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Gettyimages.com/Two friends playing video game

I don’t have an issue with adults playing video games. I’m not one of those holier-than-thou, judgmental people who think video games are juvenile or immature. Honestly, I love a good Pixar movie, sometimes I eat kid’s cereal, and don’t hate if a kiddy pool is around for a barbecue. I have no issue with activities and items that are considered “for kids.” But too much of anything is never a good thing, and I have noticed that video games—in particular—are a thing to which people can become addicted. I’ve never really known a casual, adult gamer. It’s either all or nothing. It’s not something anyone dabbles in. And video games have a very peculiar nature: they can let you escape from reality far more than most other activities that are available at the touch of a button. Here is how video games hurt relationships more than you may think.

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Emotional cheating

A lot of video games are part of larger worlds, in which gamers join online forums and communities, having live conversations through their headsets with other gamers. Unfortunately, they can end up talking to other gamers—people they barely know—about their personal lives more than they talk to their own partner.

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A false sense of stress

Video games can elevate heart rate and actually cause the gamer to feel like he is under stress. Then, when he puts down the game after a loss, he can behave irritated and short with his partner as if a real problem has occurred. But it’s all fake, cyber issues.

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An exclusive club with other gamers

Really avid gamers develop their own language with other gamers. The game consumes their minds and conversations. This can leave their partners feeling a bit left out, when all the conversation is centered around something they know nothing about.

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A false sense of control

In the gaming world, the player has a lot of control. He might have weapons. He might have total control over what his character and other characters do—how they treat him, what they do for him. And he can start to think he has that power in his relationship…but he doesn’t.