Women on the internet are debating whether grown men who play video games are attractive partners. The discussion started after a woman by the name of Lizzie Marbach posed the question on her X account.
Before posting, Marbach flagged the take as an “unpopular opinion.” She then stated that grown men playing video games was allegedly not an attractive quality for their partner.
Marbach’s argument was that even women who initially find it acceptable tend to grow frustrated with it. She said, “It is extremely unattractive to women and will never not be.”
I know this is unpopular, but it will always be unattractive for a grown man to play video games.
Some women might be understanding or pretend like they don’t care that you spend hours playing, but they do.
It is extremely unattractive to women and will never not be. ??♀️
— Lizzie Marbach (@LizzieMarbach) May 4, 2026
In a follow-up thread on X, she clarified that her statements were not meant as an attack on men and said she was speaking objectively.
She added, “Men turn into raging, irrational feminists over it. Needs to be studied.” Her comments sparked controversy on the social media platform.
One respondent argued, “It’s only unattractive if they sacrifice responsibilities for gaming or are neglecting you.” Another claimed, “If it’s an addiction that takes place over his primary responsibilities, then sure.”
The same user added, “But there is nothing wrong with men playing video games as a hobby.”
I think it depends on the man. I’m married to someone who plays video games… but he also builds them, creates entire worlds, and pours his heart into it every single day. The discipline, the passion, the way he shows up for our family… there’s nothing unattractive about that.…
— Author Heather McKinnon (@MrsLuclin) May 5, 2026
One X user said she found her husband gaming “cute” and told Marbach to “Stop trying to cause fights in healthy relationships.”
One more person said, “It will always be unattractive for a grown woman to dictate what a grown man does…”
A fifth person asked, “Have you considered that attraction is different for everyone, and A LOT of women find men who are into sports or hunting or fishing to be super cringe?”
One commenter said they showed Marbach’s post to their wife and wrote, “Nobody claimed playing video games was attractive.” The same person added, asking, “It’s a hobby, so who cares what you or anyone else thinks?
The Debate Moved to Reddit and Got Even More Divided
The conversation made it past X, into Reddit, sparking further discussions about whether or not men playing video games were attractive or not.
A Redditor shared a screenshot of Marbach’s post and asked women on the forum whether they agreed. The user asked if Marbach was attempting to “rationalize her worldview” by speaking for all women, or if they agreed with her.
An individual on Reddit claimed, “I think what’s unattractive is the guy blowing off responsibilities to play games. What he does in his actual downtime shouldn’t be anyone’s business.”
The next one said, “There’s a difference between playing a game or two and spending your entire weekend gaming, every weekend. The latter is extremely unattractive.”
A third person said, “Plenty of women don’t care as long as you’re not neglecting real life.”
Another user said the issue was not gaming itself but whether it was kept in balance with other commitments.
The Redditor jokingly added, “When all is done, and we have free time? I need that man to game so that I can also game in peace!”
Marbach’s post set out to speak for all women. The replies made clear that all women had very different things to say about it.