different types of games to suggest. There are sites for board games to be played online too if she's not keen on FPS or RPG styles.

    • The only geek gear my wife has ever REALLY appreciated was a ReplayTV

  • Civilization... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by bc90021 ( 43730 ) * <bc90021 AT bc90021 DOT net> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:10PM (#8145114) Homepage
    My girlfriend and I were in a similar situation. We played Civ:CTP (via email). This had several advantages:

    1) Being that it was via email, we could do it "asynchronously" as needed.
    2) While we were chatting online (which we both prefer to the phone), we could still play, and it was easy enough to do since it was still email based.
    3) It was a fun game!
    4) We could "show off" to each other based on our Civilisation building skills. (Hers were always better.)
    5) I played it on Linux, and she played on Windows, and there were no problems!

    All in all, it was a good experience, and allowed us to game together while far apart.

  • Hrmmm (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Gogl ( 125883 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:10PM (#8145117) Journal
    "So I was thinking - I like games, she likes to talk, why not combine the two?"

    The question is does *she* like games. I'm not going to try to give relationship advice here, but you'd probably be better off asking *her* what game she'd like to play (if any) rather than asking Slashdot.
  • Hey man,

    The only problem is the games she'll enjoy probably won't have voice comm right out of the box. But if you used Teamspeak or Roger Wilco you'd have your voice channel open no matter what games your playing! I'd reccommend Gunbound [gunbound.net] as my gf spends more time playing it than I do!! It's essentially a free, online only, Worms/Scorched Earth clone but when you win a match you get gold which can be spent on new gear for your avatar! Wait till she sees some of the dresses she can buy! Anywho ... hope

  • hmmmm... (Score:5, Funny)

    by RedSteve ( 690399 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:10PM (#8145126)
    ...you're asking for couples' advice on /. ? ;-)

  • Star wars galaxies (Score:3, Informative)

    by dkode ( 517172 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:11PM (#8145131) Homepage
    A friend of mine plays Star Wars galaxies online with his wife. They have a club setup where she can dance for visitors and he usually listens to the band playing. They have full conversations/arguments online in front of other people visiting their club.

    It's the most interaction between people I have seen in an online game before.

    Although you have to pay the monthly gaming fee which I think is in the range of $15/month.

  • Are you sure that.. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Angelonio ( 744297 ) *
    your girlfried would appreciate you talking to her while playing? Most girls I know require the full attention of the male CPU....

  • Well.. (Score:2, Insightful)

    by ParadoxicalPostulate ( 729766 )
    It's my experience that you don't get to talk much while playing a game.

    I guess it depends on which game you are playing, but still. Odds are you'll be too busy focusing on the events of the game to be typing in sentence after sentence.

    Whenever I decide to play Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory with friends, unless the whole server is full of friends I really don't do much talking to my friend. Once in a while there's the occasional haha killed you again or damn you suck but generally spea

    • unless the whole server is full of friends I really don't do much talking to my friend

      If only I took that advice. My housemate and I started playing Planetside, joined with a squad of 5 or 6 others. Then proceded to spend the next 2 hours mocking them on the voice channel. After two hours of cruelly mocking their playing ability we hear a cough, and realise they had all been listening the whole time. Not good.

      Planetside is a great game for playing with friends though and there is enough downtime fo

  • For pc games, use Teamspeak. [teamspeak.org] You can play whatever game you want online and talk through a sepparate client.

  • No need for a game (Score:5, Funny)

    by PovRayMan ( 31900 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:13PM (#8145147) Homepage
    http://www.teamspeak.org/

    Team speak can be used for any game, but you can use it just by yourself to have voice chats over your own running server/client. Quality is great and it's free.

    Oh and you have a girlfriend who's into GAMES?! You're not fooling anyone, bub! :-P

  • Voice Chat (Score:2, Funny)

    by Shazow ( 263582 )
    Pick a game that you two could enjoy. Fire up your favourite voice chat proggie (Ventrilo [ventrilo.com], TeamSpeak [teamspeak.org], Roger Wilco [gamespy.com], etc.) and frag away.

    The game doesn't necessarily need headset support or anything like that. So long as you have a third party proggie to handle the mess.

    - shazow
  • DDR Ultramix; online gaming for couples... ...sounds like Ultra Dominatrix

    *does* work for some couples...

