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Mumsnet has not checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you need help urgently or expert advice, please see our domestic violence webguide and/or relationships webguide. Many Mumsnetters experiencing domestic abuse have found this thread helpful: Listen up, everybody

Gaming partner

27 replies

Janel87 · 20/09/2021 23:14

My partner is addicted to gaming, he regularly stays up past 3am which is becoming more and more of an issue. It is affecting the whole family (we have two young children) as the bulk of the childcare and housework falls on me. Our sex life is non existent as he comes to bed so late. It feels like I’m living with a teenager. I don’t want to be a killjoy but I need to find a way to stop this excessive behaviour. I have tried talking it through, I have asked for less gaming and more family interaction (including help with the boring house stuff). But nothing changes. We both work long hours and I recognise the need for down time. It just feels unfair that he gets more down time than I do and at the expense of me having to do more housework/childcare. Equalling less down time for myself. What should I do?

OP posts:
Pinkbonbon · 20/09/2021 23:18

I say this as a habit myself, you have already spoken to him and he hasn't changed so there's two options. Option one, remove the console. Option two, remove him.

Pinkbonbon · 20/09/2021 23:19

*as a gamer not a habit lol

Pinkbonbon · 20/09/2021 23:22

I think I would sit him down and tell him he needs to unplug it and remove it from the house entirely, because he has a family to care for and he has shown he cannot self regulate. If he is not 3ikling to do that, at least for a while, I would 100% leave him because he has made his choice.

PersonaNonGarter · 20/09/2021 23:28

If he is actually addicted then you will need to treat him like an addict. That’s the harsh truth.

He isn’t going to change until he wants to. And why would he when you are picking up all the pieces.

Consider whether he can go and stay away somewhere for a while.

Anordinarymum · 20/09/2021 23:33

Yes. all of the above. Give him an ultimatum. The game or his family and mean it.

scarpa · 20/09/2021 23:42

Agreed with PPs (coming from a household of two gamers). It's a perfectly fine hobby like anything else but when you take it this far it literally is an addiction and he needs to seek help.

Anordinarymum · 20/09/2021 23:50

The problem with gaming is it can be addictive. It depends upon the gamer. I think when people game and have other parties involved it can become like a way of life and the only way to stop is to walk away.

Pinkbonbon · 20/09/2021 23:56

I know myself that if a new game or an update for one of my favourite games comes out, I often play into the small hours of the moring for a week or so after that. But I don't have kids. And I make sure my gaming does not affect my commitments.

If you get to the point where your partner feels neglected and you are shirking your responsibilities, it just isn't on. There's no excuse for it as an adult.

If he is not grown up enough to behave as a responsible member of a family then he should not be part of it. You deserve better.

Don't have any more kids with him whatever happens.

Janel87 · 21/09/2021 14:17

Thank you for the replies. We had a brief discussion this morning but I will be talking to him again aa I don’t think it solved anything at all. We seem to be at very different view points. He earns a lot more than I do and therefore pays for everything. Literally everything. My earnings are what I save for us. He believes I am fully capable of looking after the home and children and suggests I leave my job (my income is low and not really making any impact on the household income other than me being able to save a bit for us and have my own money). He says if I leave my job I’ll have less stress and more free time. I have said my job is not causing me stress, I like my job and will continue working. I am only asking him for more help around the house. He washes his own clothes - after I said I’m not doing his anymore. He washes the cars. He puts the children to bed most nights, bath and bed routine. I do all the cooking, he agreed to do all the washing up but it didn’t last and would build up to the point I couldn’t cook without having to wash dishes first. I’d ask him to and he’d say yes he do it but just wouldn’t. I have said to him that if he lived alone he would have to do more than he does now, just as the basics of adult living. His response was well he’ll move out then. This is obviously not what I was asking, I just want more help so that we can both have more down time together and individually.
I’m not quite sure how we got to this, am I being a complete mug? I always thought I was a strong independent woman but writing this out I realise I’ve not been at all. I do love him and don’t want this to be the end of the relationship, I just want him to step up. Has anyone been in a similar position where by their partner had improved and made necessary changes for the good of the relationship?

OP posts:
Pinkbonbon · 21/09/2021 14:24

Damn op, sorry but don't talk with him again. He doesn't WANT to get it. He wants you to put up and shut up and be the house skivy.

DO NOT leave your job whatever you do. Keep saving. Make sure your pay goes to your own bank account and not a shared one.

