00:00What made you never touch a game again?
00:01I introduced my girlfriend Sarah to Animal Crossing during lockdown,
00:04thinking it would be a cute way to spend time together while stuck inside.
00:06She'd never been into gaming before,
00:07but watching her face light up as she designed her first house made my heart melt.
00:11This is actually really relaxing, she said, curled up next to me on the couch.
00:14I get why you love this stuff.
00:15At first, it was perfect.
00:16We'd play side by side, visiting each other's islands, trading fruits and flowers.
00:20Sarah would get so excited showing me her latest decorating projects
00:23that she'd bounce in her seat like a kid on Christmas morning.
00:25But then something started to shift.
00:26I'd wake up at 2 a.m. to find the TV still glowing,
00:30and Sarah hunched over the controller, eyes bloodshot and focused.
00:33When I asked if she was coming to bed, she'd mumble,
00:35just five more minutes, without looking away from the screen.
00:37Babe, you've been playing for six hours straight, I'd say.
00:40I'm almost done reorganizing my museum. This is important.
00:42Those five minutes turned into staying up until sunrise.
00:44I'd find her asleep on the couch, controller still in her hands, island music playing on loop.
00:48What really worried me was how she started talking about the villagers like they were real people.
00:52She'd get genuinely upset if one of them moved away without warning,
00:55spending hours trying to convince them to stay.
00:57Tom Nook is being unreasonable about my loan again.
00:59She'd complain over breakfast, dark circles under her eyes.
01:01I tried to laugh it off, but something about her tone made my stomach turn.
01:04Then she started calling in sick to work, just once or twice at first, claiming she had a headache.
01:09But I could hear the game's soundtrack playing softly in the background during her calls.
01:12Sarah, you love your job. What's going on?
01:14She'd just shrug and say she needed a mental health day.
01:16But I watched her play for 12 hours straight on those sick days.
01:18That's when I realized she wasn't eating regular meals anymore.
01:20She'd grab handfuls of crackers or cold pizza without pausing her game,
01:24not even tasting the food. Her clothes started hanging looser on her frame.
01:26I tried suggesting we take breaks, maybe go for walks or watch movies together.
01:30But any time away from the game made her anxious and irritable.
01:32You don't understand? She'd snap.
01:33I have responsibilities on my island. My villagers need me.
01:36Her friends stopped calling after she ignored them for weeks.
01:38When her mom visited, Sarah barely looked up from the screen during their entire conversation.
01:41Honey, are you feeling okay? Her mom asked, concerned.
01:44I'm fine, Sarah mumbled, frantically shaking trees for fruit.
01:46Just busy with some important projects.
01:48Her mom looked at me helplessly.
01:49I just shrugged, not knowing what to say.
01:51That night, I found Sarah's work laptop buried under a pile of laundry.
01:54When I opened it, I saw dozens of unread emails from her boss,
01:56getting progressively more concerned about her absences.
01:58Sarah, they're threatening to fire you, I said, showing her the screen.
02:01She glanced at it for two seconds.
02:02Whatever. This job is temporary anyway.
02:04Once I get my island to five stars, I'm going to start a YouTube channel.
02:06But what really scared me was when I caught her talking to herself.
02:09Not just commenting on the game,
02:10but having full conversations with characters who weren't even on screen.
02:13No, Isabel. I can't come to the town meeting right now, she'd say to an empty room.
02:16Tell everyone I'm working on the flower garden.
02:18I started hiding her switch while she showered, just to force her to take breaks.
02:21She'd emerge from the bathroom and immediately start tearing the house apart, looking for it.
02:24Where is it? She'd demand, panic in her voice.
02:26I need to check on my turnip prices. The market closes soon.
02:28The breaking point came when I found her crying at 4 a.m.,
02:31surrounded by empty energy drink cans and crumpled tissues.
02:35What's wrong? I whispered, kneeling beside her.
02:37She turned to me with tears streaming down her face,
02:39and for a moment, I saw the girl I fell in love with peeking through.
02:41I think I accidentally sold my favorite villager, she sobbed.
02:44Raymond, he's gone forever. I can't get him back.
02:46I reached out to comfort her, expecting her to let me hold her while she grieved this virtual loss.
02:50Instead, she looked me dead in the eyes and said,
02:52It's your fault. If you hadn't been nagging me about eating dinner,
02:54I wouldn't have rushed and made that mistake.
02:55That's when I realized I'd lost her to a world that only existed on a screen.
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