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A computer widow (or widower) is a term for those who have a relationship with a computer user, either one who plays video games, on a console or on the computer,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=ST. Louis Post-Dispatch Newspaper Archives )〕 uses the Internet, or creates his/her own programs,〔(Conversations: Richard Petthia; Keeping Things Safe and Orderly In the Neighborhoods of Cyberspace - New York Times )〕 who pays far more attention to the computer or game than to his/her partner. It is similar in concept and may in some cases have replaced the football widow,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Archives: Chicago Tribune - Computer widow: She has a relationship that's off-line )〕 which in the UK is often replaced by the "golf widow." The term was in use as early as 1983, with use of Bulletin board systems and programming a concern. The possible problems created in family life were being studied by psychologists, with couples coming to them for help. It was commented upon by Phillip Zimbardo as a possible problem which may develop as a result of children growing up around computers, who then may fail to have social skills in later life. He said that there was a risk that it would lead to greater separation between the sexes, because at the time, perhaps more so than today, computers were used by men more than women.〔(New Marital Stress: The Computer Complex - New York Times )〕 However, some people find the Internet a way to meet a partner, such as via online dating sites. Most gamer widows (partners of those addicted to games) may now be attached to players of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).〔(680News - ALL NEWS RADIO )〕 Because many of these games revolve around building or "leveling up" a player character, many hours are dedicated to this process while playing the game. Examples of MMORPGs include ''EverQuest'', ''RuneScape'', ''World of Warcraft'', ''Guild Wars'', ''Ultima Online'', ''Final Fantasy XI'', ''City of Heroes'', and ''Ragnarok Online''. Other games such as ''CounterStrike'', the games of the ''Call Of Duty'' series that have online multiplayer options, ''StarCraft'' and ''Civilization III'' or ''IV'', often known for their addictive qualities, also result in their fair share of gamer widows. Some support groups for computer widows exist in real life.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Community Happenings for Nov. 2 - 8 )〕 Internet support groups exist for addicted players of the popular MMORPGs, ''EverQuest'' and ''World of Warcraft'', with some gamers speaking in the media of their need for such a group.〔(Confessions of a World of Warcraft addict - The INQUIRER )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Home - BBC News )〕 There are also Internet support groups for ''World of Warcraft'' widows.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Elves, trolls and deadly danger )〕 A website was launched in mid-2005, dedicated to the support of gamer widow(er)s of a variety of different games, including ''World of Warcraft'' and ''EverQuest''. It was the first site of its kind that provided support forums for gamer widow(er)s and has gained international recognition after the founder, Sherry Myrow, was interviewed by MSNBC 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Game widows grieve ‘lost’ spouses )〕 FoxBusiness 〔http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/lifestyle-money/personal-technology/article/does-onlinegame-design-hook-users_302071_25.html〕 and by Macleans Magazine 〔().〕 Merchandise can even be purchased on the Internet with slogans admitting that a person is a widow to some of these computer activities. == See also == *Game addiction 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Computer widow」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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