Our Video Game Date Nights - by Kelsey Boyanzhu

I've seriously never been so excited to sit down and write a post. Ever. This has got to be my favorite collaboration opportunity I've ever done in my years of blogging. Why, you ask?

Because today, ya'll, we're going to talk about video games. Xbox, to be specific.

I am the only daughter in my family, so grew up with two younger brothers and my dad wrestling over video games every weeknight and weekend. Video games were how we bonded as a family. They kind of still are. When I head home for a long weekend, I typically walk in to my youngest brother and dad playing a competitive game of Rocket League.

It gets intense.

So my love of video games runs deep. We always had an Xbox in the house growing up, and KB and I have adopted this same love of gaming together as we've built our own home over the years.

Our favorite way to do date night is to play Xbox. If you follow me on Instagram, you've definitely seen our Assassin's Creed date nights on Stories (lol - this is a real thing). Our Friday date nights usually involve cuddling up under a blanket, breaking out my favorite wine, ordering some dumplings - and Xbox.

My Xbox family sent me the brand new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition to try out, so today we're breaking down how KB and I do date night Xbox style all while taking a look at the brand new console.

Our date night's take very little prep (thank goodness). I love to light my favorite candle, poor a couple glasses of my favorite wine (which now, in turn, is also his favorite wine), and then we break out the laptop to place our delivery order.

Dumplings and ice cream are our date night jam. We are OBSESSED with ordering dumplings - Shanghai Dumpling King is our top pick, if you happen to be a fellow San Franciscan.

Once the candles are lit, wine is poured, and our order is placed, I put KB to work setting up the new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition.

Don't get me wrong, I'm proud to be a girl who loves gaming. But I also definitely made him do all the work setting the new console up. LOL!

We're now a two Xbox home, so I want to break down the differences between your traditional Xbox One S and the new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition.

The new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is an all-digital console with no disc drive and rings in at only $249.99. This is unique compared to our Xbox One S because there are no discs involved! I'm a massive fan of downloading my games. We live in a pretty tiny apartment, so I'm all for that digital lifestyle because you avoid any potential clutter with collecting discs. You can see our disc collection in some of the photos in this post - those are all KB's games because I am a digital only kind of gal. I've been downloading my games to our Xbox One S, so I think the new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition is honestly the greatest solve for me. Xbox has priced the new console $50 less than the original Xbox One S - so why not save a little cash if you prefer to digital download anyways??

We don't plan to "replace" our Xbox One S with this new console - it's an addition for us! We'll likely end up moving one of the consoles into another room because Xboxes have the awesome "double duty" of also allowing you to play Netflix and other useful apps.

At the end of the date, the new Xbox One S All-Digital Edition really just gives you more choice when you're looking at choosing the console that's best for you.

So other than bragging about the copious amounts of junk food we consume during date nights (LOL) I also want to touch on some of our favorite games to play together.

We're a little weird - we don't often like to play two player games together. We really love hanging out and watching each other play certain games. Don't @ me. It's not that weird.

For example, I absolutely love to watch KB play Assassin's Creed and Red Dead Redemption. The storylines and graphics are just so beautiful it's almost like watching a movie where I get to back seat drive to the writers - LOL! Both games are open world so we sort of get the chance to play together and craft the storyline as we go. It makes for a really interactive and fun at home date night.

I also FLIPPED OUT when I saw I could play an old fave from my childhood - Banjo Kazooie - available via the Xbox Game Pass. Game Pass is a subscription that isn't included with the Xbox One S All-Digital Edition, but there are some great subscription deals for low prices. Honestly I'd pay anything to keep playing Banjo - it's such a trip down memory lane!

All in all, I'm just obsessed with our Xbox date nights. Especially as we are marching towards a wedding and life is getting more and more hectic, we're really trying to make it a priority to spend quality time together. Our video game date nights are our way to bond, connect, hang out, and relax.