When gaming goes VERY wrong...

Sometimes, gaming can get out of hand. Let it get too out of hand and it will drive away females.

I saw this in a Facebook post earlier today and got permission to repost it here. The individual who authored this piece is an old Army buddy of mine. Knowing what I know about some of you gamers out there, I don't think this story is all that unique...



For 3 years, I was in a relationship with "C." For 2 of those years, life was pretty good.

Then, for the final year, he suddenly became obsessed with gaming. Table-top, role-playing, video, everything except board games. Now don't get me wrong, I love my D&D as much as any other red-blooded American, but C's new obsession went to some pretty ridiculous lengths. I was expected to roll with the punches, and for the first few months of this I really tried.

"Friends" started showing up unannounced, and it's not that they were bad people in of themselves but showing up for gaming sessions literally EVERY OTHER DAY was getting fucking old. They would leave their food wrappers and containers everywhere, and C refused to clean them up: It got so bad that one of our neighbors complained about insects in the building (as well as the smell of rotting food.) He started losing hours at his job, then I'm pretty sure he lost it entirely: So guess who's got two thumbs and had to take on a second job to cover BOTH OF OUR rent? This bitch.

Any time I brought up my concerns with C, or made efforts to forbid gaming in the house entirely, he basically threw a tantrum and blamed ME for the state of things. I told him to take his games elsewhere, or at least to clean up after each session, and my requests were repeatedly ignored. On one occasion, he told his friends they could have a session at our apartment without my foreknowledge or consent: He had left the door unlocked for them, I came home from a long day at my primary job to find the lot of them sitting at MY TABLE and already leaving wrappers on MY FLOOR. Again, somehow my fucking fault that they made a mess.

The last straw came when C, knowing full well that I had been working double shifts to cover ALL of our household expenses, woke me up at 0200 because he wanted me to go to L.L. Bean in Freeport with him to buy one very specific thing. It was something small and probably could have been ordered through their catalog. We fought and argued all the way there, in the store, and all the way home. I dumped him that night.

I had already met someone else. (EDITOR'S NOTE: She's speaking of her husband here. I removed his name for privacy and anonymity.)

So in his grief, he spent a month in Italy while I packed my things: Even though for the previous 4 months of us living together, C made a myriad of excuses as to why he didn't have money for his share of the rent or bills (but could somehow afford a month-long trip to Italy?)

I also made it clear to C that under no circumstances were his gaming buddies to come over without an invitation from me personally, or the police would be called and they would be removed.

A few months after I moved out, C apparently completely trashed the place so badly that our former landlord sued him for damages: Allegedly, C blamed ME for that shit-show, too. Nope, he lost. He didn't just lose, according to those close to me C rolled a pretty long string of 1's and the judge mopped the floor with him. I didn't even find out about any of that until I was deployed!

I have no idea where C is or what became of him, and quite frankly I don't really care to. I don't wish him any harm, but I don't exactly spend any sleepless nights wondering "what could have been." Nope, it took me way too long to realize that C no longer wanted to be in a relationship: C wanted a second mother.

And y'all know how I feel about being a mother: Ain't gonna fuck'n happen. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Original author decided as a teenager not to have children.)

I'm completely okay with being the "Bread-Winner" in a relationship, as long as there is some kind of mutual effort and respect there. There's a world of difference between a domestic partner and a damn parasite.

C became a parasite, and it didn't end well for him.

Don't be a C.



And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is why you don't let a hobby take over your life. - Lord Publius