In an age where technology has revolutionised the way we connect, a cute trend is emerging: couples and platonic pairs who find joy and shared adventure through the world of gaming. These dynamic duos often defy traditional notions of bonding, opting for pixelated realms over candlelit dinners and finding that virtual escapades are able to forge pretty strong bonds.
Take newlyweds William Lim and Shalini Devendra, for example. They have been playing video games together on multiple devices ever since they met each other back in university. Lim, 25, is a marketing associate from Damansara Jaya, Selangor, while Shalini, 29, is a practising psychologist from Singapore. Both were keen gamers even before they met, but it was really 2020 when they first became couch co-op partners.
“During the Covid-19 pandemic, we started playing games together a lot and tackled all levels of Overcooked 2,” Lim says, referring to the cooperative cooking video game that can be played on various platforms, including the Nintendo Switch, Sony PlayStation, and Microsoft Xbox.
When asked what gaming characters they would swap lives with, Lim readily offers Geralt of Rivia from The Witcher. “His life of killing monsters and earning coin money seems exciting to me,” he says, laughing. “The world he lives in, including its characters, is one I would very much like to explore.” Sha, on the other hand, says, “I think I’d like to be Pikachu! I grew up loving Pokemon, and I still do. Absolutely refusing to stay in the Poke Ball and being fiercely supportive of my friends and loved ones are themes that resonate with me.
Lim feels that the teamwork aspect of games is most captivating, while Sha reckons that while they have different interests in games, there are also many games that overlap. “I do love puzzle games and cosy games, and we’ve tried them all together. As much as I love a good competitive game, I also enjoy the co-op ones. They are calming and fun to play, especially with my partner,” she says.
It takes two Couple Syaffa Kamarudin and Mikhail Haris enjoy playing video games for about two to six hours every day, depending on their personal schedules: Syaffa, 24, is self-employed, and Mikhail, 25, is busy with his studies at the university. The duo started playing games together in April of this year when Mikhail gifted Syaffa a Switch to play her favourite game, Animal Crossing.
Both Mikhail and Syaffa enjoy creating things, customising characters, and exploring the game world together, as well as completing the story mode in some solo games. Syaffa says that Animal Crossing is fun but has its challenges: “There have been tricks we have had to learn along the way to accumulate certain resources to achieve a target, and we have to refer to the Critterpedia website to understand certain things.”
When it comes to strategies and individual strengths, Syaffa laughs, saying, “We are both good at problem solving, especially in puzzle games; but since it does get frustrating, we take turns because Mikhail can get quite frustrated!”
The couple’s favourite co-op gaming moment was while they were trying out Overcooked for the first time. “There was a huge mess in the kitchen, which was part of how the game works, and we both lost it laughing at all the small mistakes of handling the kitchen, cooking, and cleaning all at once.”
Long-time couple Magnus Manickam and Aurelia Michaels fondly reminisce about how they first hooked up over games. Forty-something Magnus was an avid gamer who decided to mentor his girlfriend when she wanted to try her hand at gaming over a decade ago.
“Magnus was very patient at first, and it was great because whenever I would get stuck in a boss battle or complex puzzle, he would easily get me through to the next stage. “I think I was spoiled a lot because I never had to overcome any of those really difficult challenges on my own,” says copywriter Michaels, 45, adding that she went through a…
Credit: The Star : Tech Feed
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