Online role-playing games hurt marital satisfaction, says BYU study

http://news.byu.edu/archive12-feb-mmorpgs.as

The article uses the term "negatively" (that can be confusing in research terms because that could be taken to mean it has negative, as in no, effect, but in this case they mean that it hurts marital satisfaction levels.

"The study reports that 75 percent of spouses of sword-carrying, avatar-loving gamers wish they would put less effort into their guilds and more effort into their marriage. The researchers, led by graduate student Michelle Ahlstrom, and recreation management professor Neil Lundberg, studied 349 couples to learn how online role-playing games such as World of Warcraft, affect marital satisfaction for both gamers and their spouses. And in some cases, gaming even increased satisfaction."