This makes me think back on Corvus Elrod's Blogs of the Round Table for this month.

Really striking to see this played out in other families. It will be curious to see not only how the family structure changes in the coming decades, but how games will be influencing some of them. Always felt my family was a bit odd in the fact that every single person in mine was a gamer of some sort.

Yeah, it's an interesting dynamic. I was in a similar situation, enjoying the casual pace of Warhammer and the pvp basis of the game, but it really turned my wife off. We decided to return to WoW - the game just appeals to her more, and we have a lot of friends in game anyway so it felt like the right decision.

While War is a great game, it's appeal is definitely limited to a smaller demographic. WoW's something for everyone approach to MMO design accounts for it's massive popularity no doubt.

Although you sound a bit disappointed about returning to WoW, I think you'll find that Wrath is very well designed, and that Blizzard have borrowed a bit from Mythic in their implementation of open pvp (Wintergrasp) and siege engines.

I'm also certain that with a bit of poking around, and effort, you'll find a guild as nice as the one you joined in War. They are out there :)

As someone about to get engaged I can fully understand the pull that a significant other (or spouse in your case) can have on you in general and especially when it comes to gaming. A few months ago I got my girlfriend interested in gaming via portal and now I have so many issues where I play Day of Defeat because her laptop can't run the source engine (DOD is a great game, but with left4dead beta out...).

I think you should of stuck it out, I don't play WOW or WarHammer, but as an EVE gamer I can see the situation as many WOW players try EVE and instantly get turned off by the huge PVP element that is part of every single facet of the world. If game subscriptions had an option where you could buy like a day for a few bucks then you could keep your WOW character(s) and raid with your wife once in awhile to appease her and play a better game, but alas that's not an option.

Good comments, all. Thanks for the interesting feedback.

And Kit: we're 71 already, so I can see how they did it differently from TBC this time.

(Here by way of Wow Insider's Massively coverage. :)

I can relate to this. I'm in a similar situation, except I didn't leave for WAR. I switched from Alliance to Horde, which I've always loved better and only played Alliance because friends preferred it.

I ended up leaving my main of 2yrs and switching to a new server, where I'm very happy.

Problem: My girlfriend is die-hard Alliance, which she transferred to my new server because she can't spread out characters due to her OCD. While she created a Horde character to play with me, she has not given the guild or server a fair chance. She complains about normal jerk behavior that happens on any server as if it only happens Horde side here and Alliance is God. (My counterargument that I have the same experience when I play my Alliance characters, which I transferred also, has fallen on deaf ears. It just results in her bitching about the Horde all over again.)

If I tell her, "Play where you're happy if you don't like Horde", her response is "But I want to play with you..." and subsequent begging to return to Alliance.

It's an ongoing issue, because while I don't mind playing Alliance from time to time, it's not where I'm going to focus my energy. If I go back to Alliance just to make her happy, I'm going to be miserable, and it's not worth it.

I think we have a compromise worked out for the moment... but I understand all too well where you're coming from, and I hope it works out for you.

I play WoW with my wife too... or I used to. We both stopped playing this summer, when the out-of-doors proved more enticing; but now that the cold and darkness have returned - and Lich King is out - I'm back in WoW. She's resisting the pull of the game's sweet addiction, claiming that now that it's lost its hold over her, she doesn't miss it. But the same old problems we had two years ago, when I was playing and before she started, have popped up again: she feels neglected when I'm playing, gets mad at me for staying up late, etc.

Any suggestions here? Do I actively try to lure my wife back to WoW, or do I let her come to it (or not) on her own?

Let people do what they want to do. If you prefer WAR over WOW, that's your business. She should be happy that you both like video games. Most couples don't have similar past-times like you do and that's a bonus.

Personally, I'd get back into WOW if I were you. This is really just starting to get good. This expansion is the tip of the iceberg.

You don't have to raid with your wife in that particular guild. Maybe start your own raiding guild?

Just put your ego in check when it comes to raiding. I've been in a few guilds where emo drama starts and it's stupid.

You never see that stuff in the boss-kill videos on bosskillers.com so why do so many guilds decide it's a good thing to do?

Get vent, mute it when you are in a fight and give officers voice. That stops drama during raid times.

