Some breakups are so stinging—worse than biting into a lemon slice with a cut lip—that they ruin everything the relationship ever touched, including good memories, sunny places, and your favorite video games.
It’s hard when your ex loved playing a game with you. Or when they used to pay more attention to their Xbox than to you, or maybe, instead, you could sense they were tired of seeing you attached to your PC. Remembering the arguments, the anxiety, or worse, the way they smiled about leveling up, could be enough to make you swear off a certain title completely. That’s how it was for a few lovesick gamers, who reflected on their experiences with heartbreak and the games they’ll never play again for this slideshow.
Some huge, genre-defining games make their lists, like Persona 5 and Horizon, and you might be surprised that anything, even a barbed arrow through the chest, could keep someone away from an incredible story, or ray tracing, or whatever. But, hm. You must have never had your expectations obliterated, then.
Keep reading to get a sense of what it’s like. Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.