  • Try an MMORPG (Score:3, Informative)

    by pocketfullofshells ( 722066 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:14PM (#8145152)
    I know several couples that play MMORPGS together, and even a few that met and married because of them. I played everquest but my wife never got into it. Now that I've started playing Star Wars Galaxies, she plays more than I do. The only problem is getting two fast computers and two accounts for the game so we can play at the same time. If your wanting some quality time together, I'd suggest playing an MMORPG and use something like Team-speak or Ventrilo...

  • Forget it (Score:5, Funny)

    by teromajusa ( 445906 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:14PM (#8145154)
    Her: "I sometimes wonder whether we were really meant for each other"

    You: "Ok, get ready, the troll king is going to pop up any moment. Blast him with your fire bolt!"

    Her: "I worry that we don't communicate enough"

    You: "Huh? I don't think...look! There's the troll king! Attack!"

    Nice try, but from my experience, she'll probably want you to focus on the conversation, not on getting a high score.

    • Re:Forget it (Score:5, Funny)

      by ParadoxicalPostulate ( 729766 ) <saapad.gmail@com> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:18PM (#8145175) Journal
      Game: Your character has been killed.

      You: Ohmigod you n00b! WHY CAN'T YOU FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS?

      Her: Is that all I am to you? Someone to boss around?

      You: Hey, you're the one that lost us the game!

      Her: Is that all I am to you? A game?

      You: No...

      Her: I hate you! It's over between us!
    • Her: OK, but how does the troll king feeeeeeel about being attacked?
    • [PLAYING UT]
      Her: "I sometimes wonder whether we were really meant for each other"
      Announcer: "The enemy has your flag!"
      You: "Somebody get our flag back!"
      Her: "I worry that we don't communicate enough"
      You: "Oh I'm sorry, so what did you want to say?"
      [meet each other on a bridge]
      Her: "I'm pregnant."
      Announcer: "Headshot!"

  • The Sims! (Score:2, Funny)

    by JBMcB ( 73720 )
    You can go out on virtual dates and have virtual kids! Or maybe a dog.

    • Just imagine the merry hours you'll spend together. She lovingly selects a dog. You forget to feed it, but kick it on occasion when you've had a bad day at work. It goes crazy and bites little Tommy. She tries to nurse it back to sanity with lots of food and petting. You try to teach it to dive into the swimming pool with no exit, then build four walls around it to starve it to death.

      Yep, a good time will be had by all.

  • Wrong place (Score:2, Funny)

    by xfs ( 473411 )

    I don't think you'll find much help about girlfriends from the usual slashdot crowd...
  • Games like Everquest, SWG, and the up and coming Worlds of Warcraft are good places to spend time with someone online because they are very much geared to the social aspect, but also allow you to accomplish something rather than just being in eachothers (virtual) presence. You get to progress together. The Sims online might be another idea.

  • Instead of IANAL... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Landaras ( 159892 ) <neilNO@SPAMwehneman.com> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:20PM (#8145195) Homepage
    This thread might need people to disclose "IANCABF":

    I Am Not Currently A BoyFriend

    (Any humor is pointed at myself as well, as IANCABF either)

    - Neil Wehneman

  • The question is irrelevant . . . (Score:5, Funny)

    by jgaynor ( 205453 ) <jon@@@gaynor...org> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:20PM (#8145197) Homepage
    The question posed by the author is irrelevant. The mere fact that he's contemplating DDR or CS as viable communication options has already doomed the relationship.

    There is nothing more we can do for him,

  • girl gaming (Score:2, Insightful)

    by antisocialmoose ( 747852 )
    as a girl geek, i would say first check and see if she likes gaming. if so, my long distance boyfriend and i play worms armageddon. just one rule of gaming with a girlfriend - never keep score and don't get too competitive.

  • Maybe try a social MMOG (Score:4, Informative)

    by spyrochaete ( 707033 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:24PM (#8145238) Homepage Journal
    I've been beta testing an MMOG called There for several months and it is a much more sociable experience than almost any other MMOG out there. All the "leveling up" is performed by talking, organizing events, and riding vehicles. No killing, no NPCs. Really it's just glorified IRC but with one fewer degree of separation because you and your friends have a lifelike customizeable avatar. Sexist stereotyping is beneath us all so I'll just say that the game has paintball guns, a variety of wheeled, flying, and riding vehicles, and lots and lots of shopping and outfits for whomever might enjoy such activities.
  • Its cheaper faster and SOOOO much more fun than Online Gaming. Like here [jennifer69.com]

  • Hmm, maybe we should spend more time apart... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Junior J. Junior III ( 192702 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:25PM (#8145247) Homepage
    Unless the GF is of a similar skill level and has the same interest in games, I doubt it'll work.

