One part of being in a relationship with a serious gamer is the possibility of gaming/LAN parties occuring in your home.  Here are some of the things I’ve learned about hosting them:

First off, the absolute best way for a non-gaming person to participate in any kind of gaming/LAN party is to send your significant other to someone else’s house.  However, if they insist on having one at your place, here are a few things I’d suggest.

1) In the case of a console gaming party (like Halo or Modern Warfare), some of his buddies are going to have to bring their own TV’s, because if there are more than four of them, they’re going to need to hook up some extra consoles.  I don’t have any experience with a full-blown LAN, but I’m pretty sure those require people to have their own computers.  Your gamer will be aware of this, but it leads me to the point below.

2) Set up restricted areas beforehand, because most of us have certain places in our homes that we’d rather not have a bunch of strange, smelly, and occasionally shady guys.  For me, those private zones include my bedroom and the room my daughters share (or will, when the next one is born).  So, to prevent those areas from being used, I make sure and talk to my husband about where exactly those boys will be playing before they all show up.  If they must be in my bedroom, I make sure it’s my husband and his friends that I know and trust.  Just a personal preference.

3) If possible, get some of the more responsible ones to bring some kind of food/drink item, or they’ll sweep through your house like locusts, and you’ll find your grocery bill has mysteriously doubled.

4) Decide what you’re going to do. 

Option #1, you can stay.  This might be a good option if a)you prefer to keep an eye on things with all those people in your house (which I totally understand), b) you’re relatively new to your relationship and you want to show how chill you are, or that you get along with his friends, or you just want to be with him, c) you’re about to pwn them ALL. 

Option #2 is the one that I’d suggest for a those not about to pwn.  Leave.  Go hang out with your friends, go to lunch, take your kids to the park or a playdate (or drop them off with the grandparents), etc.  Especially if you’re one of those who wants to be with him, because in my experience, he’s just after some guy time.  It’s ok to be apart.

These are the things that I’ve found work for me.  I hope they’re helpful to someone out there.  As always, I’d love to hear tips from you guys!