Games may ruin your relationship

Gaming addictions to put you permanently in the dog house

Chances are you’ve got hold of your copy of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and for those who feared losing their jobs, have held off till the weekend to get royally stuck into the record-breaking FPS.

This of course will be much to the dislike of your other half, who has plans to get an early start on the Christmas shopping/drag you round to her folks/watch X factor or all of the above.

With your gaming commitments likely to win the battle for your attention, take a trip down memory lane and remind yourself of the games so engrossing that the only thing you’d be fondling was your joypad.

Final Fantasy

The long-running RPG franchise will have eaten into the time of many a relationship, substituted that spot in front of the telly to enjoy the cinematic cut scenes and the lengthily tactical battles. The bad news ladies is that there is more Final Fantasy to come…

GoldenEye

Before multiplayer action arrived on the scene, one required a N64, four multicoloured controllers, and three mates to thoroughly devour the hours hiding behind barrels and picking out your enemies. All while your girlfriend is upstairs packing her suitcase, plotting a Bond-style exit.

FIFA 10/Pro Evo 2010

Whichever is your football poison, both are equally to incur the wrath from your missus as you take England all the way to the World Cup only to then notice that one of your mates is online who is eager to play you best out of 11 matches.

Halo 3

A mammoth best seller in 2007, the battle between the Covenant and the United Nations Space Command drew upon plenty of co-op online action and a series expansion packs giving it the kind of game life girlfriends would shudder at.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Tucking in to some all out sandbox carnage in a life which seems so much more criminally glamorous than yours was enough to give the girlfriend a cold shoulder. Car jacking your way to notoriety, you could even hit the strip clubs without the grief, and smell of booze that usually follows.

Resident Evil 4

We all well know that this zombie-blasting RPG is best played in the darker hours of the day. So while she beckons from the bedroom to come to bed, you are more concerned spending a little time alone shooting mutated dogs that jump out of nowhere.

Sensible Soccer

Before there was FIFA or Pro Evo, the only way to indulge your football game fantasies through a computer (and a mouse if you were skilled enough) was courtesy of this 2D great. With hundreds of teams to dabble with, there was always a mate near by claiming to be the supreme Sensible champ.

Gears of War 2

Bypassing campaign mode, multiplayer online action was at the heart and soul of the GOW sequel. Screaming through your headset as you unloaded a barrage of meaty ammunition rounds got us hooked. Once you’d grown tired of months of online gaming, there is always time to get back to single player action

World of Warcraft

Granted many guys playing this online giant of a game are likely not to be involved with the opposite sex anyway, but here’s one sure fire way to make sure that situation does not change as the only female you set eyes on is the one bringing your dinner to your bedroom.

Virtua Tennis

Helping us realise that there was more to the sports game genre than a leather panelled ball, Sega made a huge racket when Virtua Tennis first hit consoles and had men drawn in by tennis other than by that other factor, Anna Kournikova.

Street Fighter 2First port of call in this iconic beat-em-up was to negotiate your way past M Bison, only to realise you want to see that storyline ending of Zangief cossack dancing. Then there was the legendary battles against your mates leaving not much time for anything else.

Super Mario Bros

Whether it was the blue hedgehog, or the Italian plumber out to rescue his princess, both platform icons consumed enough of your free hours to diminish any chances of bagging a real dame.

Tetris

Undeniably the most addictive game of all, the appeal of busying yourself frantically building tiny brick walls in the living room, on the toilet, and on the bus would be enough to drive anyone else bidding for your time, mad.

The Sims

When you begin to spend more time in your virtual world fitting out the interior of your house, and keeping the general household in order, in the real world things are likely to be somewhat different. Which is perhaps the reason you are more engrossed in your PC life.