The Better Together Experience

Fifty percent of all couples worry about relationship boredom* and another 56% believe other couples have more fun. Can gaming get the sparks flying again?

According to a new OnePoll survey** respondents who are currently in a relationship, found social media and smartphones to be major distractions when engaging together. Additional findings indicated that 61% of respondents regularly or always use their smartphone when spending time with their partner/spouse. 

Sixteen percent of respondents went as far as to say they would be willing to sacrifice a limb in return for more quality time together with their partner/spouse! The light at the end of the tunnel, though, was that 61% of US respondents found playing video games together could have a positive effect on their relationship. Cue Dr. Hakim.

To celebrate It Takes Two’s recent launch on Nintendo Switch™, we put two couples who expressed boredom in their relationship and were willing to try something new, to the test with the Better Together Experience, asking them to play through It Takes Two together.

The couples, Ellie Gibson & Pete Hobden, and Rianna Linton & Paige Meade, embarked on an emotional journey in It Takes Two, playing as Cody and May to save the characters' relationship, by working together.

Watch the full video and then continue below.

We also got the chance to sit down after the experience to ask the couples, Rianna & Paige and Ellie & Pete some additional questions:

Q: How do you think your relationship has improved since playing through It Takes Two?

Rianna & Paige: It Takes Two has really brought me and my partner closer as it says it in the name, IT TAKES TWO! We are forced to work together as a team and take time to communicate in such a fun and active way. It makes us laugh, smile and connect more in so many different ways. We are so grateful to of had the chance to make changes to our relationship.

Ellie & Pete: Playing It Takes Two has been great for us. We've really enjoyed having something fun to do together, where you get to communicate and have a laugh.

Q: Before Playing It Takes Two, would you have considered yourself a ”gamer”?

R&P: I wouldn’t consider us “Gamers”. We do love to play games every now and then and love a bit of console gaming together but never thought to use a game to “cheer the mood up”.

E&P: I've always been a gamer, but Pete hasn't played for years - so it's great that now we have a shared hobby again.

Q: What was the hardest chapter in It Takes Two for you?

R&P: So far I reckon the hardest challenge of the game was when we had to take down the master of the game together, we couldn’t have completed that without one another and heavy communication skills.

E&P: The bit where you had to work together to link up the electrical cable took us ages to do, because it's all about perfect timing and listening to each other, which isn't always our strong point...

Q: Do you plan to continue to play video games together after this?

R&P: Yes! We for sure will plan to continue to play video games together, as we realized together we actually enjoy being on the same team and working together to complete missions in such a fun & entertaining way.

E&P: We are really keen to keep playing games together after this. It's definitely got us out of a rut of just watching TV all the time, and we've had so much more fun interacting and enjoying the game.

*50 percent of all couples worry about boredom in their relationship, according to research by Kristen Mark, Professor at University of Minnesota Medical School. 

**This online survey of 1,850 US and 1,540 UK adults in a relationship, cohabiting or married (aged 18-40) was commissioned by EA and conducted by market research company OnePoll, in accordance with the Market Research Society's code of conduct. Data was collected between 21/10/2022 and 27/10/2022. All participants are double-opted in to take part in research and are paid an amount depending on the length and complexity of the survey. This survey was overseen and edited by the OnePoll research team, who are members of the MRS and have corporate membership to ESOMAR.