He is presenting as toxic. He literally threatened you with moving out when you dared to ask for a little bit of compromise.

I think you need to start taking steps to leave him op. This is about more than gaming. It's about the complete lack of respect he has for you.

Mumoblue · 21/09/2021 14:30

Unfortunately I don’t have a good story. My ex was (and still is) addicted to video games. And while it’s not why we split, it was a major contributor to why we were so unhappy. (He ended up having an emotional affair with a girl he met on a video game, one who asked nothing of him).

Therapy CAN help, as we saw a therapist for a little while- but they have to want to change. You can’t change someone who doesn’t want to change.

I play video games myself, if and when I get the chance in between everything else I have to do, but I doubt I’d date a guy who spends any significant amount of time on video games again.

HairyFanjoBanjo · 21/09/2021 14:30

A close friend of mine had this exact situation, she gave him a solid ultimatum. He either stopped gaming or agreed to a gaming schedule (2 week nights and 1 weekend night, if they didn’t have plans) or she was filing for divorce.

She got all their financial details together, house, cars, pension etc and laid it all out for him, saying what she and kids were entitled to, what shared childcare would look like for him. Said that this is what she’s be pushing for as she wasn’t prepared to stay with someone who opted out of family life and opted out of a relationship with her.

This man was gaming every night, even throughout his work days (he worked from home with huge salary and little responsibility) because he could get away with it. He was completely checked out.

But the threat of her leaving, done in such a hardcore way actually worked and he got his shit together and stepped up.

It can be done. But you need to be very serious about it and be prepared to walk away if he doesn’t sort it out.

Whatever you do, don’t give up your job and don’t put up with this any longer, it will erode you. You will regret it.

INeedToBuyaZoo · 21/09/2021 14:30

I broke up with someone exactly like your partner. He wouldnt change

AttilaTheMeerkat · 21/09/2021 14:41

He indeed wants you to put up, shut up and be the house skivvy.

Unless he wants to address his gaming addiction there is nothing you can do or say to influence that process. He is happy with his life as he is and is showing no indications of wanting to change that.

There are red flags re this individual. He indeed threatened you with his moving out when you stated that if he lived alone he would have to do more than he does now. Another red flag here is him advising you to give up your job (so making you even more bloody dependent on him). That's another attempt at he exerting power and control here over you.

I would be planning my exit from this awful sounding relationship because its no role model for your children either. And DO NOT give up your job. He wants you to do that simply so you can spend more time running around after the house and him. He sees the kids and housework as YOUR role and YOURS alone.

PersonaNonGarter · 21/09/2021 19:01

Why would he change? He has exactly what he wants. Not sure you’ll be able to talk him out of it.

And don’t leave your job.

It sounds as though you aren’t married? His choice?

EarthSight · 21/09/2021 21:01

Oh OP. This is such a common experience. The husband thinks that it's the wife's choice to work, and that her rightful place is at home, being a 1950s housewife and housekeeper.

These are things that should be discussed and agreed to before marriage. I don't think a traditional set-up is all bad, but I do think that many men aren't honest regarding how attractive the 1950s pipe & slippers marriage is to them.....if they were, I'm not sure if their wives would have had children with them. Others change over time as they realise that this kind of set-up suits them fair better than the more modern marriage.

I understand that if he earns a lot more than you, he might think it's pointless for you to work, but it's also pretty important for you to keep something on your C.V, even if it's 1 day a week. Employers frequently don't even ask how many hours you worked in your old job. They just see a job, and if you were ever in a vulnerable position, that job could make the difference in you being able to hop into a full time position elsewhere instead of there being a massive gap in your employment. If he's purely thinking about his own needs at the expense of yours, it's clear that it's simply not in his interest to have a wife that has as much independence and ability to leave as he does.

Which brings me to my next point - wife. I note that you say your his partner. Why am I not fucking surprised? Permit me to make an assumption here, and assume that this was his decision? Either you wanted to get married or weren't bothered, but he either never asked or made it clear it was just a piece of paper of some other poor excuse?

If that's true then I can see very clearly what's happened here. He's set up a pretty good situation for himself, hasn't he? I assume the kids weren't an accident? If they weren't, then he's managed to bag himself a girlfriend who stayed and actually had babies with him. He sounds like he would quite like a wifey at home - but without the fucking marital protections for you. Do you have separate bank accounts? Any that are joint? Do you at least own your home together?

He puts the children to bed most nights, bath and bed routine.

