Gamertell

Love - a four letter word that inspires kinship, hope and joy.

Nerd - another four letter word that was once a derogatory connotation for those intellectual individuals who may not have the skills of an athlete but could run circles around them in equations and computer knowledge.

Those are the days long gone as Nerd is now the new word for love according to Steve Tilley of the Winnipeg Sun in Canada.

“Dinner and a movie? How cliche. Romantic picnic in the park? Sure, if you don’t mind layers of parka padding and thermal underwear. Grabbing a pair of game controllers and going head-to-head from the comfort of your couch? Now there’s a bit of Valentine’s Day fun that hasn’t been gooped up by Hallmark sentimentality. Plus, there’s no shortage of “joystick” double entendres to exploit,” Tilley writes in his article. “If your girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse can already kick your butt in Halo, you’re golden. But playing video games with a non-gaming significant other can be a challenge, especially with the daunting complexity of some of today’s titles. And nothing kills romance faster than frustration.”

Oh how true that is. Sigh. If only my ex-boyfriend could have read this article two years ago, we would have been together much longer, or long enough to do some serious pwnage on his non-gaming behind. But hey, wear that pocket protector just right and grab that controller, you might just get that romantic evening to remember. Here’s a list of game suggestions for couples suggested by Tilley. And believe me, its quite an interesting list based on the console you own.

For Nintendo Wii owners

• Nintendo Wii Sports - Tilley suggested for those Wii gamers a little friendly game of tennis and bowling. A rather interesting suggestion, nothing is more of a buzz killer than the bowling alley reeking of sweaty bowlers, beer guzzling pro-wannabes and the smell of two day old nachos, right? If you have all that at home, then seriously clean your house first before inviting that special love interest over. These two seem rather nice and romantic. “No matter how little experience the object of your affection has with video games,” Tilley wrote. “They should have no trouble picking up a Wii Remote and holding their own in Wii Sports. Tennis and bowling are the two easiest games to play competitively, and baseball can be a great equalizer as well. Golf is tricky even for some seasoned video game vets (plus, it’s golf—could there be a bigger romance-killer?), so you might want to avoid it.”

• Super Mario Galaxy - Tilley suggests Super Mario Galaxy as a cool romantic game for couples as they share or help each other accomplish the same goal. “Trivia and singing games are fine and all, but sometimes you want to have a more old-school video game experience, yet not leave your honey feeling neglected,” Tilley explained in his story. “Especially on the V-Day, when a single day of neglect by you can lead to months of retaliatory neglect by them. The beauty of Super Mario Galaxy is that a second player can join in at any time with an extra Wii Remote, basically acting as an extra pair of hands for your on-screen Mario, scooping up Star Bits, zapping foes and whatnot.” Since i don’t own a Wii system I would have to take his word on this and add my personal opinion as a woman. Your lucky if the grudge only lasts a month as we are the pros when it comes to holding grudges.

For Microsoft Xbox 360 owners

• Scene it? Lights, Camrea, Action for the XBox 360 console - An excellent choice for movie buffs and film fanatics according to Tilley as he explained in his article that ” for film fans, it’s a blast and makes for boisterous and friendly competition. The key word being friendly.” Personally what guy or gal wouldn’t want to show off their knowledge of Hollywood? Although I would have to agree with Tilley when he wrote that you should be careful not to get carried away since no one likes a smarty pants or sitting there feeling like the dumbest person on the planet. So be careful ... and if they’re really that clueless drop a hint or let them win anyways.

For PlayStation 2 owners

• SingStar - A karaoke-style game using a pair of microphones for the game. “The popular SingStar games come in four versions—SingStar Pop, SingStar Rocks!, SingStar Amped and SingStar ‘80s—so if your girl or guy can at least warble a song that doesn’t make dogs how in pain, there should be a version that fits,” he explained in his story and suggests SingStar Pop for its wider selection of romantic songs.

Games for all platform owners

• Rock Band - Doesn’t matter what system you own, it seems the game RockBand is already available for the PlayStation 2 and 3 consoles and XBox360 consoles. “Believe it or not, Rock Band could be the ultimate in romance-friendly video games. Why? Because it’s so much fun to play, and accessible to just about anyone. Even a complete neophyte can rock out to Are You Gonna be My Girl playing bass on easy mode,” he writes. “But if your paramour can’t play handle plastic faux instruments at all, she or he can at least grab the microphone and sing.”

Wow. Never would have thought of these games had I not read Tilley’s article. Best work on my voice and singing skills for a romantic night this valentine’s day.

Read [Winnipeg Sun in Canada]