Almost half of Brits find ‘an interest in online gaming’ to be an attractive romantic quality, according to new research published by EE for Valentine’s Day.
Here are eight other romantic gaming stats from the findings:
- 58% of Brits say online gaming ‘boosts romantic relationships’
- 28% of couples now regularly game together at least once a week
- 52% of Brits find online gaming diffuses tensions or arguments and helps to keep the peace in relationships
- Over a fifth of 16-24-year-olds are now more likely to online game on a date night over going out for dinner, to the cinema, or having a night in watching a movie
- Nearly two thirds (64%) of Brits agree that gaming helps them to relax and improves their relationships with others
- Brits looking for potential partners who have similar gaming interests, now see those with a love of gaming overtaking star signs as an important compatibility trait
- 1 in 10 considering it as the number one most important compatibility trait in a potential partner – even suppressing more traditional traits, including a well-matched star sign
- Puzzles and party games are the number one choice for couples to play together with sports and multiplayer racing games following closely behind.
The sample size for the research was 2,000 and the sample demographic was national, an EE spokesperson told Esports News UK.
How gaming can help in relationships
EE has teamed up with social media gaming couple, Adam Lyne and Jessie Jackson, who met while online gaming, to share tips and advice on how gaming has helped in relationships.
- “Be patient with each other when online gaming and don’t get frustrated when your partner isn’t an expert at the same game as you, it’s more fun when it’s competitive so you could spend an evening teaching each other tips and tricks on your favourite games.
- Find the right balance between online gaming together and enjoying other date nights such as going to a restaurant or the movies
- Online gaming helps couples spend time together and communicate, so work out a time that works for you to online game together once or twice a week
- Mix up the genres of games you play based on the day of the week or mood, such as action and adventure on a Friday and puzzle games on a Saturday”
The news comes as EE offers access to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with selected mobile plans when customers order the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Series.
It also comes a few days after the Cupcakes 4 Heartaches Valentine’s Day League of Legends game launched, and a few months after EE added gaming bays to 175+ stores.
EE is also seeing online gaming as a key driver for usage peaks on its network over the past 12 months, and over half of all Brits (56%) state they now spend more time gaming online with friends since the beginning of the pandemic.
Alistair Wilson, Director of Devices and Partnerships at EE, said: “It’s clear that online gaming is not only growing rapidly in popularity but it is also playing an even bigger role in our relationships – with couples now going head-to-head more than ever. And with Valentine’s Day here, we’re excited to offer Samsung’s latest Galaxy S23 flagship on EE’s All Rounder plan, unlocking even more gaming possibilities with an Xbox Games Pass Ultimate Inclusive Extra – helping passionate online gamers game from anywhere on EE’s unrivalled network for gaming.”
As a further commitment to romantic gamers, EE says its mobile customers will receive a 10% discount if they take EE home broadband at the same time.
EE also sponsors UK-based organisation Excel Esports.
There’s more info on the new Samsung Galaxy S23 Series on EE at ee.co.uk/Samsung.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
