Top 5 Games That Turned My Girlfriend Into My Fiancé

Video games can be a deal-breaker in relationships. But, this is not that kind of story. Rather, these five games made my relationship stronger.

When did you tell your lover that you were a hardcore gamer? The first month? Several months in? Maybe they found out when you both moved in with each other. In my case, I ended up telling my significant other on the first date.

I know, I know – what was I thinking?! The term “gamer” still stinks of a nerdy stigma, no matter how many people own a Nintendo Switch. However, sometimes honesty pays off. After three years of dating, I popped the question last December, and she said yes.

To say that gaming helped our relationship would be an understatement. Along with fine dining and socializing before COVID, we equally love sitting on a couch playing video games with, or against, one another. These are the top five games that made her go from “girlfriend” status to life partner.

5. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Ahh, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, everyone’s go-to game when society was restricted to seclusion in order to lessen the spread of a deadly virus. Sadly, this included my fiancé and me since we did not live with each other.

Regardless, Animal Crossing is a childhood favorite of hers. So, the release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons was an amazingly convenient excuse to sink hundreds of hours into it right when everyone had to quarantine.

As for myself, I had no intention to buy the game. However, I saw this as an opportunity to stay connected to her while physically apart. It was also a perfect way to keep our minds off of all of the bad the world was enduring. Rather than constantly talking about the worrying unknown, our conversations were filled with Animal Crossing villager silliness and sharing creative ideas about designing our islands.

While it took some time for both of us to be satisfied with our islands, we finally made it to our coveted day: date night. You read that right – an Animal Crossing date night. All of which you can read about here. While it can be seen as a small virtual date, we realized then there was nothing the world could do to keep us apart. Not even a global pandemic.

4. River City Girls

When introducing your lover to different games, it is a fun way to experience many “firsts.” For instance, your first beat ’em up game. Or your first time synching combos together. Or your first time not getting revived by your partner in-game who then falls off the screen, causing you to permanently lose half of your hard-earned, precious money that could have been used for upgrades.

Maybe that last one was too specific…

Anyways, River City Girls was everything a perfect Saturday co-op gaming session could be. My fiancé and I are no pros at beat ’em up games, so we learned the ins and outs of this spunky and hilarious title right then and there. After a level or two, our team synergy just clicked. We were able to anticipate each other’s moves and even extend combos from one person to the other. While there were some blunders (like losing half of my money…), River City Girls gave us one of the most memorable co-op gaming experiences.

3. Overcooked 2

Who needs marriage counseling when you have Overcooked 2?

The Overcooked series will surely test you and your lover. How well do you communicate? Can you follow orders promptly?? Can you handle the heat of that damn rotating kitchen??? Thankfully, my fiancé and I love to win, so we consider ourselves top chefs in Overcooked. Yes, even better than Kitchen Nightmare‘s Gordon freakin’ Ramsay.

Of course, this stressful date would be dull if it was serious the whole time. So, maybe I would (intentionally) mess up every now and then. Or keep dashing into her character so she could miss an order. Whatever I did, it was worth losing a high score just to hear her laugh or jokingly berate me.

2. Kingdom Hearts Final Mix

It has always been a selfish wish of mine to watch my lover play through a Kingdom Hearts game. The lessons it teaches, the themes it personifies, and the fun of it all were huge influences from my youth. The series is the sole reason I became a hardcore gamer.

After all of my raving, my fiance wanted to know what the fuss was about. It did not take much convincing to get her to play Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, and her reactions were priceless. Do you remember when we talked about “firsts” earlier? Well, her time playing Kingdom Hearts Final Mix was the jackpot of “firsts.”

Kingdom Hearts Final Mix was (and I am not kidding) her first time playing a 3D action game; Her first time manually controlling the game’s camera; Her first Japanese action RPG, and more.

Lucky for you, we recorded it:

1. The Walking Dead: The Final Season

While Telltale’s entire The Walking Dead series is phenomenal, it is the final season that cemented it into our favorite couple playthrough yet. Surprisingly, we had little to no arguments on which big decisions to make. Most of the time, the person with the controller ended up choosing what the other was thinking anyway!

From small beginnings with Lee, then preparing a growing Clementine for a ruthless world, and finally passing those teachings onto young AJ, it was all a shared experience we cherish as a couple. As credits rolled in the final episode, we cheered and wiped away happy tears to an incredible ending. That instance was a video game moment I never expected in a million years to experience with the love of my life.

Since then, I knew video games were no longer just a big part of my life. They became a big part of hers too. Our future is bright, and my fiancé and I have many, many more games to play. Thankfully, we have the rest of our lives to do just that.