    My GF loves to play Mario Party on my gamecube, but that's about the extent of her interest in gaming. She'll watch me play a little half-life or UT now and then, but usually once I get into it the torrent of swear words puts her off.

    I can just imagine getting fragged and accusing her of being a wallhack fag and having that be the end of the relationship...

  • Yahoo Games (Score:4, Insightful)

    by mrm677 ( 456727 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:27PM (#8145256)
    Try Yahoo Games. Seriously. Yahoo Pool is widely popular and is a great way to mindlessly have fun and chat with people.

    If your gf isn't the dork you are, it might be the only thing that works.

  • Webcams might be a good idea. Plus, I'm sure you'd find that they can be useful for...well...Use your imagination.

  • You know your a GEEK... (Score:5, Funny)

    by supergwiz ( 641155 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:31PM (#8145281)
    when you rather FRAG then SHAG your girlfriend.
  • Check out my signature. Text-based sex, man. Try it.

  • Try Sims Online, so she can dump your ass twice (Score:4, Insightful)

    by desideria ( 140436 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:33PM (#8145297)
    You don't like to TALK to your girlfriend? Why are you going out with her then? You're honestly going to tell her that you prefer videogames to talking to her? Are you insane??

    If you think my reaction is a poor one, wait until you hear hers.
  • I play in Firiona Vie server and its more rule than the exception that people there have relatives or sibblings play the game. And with teamspeak or rogerwilco, you can have live chat too..
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • there.com

    you can hang out, listen to the same music (within the game), "see" each other (3d representation of your avatar), chat, play various games (like dune buggy races), etc.

  • Simple! (Score:4, Funny)

    by hoggoth ( 414195 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:40PM (#8145344) Journal
    > I like games, she likes to talk, why not combine the two?

    This one is simple!
    Get her on the phone, ask her how her childhood affects your current relationship, put on a headset, fire up your favorite FPS and start blasting away!
    You may finish several levels, if not the entire game!

  • I have the ultimate "gaming" peripheral [fu-fme.com] for ya...

  • Maybe its not such a hot idea... (Score:3, Funny)

    by xen0side ( 612067 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:45PM (#8145386)
    I have a great girlfriend, shes into gaming and has the a lot of the same interests I do, and we are in a similar situation, but if she found out I have to play games to be able to stand talking to her for more then 3 minutes there would be hell to pay
  • Final Fantasy XI. Plenty of girls playing (really!) and it allows you two to not only have fun exploring the game, but to socially interact.

  • You sound like my boyfriend (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Fricka ( 583769 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:49PM (#8145407) Homepage Journal
    I was on the other end of your predicament awhile back. Boyfriend hated to talk on the phone. He talked me into getting some strange game called EverQuest. We didn't use a headset device but just talked on the phone while playing. But now you can use a voice over IP app like Team Speak [teamspeak.org], PGP Fone [pgpi.org], or even ICQ.

    Someone mentioned that playing a mmorpg game as a long distance couple might be a detriment to communication. I strongly disagree. We played through several major mmorpgs and beta tests of other games together. During "down time" in a game we carried on "normal" conversation. During the exciting parts of the game we got caught up into solving problems together. We even developed mutual friends whom we visited in the real world.

    As far as someone worrying that "girls" might not like to play games for hours at a time: I and many of my friends are evidence to the contrary.

    Lastly, though I think the MMORPGs are best suited for couple gaming, don't discount the FPS games either. I enjoyed Action Quake and beta tested Planetside. I just think they aren't as good for a couple because they (I'm talking public server play, not clan gaming) tend to be all action all the time rather than a mix of action, socialization/political skill, and strategy.

  • I'm wondering why exactly you don't want to be on the phone for more than 3 minutes. You just don't like phones? Or don't like talking? Have nothing to say? Aren't interested in what she has to say?

