My partner surprised me with a video game for my recent birthday. They were so excited when they gave it to me, saying they researched really hard games because I always mention wanting more challenging experiences.
The problem is I already completed this game completely a few years back. But when I saw how happy and proud they were about picking the perfect gift, I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything.
So I created a new gaming account and started pretending to be a beginner. I act like I’m struggling with parts that I actually know really well. My partner loves watching me play and even takes turns when I “die” too much.
It’s been almost three weeks now and we have this nice routine where we game together every night. They’ve gotten really into it, watching guide videos and suggesting different strategies. They seem to enjoy our gaming time as much as I do.
But I feel terrible about not being honest from the start. I really love spending this time together but the lie is eating at me. Should I tell them the truth even though it might ruin what we have going? Or is it okay to keep things as they are since we’re both having fun?
I know I should have been upfront immediately but now I’m worried it’s too late to come clean without making things weird between us.
Maybe spin it as wanting to replay it together instead of keeping the secret going? You could say something like you remembered loving this game and wanted to share that experience with them.
Honestly I think you’re overthinking this. You’re both having a blast and bonding over games, which is what really matters. The gift worked perfectly even if not in the way they expected. If it comes up naturally later you can always say you wanted to experience it fresh with them, but for now just enjoy the shared gaming time you’ve built together.
The fact that you both look forward to gaming together every night shows their gift was actually perfect. You’re not really lying about the game being challenging since you’re dealing with the challenge of pretending to be new at it. Plus they’re getting into researching strategies and everything, so they’re discovering their own love for gaming through this. I’d probably just keep rolling with it and see where it goes naturally.
Sounds like you accidentally created something even better than just getting a game you already owned. The bonding time is real even if your reactions aren’t totally genuine.