That's good. It's a start, but doesn't make up for gaming until 3am. That's just beyond. Where your cuddle time together? Where the intimacy here. He just shuts himself away. You must be lonely :(

I have said to him that if he lived alone he would have to do more than he does now, just as the basics of adult living. His response was well he’ll move out then

He knows he holds the ace card here OP. He knows he has the financial power, so he won't budge an inch if it doesn't suit him.

If this is what he's like when you have a job, I think he'll probably get worse. You can tell what a person is really like inside when they think they've got the upperhand.

Do you like what you've seen so far?? If not, don't even think about giving up your job.

EarthSight · 21/09/2021 21:03

@Anordinarymum

Yes. all of the above. Give him an ultimatum. The game or his family and mean it.
No point @Anordinarymum

He knows he has her and thinks she's dependent on him. He's clearly quite cocky about that. Also, personally, I would want to be with someone who wants to come to bed with me for some alone time, not someone who has to be told off like a teenager :/

EarthSight · 21/09/2021 21:09

@Mumoblue Was she younger too? Often the other woman is. So cliche.

Lan2020 · 21/09/2021 21:38

My partner was the same. It drove me insane. He'd be gaming until 3am and in bed until 1pm.
I turned to him one day and said
"i have had enough, there is no point in me being in a relationship with you. I get absolutely nothing out of our relationship. I'm lonely, miserable and basically a single mother. I'd rather be on my own".
To be honest, I'm not sure it worked. I'd keep on at him, I'd tell him I needed him to have our son so I could get things done, I'd say we should eat dinner together occasionally, I told him I didn't want to be with someone who never came to bed with me.
I probably sound terrible but over months of me repeatedly complaining, telling him to help, crying and telling him how pointless our relationship was, it eventually got easier. He used to do upto 10hrs a day on Xbox. Now it's more like 2.
Can you get a hobby/see a friend a set night a week and tell him he is doing childcare? Ask him if he will at least occasionally go to bed the same time as you, tell him you need some closeness otherwise it's not a relationship.

Lan2020 · 21/09/2021 21:41

Oh and my partner suggested I don't work, stop moaning and then I will be less busy and stressed (just like you, work wasn't stressing me) and then I'd leave him in peace to game.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 21/09/2021 21:44

Replace the word 'gaming' with the word 'drinking' or 'gambling' and act accordingly, tbh.

He is prioritising his addiction over his family and relationship.

He sees you as default parent to the children you share and default cleaner off the home you share.

Now he wants you to leave your job so that on top of all of that mental load, you are financially dependent on an addict who has excused themselves from cooking, cleaning and childcare in favour of their addiction?

Would he think a mother should act like this? My guess is no. Men like this who leave everything to their partner are, underneath whatever bullshit they spout, chauvinists. He believes you have more obligation to parent and do chores than he does because he has a penis.

He also knows in a way that it's a fucking pisstake for him to think that which is why he wants you to quit your job - so that he would be the sole earner and can throw it in your face if you challenge him on anything.

Honestly, isn't life too short to be with such a shitty, lazy chauvinist? Also think what this is teaching your children about relationship dynamics, responsibility and gender roles - don't you want them to think men and women have equal responsibility to contribute to parenting, chores, childcare, have equal access to fun time etc?

God he sounds insufferable. Don't live a half life with someone addicted to something that he loves more than his family.

youvegottenminuteslynn · 21/09/2021 21:46

@Lan2020

Oh and my partner suggested I don't work, stop moaning and then I will be less busy and stressed (just like you, work wasn't stressing me) and then I'd leave him in peace to game.
Your partner is horrible though @Lan2020, it hasn't worked and you aren't happy with him Thanks
Mumoblue · 21/09/2021 22:25

@EarthSight

She was actually a little older, but spent her whole time on the computer too, which gave them plenty of time to talk about how mean I was for having actual expectations of him and not just letting him game all night (and chat her up).
My one bit of petty satisfaction is that she dropped him like a sack of shit as soon as I broke up with him. She was one of those who was only in it to feel like she was being chosen over the partner, and once I was gone she didn’t want to know! Grin

EarthSight · 21/09/2021 22:30

@Mumoblue So sad isn't it? :/ Maybe he simply messed it up before it got started though, and she though 'nope'!

Ijsbear · 21/09/2021 22:56

His response was well he’ll move out then

It sounds pretty much as if he's checked out of family life, I'm afraid :(

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