What if Relationships Were Like Video Games?

A thought experiment

My relationship seemed to end because of video games. Or so I thought. The truth was a bit different. I’ve found that sleeping all day, hanging out with friends, drinking, indulging hobbies, and, yes, video games, are all just ways out. It’s a form of escapism that people (often men) commonly indulge. It’s your subconscious drilling a hole in the bottom of the ship because, deep down, you never wanted the ship to sail, otherwise you wouldn’t be in that room all day playing.

But what if the very thing that kills so many relationships, somehow became the way to avoid heartbreak. It’s a futuristic scenario by all measures, but fun to consider. I’ll do so from the view of a straight man but feel free to swap gender roles.

Step into the future

Imagine you are in a pristine, hyper-modern room. There’s a giant platform in front of you. On it are real-life female avatars, standing with their shoulders relaxed, staring forward, frozen in time. From your chair, you can push a button on a digital screen, and new avatars swap in. There are various body shapes and types. But here’s the catch— intrinsically, there will be limitations, just as there are in real life. After all, there’s no such thing as “the one” (in my opinion, at least). And there’s also no…