This topic reminded me of an editorial I wrote back in April of 2009. After finding it, I was reminded that this very website inspired the column. Perhaps some of you will find amusement in it:
Playing video games is a lot like sex: it involves a series of repetitive tasks with a progressive build-up that usually leaves a guy happy and a girl bored. In fact, a recent survey on www.escapistmagazine.com claims that one in three men in relationships would rather play their favorite console than engage in fornication. Better than that, 72 percent of these same men would give up a torrid evening with their lover in order to play a new game.
Some people might question why any male would rather shoot at digital aliens instead of their misses, but when the situation is analyzed, it makes sense.
Let's face it: video games can keep a man engaged in pleasure for longer periods of time. Guys can play video games for hours and afterwards, they don't fall asleep.
There is never anything awkward about playing video games. No guy ever has to sheepishly explain that his Xbox does not work that night because of the "red ring of death," and that it is still beautiful to him.
Video games also never leave a mess. Finishing a session of "Call of Duty" won't leave an annoying wet spot, leaves no sheets to rearrange and never results in any marks that have to be hidden from a person's boss.
Nobody needs to smell good to make playing video games more enjoyable. Along with that, nobody ever feels the need to shower afterwards.
Think of some of the technical aspects. A couple does not walk out of their room after playing "Resident Evil" with messed-up hair, flushed faces, obvious grins or the loud cat calls and knowing smiles of those they are living with.
They can both be enjoyed while intoxicated, although this is another situation where video games win yet again. There is nary a moment with a video game where the guy has to pretend he has not forgotten its name. Plus, there is no such thing as "whiskey-stick."
Anybody can have multiple video games at a time, can get a new one whenever they feel like, and there is no social stigma when playing "Counter Strike" if a buddy joins in.
When looked at in a professional, non-judgmental sense, it seems pretty clear why many men in relationships prefer video games to sex. This ongoing phenomenon should be embraced by the population, men and women alike.
Instead of buying that completely overpriced see-through bra from Victoria's Secret, a girlfriend should instead invest her money in something that will truly make her man happy, and at this point it should be clear what that something is.
Video games should really be marketed for what they are: the greatest alternative to sex that has ever been created. Easy way to do this - stick the newest releases section in the "feminine hygiene" aisle in Wal-Mart. That way a lustful, sex-filled night can be replaced with something even better.