    If you're just looking for an alternative to the phone (for whatever reason) there are plenty of things out there. You could write letters, send email, use a webcam, create a shared blog, use IRC or IM eachother... There's plenty of ways to communicate beyond using a phone.

    When my wife and I were first ge

  • Maybe this doesn't work on straight girls, but. :) (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Neisha ( 747856 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:50PM (#8145414)
    My GF and I are the most hardcore of hardcore gamers. :P Okay, obviously not very hardcore if we're playing games like Final Fantasy XI and Ragnarok Online (*giggle*) but it works.

    We both travel around a lot so we've had to keep in contact on the phone and over the Internet. Our best choice for a game is a friendly, community-based RPG. Something where you can walk around and talk and feel a bit more 'there' with each other (you have no idea how much the graphics and emotes do for things, dunno if anyone's watched .hack :D) and something where you can go and feel like you're 'doing' something together (even if it's hunting little rats in the forest). When we just wanna goof off for a while it's fun.

    Obviously this requires that you have a good imagination, lots of time to waste, and you both like that sorta shit. But IMHO find something that is MODERATELY active (ahem, not quake) but not something that *only* focuses on talking. Cause that would be maddening eventually, even if you're in love beyond all imagination.

    Other suggestions would be similarly 'beer & pretzel' games, maybe you both have an addiction to Civ or some cardgame or something. I'd really REALLY push for a virtual world, though, because it inspires the imagination and won't get old so fast.

    Again, not sure if this would work with you, but I've done it successfully for quite a while now. Two or three times a week I'd just tell all my friends to go suck it and play with her that night. Course, straight chicks just suck, so it might not work, but at any rate TALK IT OUT WITH HER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING ASKING HERE! Tsk tsk tsk.
  • Why not just buy 2 Webcams. Tben you can talk to her face to face. And I am sure you can come up with any number of games to play using it.

    Otherwise most women only like Yahoo Games or maybe the Sims.
  • Maybe you should make a deal with your girlfriend--you'll talk for x amount of minutes for y amount of minutes of sex talk. Yeah, yeah, stop being prude. You're seperated by a vast difference. You've got drives. She's got drives.

    I haven't been in this situation but it's the first thing that popped to mind that might make your phone conversations a little more exciting (and thus last more than 3 minutes).
  • Personal experience: I wanted to talk to my girlfriend and found that she was playing a game online. ( Puzzle Pirates [yohoho.com], which is cute and silly unlike most other MMO games.) In fact, she's been playing said game ever since she got broadband a few days ago. Well, I like Puzzle Pirates, she plays it all the time, why not talk to her in the game world?

    So I logged into the game and sent her a private message. She finished what she was doing and came to where I was and we started "talking". Let's call me A and he
  • I would suggest YoHoHO Puzzle Pirates.

    Its an online game, where you go around as pirates, its all puzzle based. Many girls I know enjoy puzzle based games I (male) also enjoy it.

    http://www.puzzlepirates.com/

  • Gaming and conversation... (Score:4, Informative)

    by hlygrail ( 700685 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @03:58PM (#8145467)

    Get some boom/headset mics for you and your SO and fire up one of the free voice engines, like TeamSpeak [teamspeak.org] or Roger Wilco [gamespy.com] for voice chat (in or out of games). I've used TeamSpeak with excellent results while playing Unreal Tournament and other games, as well as just for conversing with distant family members on a semi-regular basis. (Free is good!)

    For gaming, you have a chuckwagon full of choices. Unreal Tournament [unreal.com], Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy [lucasarts.com] and Need for Speed: Underground [eagames.com] top my recent list of multi-player games for raw fun and enjoyment with minimal commitment level (and I sense a commitment issue from the OP anyway!). Then of course, there's the obligatory mentions of The Sims, Everquest, Age of Mythology and Civilization III (find your own URLs for those), if you're into that kind of gaming (these require a higher commitment level).

    If you two are more cerebral in your gaming, go hunt down a board game called Settlers of Catan [mayfairgames.com] and its offspring (Seafarers of Catan, et. al.) and play that with some friends next time you two are together. Once you get hooked on the board game -- and you will -- start playing it online. There's a nefarious, somewhat-underground (not after /. gets wind of it!) online client called Sea3D [s3dconnector.net] that works pretty darn well (Win32 only, sorry -- but if this is a problem, use the Java client [northwestern.edu] instead), and is terribly enjoyable for raw strategy and board game fun, although it can sometimes be difficult to get players to join hosted games (there doesn't seem to be a LARGE community of Sea3D users yet). If you host your own games and have people you know join in, this is a non-issue.