If you don't own your vent, mute players that annoy you and openly admit they are muted. If that doesn't get some laughs at least you won't have to hear them bitch and moan.

If you officers are rude and obnoxious to the point you can't handle them, just quit the guild and start your own guild, or join one that is better suited to your style. Bring your wife with you too. She should support you in game like she would IRL.

After the raid people can go bitch and moan in open vent chans -- and you can click the big off button and spend some quality time with your wife AFK IRL LOL. :)

I find that 90% of why people get into drama problems in WOW or other games has to do with how they act and how they are expected to act around other people.

You don't have to follow that pattern.

There's another way the "you never play with me anymore" issue can spin out.

My son got my husband and I into WoW almost 3 years ago. At first we were all on the same (PvE) server, playing Ally. As my hsuband got geared up and into my son's guild and started to raid MC et al, they had less and less interest in questing with me (or waiting on quests til we could do them together.) ~ I wasn't interested in raiding at that time - found both the standing around for 90 minutes waiting for everyone to arrive as well as the visual chaos of the fights (epsecially all the raid info and SCT) just too visually overwhelming.

So I mostly soloed my priest to 70, PUGging 5 mans now and again. ~ They didn't seem to mind, and I was having fun. After a while I fell into a casual guild, started Kara, and gradually built up mods and an enjoyment of raiding. ~ When an opportunity to join an excellent & successful guild on a another server came up, I transferred my main, and then over time my other alliance 70s. I rolled some Horde, liked that too.

Yes, from time to time we're wistful that we didn't all stay together, but we can at least sit down and TALK about the game together. ~ If I was going to make a guess, I'd say that in so many of these cases, it's not the particular game that's important, it's the "together" time. If your partner/friend is important to you, find a third thing that you can do together that you both enjoy - and give your FULL heart and sincerity to it. (In other words, don't give 90% of your attention to the game you're not playing.)

I'm glad to see you all have a positive relationship involving the game. My ex fieonce and myself played wow together, but her more competitive side really ruined the experience because everything because a contest. Weather it was PvP rank, gear, or leveling speed, we just couldn't enjoy the game as a couple.

With an attitude that you two have to the game, one of camaraderie and fun, I don't think in the long run it matters which game you play.

"She gets so excited her hands start to spasm and her laugh cascades out of her with such strength her eyes narrow and she keeps alternating her weight from leg to leg. She calls the game by her own name for it. "I'm so excited for Hate Town! Hate Town Hate Town Hate Town Hate Town!"

As the weight of this commitment settles on me, I am given one of those brief moments where I learn why I never consider it a big deal that I have baby pink sheets, baby pink blankets, and pillow cases on my bed. Or a New Kids on the Block concert to go to. It is ironic that in what is usually a solitary and meaningless activity, I was given a choice where I could make it anything but."

What state do you live in that it's legal for you to marry a thirteen year old?

A great solution that worked for me for a while:

Make one toon that that family member/ wife/ gf/ bf/ friends always play together. Have them be the same race, start in the same area, do the same quests together.

And then also have a "me" toon, that you do things on your own with. So if the significant other isn't there, or doesn't want to play, then you can do something on your own.

And more than anything--- If the significant other says the game has to go... delete it from your computer and never look back. This game is so much less important than your relationships. It is not worth playing if it causes strife. See an addiction counselor if you need to, but don't forget to keep your priorities straight.

OCD is not an excuse for laying guilt trips, crying to get your way, refusing to compromise and insisting everyone else do it your way. You seem to pass it off as that, though.

Hate Town? What is that, anyway? Pink everything, NKotB? Literally hopping around when you get your way?

You really do sound as if you're describing your (very young) daughter, not your wife.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy the xpac. My hubby and I, as well as two of my sons, all play WoW.

Nonny: thanks for the tip, hadn't seen this.

Critter: not many details given, but I can say that you shouldn't say nothing at all, ever, about how excited you are. Maybe she won't want you to bring it up again or want to talk about it, but complete avoidance will only exascerbate any current or future problems.

Seriously, are you going to answer any of the questions that have been asked about why your wife sounds like a 13 year old child? And what does hate town even mean?