For many, Valentine's Day conjures up feelings of love, intermingled with anxiety over finding the right gift and planning the perfect night. This year, forget expensive candlelit dinners or romantic movies and consider video games. A new survey released by national video game retailer Game Crazy finds that nearly 80 percent of Americans would enjoy playing video games with their significant other. Whether playing to win or just partaking in friendly competition, all couples really need this Valentine's Day is a gaming console.
"Video gaming can be extremely beneficial for a couple's relationship because it promotes bonding and feeling close, helps refine a couples ability to problem solve together and, most importantly, encourages having fun and laughing with one another," said Dr. Diana Kirschner, relationship expert and author of Love in 90 Days. "As a matter of fact, it is my experience that the couples that play together stay together!"
The biggest allure for 61 percent of Americans is that video gaming is something a couple can do together. Others see gaming together as a good way to work as a team (25%), while some just enjoy watching the faces their significant other makes while playing (20%). During times of economic uncertainty, couples also look to this seemingly unconventional dating activity as an inexpensive way to spend time together. In fact, 21 percent of respondents admit that gaming is appealing because it's a low-cost date option.
While compromise is critical in relationships, all bets are off once the gaming begins. Nearly 70 percent of Americans admit that if they were playing a video game during a date, they'd rather win than let their date come out on top. Surprisingly, the fairer sex is more aggressive when it comes to playing to win - more than 80 percent of women compete to beat their date during a video game, compared to 56 percent of men. With 44 percent of men planning to let their date win, perhaps chivalry isn't dead after all.
According to Game Crazy's Valentine's Day survey, the video games that Americans are most likely to play with their significant other include:
* Wii Sport or other sport-themed games - who doesn't want to engage in some friendly athletic competition?
* Rock Band or Guitar Hero - it's all about making sweet music together.
* Mario Kart - Mario and Princess Peach make the perfect couple.
"Video gaming is an entertaining and unique way to spend quality time with the people you love," said Tanya Khamis, director of marketing at Game Crazy. "The passionate gaming experts at Game Crazy are prepared to help customers pick the perfect game for everyone, whether it's the first or fiftieth Valentine's Day they are spending with their significant other."
Game Crazy provides a winning combination of superior value, expertise and selection. With the largest assortment of new and used games, consoles and accessories, serious gamers and casual players alike can find the perfect game to play with their date this Valentine's Day.
To find a Game Crazy store location in your area, please visit www.gamecrazy.com/storelocator
The Game Crazy Valentine's Day Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between January 6th and January 19th, 2009 using an email invitation and an online survey. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The survey had a margin of error plus or minus of 3.1 percentage points.