    If you're side-stepping the guy-girl conversation thing, your best bet is probably one of the action games, like Unreal and its similar-engine spawn (anything based off the Quake2 or Quake3 engines). There's usually so much going on in a DeathMatch or Team DeathMatch, there isn't much time for deep chit-chat, but you can both probably come out feeling like you had a onversation.

    [Note to Guys: this probably isn't going to lead to a long-term, deep relationship, mind you, but will suffice for temporary distance relationships. Chicks don't generally like games, and especially don't like the KINDS of games we guys like, so YMMV. Board games and strategy type stuff, though, are generally universally enjoyable, which is why I mentioned Catan [die-siedler.com] (this is the original German site).]

    Good luck!!

  • As others have said, there are tools such as TeakSpeak [teamspeak.org] and Roger Wilco [gamespy.com] that will deal with the voice chat side of things.

    But what game to play? I'd suggest A Tale In The Desert [atitd.com]. It's nice because it has a very laid-back feel to it - there's no combat, and the emphasis is on long-term co-operation with your friends to further the development of your avatar (the web site, as well as the excellent [atitd.net] fansites [atitd.info] and wiki [centauri.org] explain all this much better than I can).

    It runs on Windows and Linux, and doesn't have to

  • Although I haven't played it, I think I'd have to recommend something a little more tame (at least to start with) like Links 2004 [xbox.com]. Golf is a sport in which you're able to play and converse without either activity seriously interferring with the other. Plus, since you're not directly competing (that is, you can't do anything to influence her making or missing a shot) there's less potential for hurt feelings. That's a large part of the reason golf is so popular as a social networking environment in busines
  • Get TeamSpeak [teamspeak.org] so that you can play any game you want and if she isn't the gaming type you can play any game you want online or off.

    That seems to work for me when I travel. Leave the wife & kids at home, play DAOC or Star Wars Galaxies on the laptop and yak away with the kids & wife instead of them having to play something like Counterstrike or another violent game (the kids are 2 and >1, so no) yet still talk to me.

  • I combine them all the time. (Score:3, Funny)

    by MongooseCN ( 139203 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @04:28PM (#8145695) Homepage
    I like games, she likes to talk, why not combine the two?

    Whenever my gf calls to talk, I load up counter strike and turn off the volume. It's a great combination that gets me through the whole conversation.

  • if you really want to keep her - MOVE (Score:3, Informative)

    by holy_smoke ( 694875 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @04:49PM (#8145827)
    1. its a rare female that will hang around long distance for very long.

    2. Stay away from the game idea, and drive your butt over to her often, before she gets bored.

    3. Remember - females like for men to listen, understand, and laugh when appropriate. If you follow this principle, #2 can be rewarding ;-)

  • My wife plays Counterstrike ! (Score:3, Funny)

    by BigJim.fr ( 40893 ) <jim@liotier.org> on Saturday January 31, 2004 @05:08PM (#8145932) Homepage

    I started my wife on CS a few weeks ago by taking her to a LAN party. She is hooked ! She now plays at least four evenings a week and it is me who can't keep up with her and suggests that maybe there are better things to be done. Good thing that our nine months old daughter cries from time to time to remind her that she is hungry/dirty and makes sure that she does not play all the time...

    CS is the only multiplayer game I successfuly got her interested in. She likes adventure games, I hate them; I love operational art but she does not want ot concentrate on learning military hardware and tactics. So a RTS is a good middle ground, and the short rounds make it much less frustrating for a beginner. She had never played a RTS before, and CS team play made her learn incredibly fast. The social side of LAN parties was a big win too, and no doubt that with a wife and our baby at the party we were an attraction.

    But the best thing about playing CS is that whenever a conjugal argument gets too boring we can square it off weapons in hand and defuse the situation !

  • What ever you do, DON'T ... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by cra ( 172225 ) on Saturday January 31, 2004 @05:51PM (#8146194) Homepage
    What ever you do, DON'T send her an XBox! That will just attract guys to her dorm! It would get you off the "talking-hook", but it will eventually rob you of all other "benefits" of having a girlfriend. ;-)

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