Question:
How do I get my husband away from his Xbox?
Hot pancakes :)
2010-08-04 16:24:22 UTC
He says he needs "his time" every day to play his video games. Please don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with him wanting time for himself or with him playing his games. The thing is, once he picks up that controller, it's nearly impossible to get him away from it. He'll sometimes play for hours, and if I even suggest that he turn it off so we can spend time together, he gets ticked off. (I've even tried walking around naked, and that even annoyed him).

Also, whenever he's stressed out, he only wants to "kill people" on call of duty. I know it's probably a guy thing, but it'd be nice if he'd let me help him calm down. We're also trying to start a family, so he definitely needs to find another outlet for stress before we have children, and I really hope his daily xbox habit won't take him away from our children at that point.

Any ideas what I can do?
Eight answers:
La Vie Boheme
2010-08-04 16:28:18 UTC
Nip it in the bud now. These things are as addicting as alcohol or gambling. A grown man trying to start a family needs to NOT play video games for hours.
Your_Favorite_Auntie
2010-08-04 16:36:28 UTC
This is what you do:



Next time he picks up the controller, just quietly pack a bag, and go. Bring enough stuff to see you through a day or two, some cash and whatever else you'll need. Leave a note saying that you're gone until he grows up and starts being a husband again. Make a mental note of what time you left, and how long it even takes him to notice that you're gone and call you to figure out what the hell happened.



DO NOT tell him that you're leaving ... just go.



Once he calls you to figure out what the hell happened, tell him that you've tried talking about it and all of the other things you've tried that have gotten you nowhere ... but since he continues to make THE CHOICE to pick the game over his wife, you are now making A CHOICE to be gone until he picks which is more important.



Tell him that you will come home when he's thrown it in the trash. THAT IS THE CHOICE he now has to make. You tried meeting him in the middle. That didn't work. He continued to be selfish, so this is where things stand. It's you, or the game.



It's make or break time. Guys like this need the ultimate wake-up call (being, the threat of losing their wife) before they realize the toll it takes on relationships when they do this. He thinks it's 'not that bad' and just blowing off steam, when it's not. He's avoiding the responsibility of being a husband. They use the games as an escape from something, but he can't do that and expect to keep a wife.



Be prepared for whatever choice he makes - and I sincerely hope he makes the right one.



P.S. Keep mom and dad out of it. This is NOT THEIR BUSINESS.



This is the guy that YOU picked, and if he needs to be growed up by a good woman, then grow him up, but do it on your own. Inviting mom and dad into your marital problems will not help anything. This is YOUR problem to solve.
2010-08-04 16:28:01 UTC
My brother gets hooked on his Xbox, and whenever I feel like he is succumbing to the world of games, I offer to drive him to get ice cream at ColdStone.



I don't know if that will work with a husband, though.
Nash
2010-08-04 16:33:55 UTC
Sit down on the table naked next to the Xbox. Spread your legs and ask him which box he would prefer to play with. If he keeps playing Xbox tell him that you will be looking for a new controller for your sweet box.
Countsit
2010-08-04 16:36:04 UTC
You can't do it in a reasonable way.

My ex was addicted to the playstation.



And somehow, mysteriously, when he was at work, it got submerged in water.... I'm just saying.
2010-08-04 16:34:10 UTC
Remind him he is an adult/husband/father and he needs to act like one..I'd take the dam thing away...
?
2010-08-04 16:27:06 UTC
get your mam and dad round to sit and watch him play it!!! that would stop me
2010-08-04 16:29:22 UTC
Let him do what he wants. It's harmless.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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