Widow of Warcraft

Dear Mistress Maeve,

My live-in boyfriend just discovered the online game World of Warcraft, and he plays it all the time. He stays up half the night playing this game, and consequently, we haven't had sex in two weeks (very unusual for us). We've had a couple arguments about it, and I'm not sure what to do. Thoughts?

-Alexa

Dear Alexa,

You're not alone. I can't count the number of times I've been asked this question by girlfriends left in bedroom oblivion because of World of Warcraft and other massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). This problem is so widespread that women (and men) can now find support at GamerWidow.com — a site where gamer widows share their frustrations with fellow gamer widows via message boards and chat.

You need to sit down with your boyfriend and set up some ground rules that work for both of you. Tell him that you're glad he's found something he enjoys, but also let him know that you're feeling neglected. Together, come up with a schedule that designates some nights for online gaming and some nights for just the two of you. The goal should not be to stop him from playing World of Warcraft — trust me, being supportive of his online gaming interest will serve you better in this scenario.

Just a thought — have you ever played World of Warcraft? I can't think of anything sexier to a gamer nerd than another gamer nerd. Perhaps you should give it a try — you might end up playing a different kind of role-playing game, if you know what I mean. . .

TTYL,
MM