Here are some facts I wish I had known before marrying into the life of a game industry professional:
No he does not play video games all day. He plays life games like ‘how to change a lightbulb while small children run beneath your stool’. How to manipulate a family outing into a Fry’s Electronics and/or Best Buy drive by.
Yes we move. A lot!
No, our children were not named after game characters.
Yes we have changed a normal room into a game chamber. That is where all the toys are contained. (in our case the formal dining room is now the formal office)
Yes, he really does needs that warehouse of cords, game boxes, controllers and wires. If you think you can eliminate a box here and a cord there, Allah be with you and go with God. He will know, and if you are caught, the fires of Azeroth will rain down upon you.
Do not go to a game date with him. Just don’t.
Do NOT move/dust/clean/organize the collectibles. It’s not worth it.
Any decorating/painting/organizing of the house must be done first in Adobe or Photoshop.
Game time with kids IS quality time.
No he cannot get you a copy of that game for cheaper. (yes he can, just email me)
No, “I don’t know what he’s working on right now”.
Yes, he really did work on that game.
While extremely satisfying, it is not the most fun job in the world. (all the time)
I have to check with my husband before RSVPing to that weekend bbq. There might be a milestone or meeting or deadline -or all of the above.
Three months before a launch date, I have only the marriage certificate as proof of my marital status. Just a certificate and a phantom being who resembles the man I married… beneath the bloodshot eyes, shaky fingers, and hunched shoulders.
Yes i play games, too. Really.
Going to a work related function, do not expect anyone to care that you have a non-game industry job. It does not matter.
Marry the man, expect the lifestyle, do not expect change. They are simple creatures and you get what is advertised on their box. No surprises. They are a single person shooter, not an RPG where you mold them to what you want. You simply log on, join in, and pick up lives and ammo as you sweep the level and hope you are on a good connection when you get to the boss.
Sarcasmica 