I recently was asked about girlfriends in video games and why there really aren’t any. I replied to them that there are plenty of female and yes even in-game girlfriends in video games. The only problem is they never seem to stay around. They tend to end up dead, captured, or worse.
* * * * * GAME SPOILERS BELOW * * * * *
I mean think about it. Any game that the male lead has a girlfriend she ends up in a bad situation. In Gears of War 2, Dom Santiago searches for his wife, only to find that his beloved Maria is no longer the way he remembers her. She has been tortured to a point that has left her scarred and unable to communicate. Heck, she doesn’t even recognize her beloved husband. So Dom takes pity on her and decides to do the only humane thing, he euthanizes her.
That’s not the only girlfriend story to follow that route. Think of Prey. Tommy searches the ship to try and find a way to save his girlfriend Jen, his grandfather, and the entire race from the aliens. Tommy searches throughout the ship to find Jen and he finally does. Then shortly afterwards your forced to fight her. Due to Jen has been turned into some sort of genetically altered being somewhere between human and monster, where poor Tommy must kill his beloved girlfriend to put her out of her misery.
Those are just two examples of the many ways girlfriends are killed in video games. Not to mention the most popular girlfriend who gets in trouble: Mario and Princess Peach. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Mario games, but common Peach. How hard is it to avoid Bowser? LOL. But really think about. If you do happen to have a love interest in the video game, it’s safe to say the poor girl will not remain. She will either die, be captured, or worse.
Yes, I know it is meant to make the story go further. I hate to say it ladies, but in-game girlfriends are just not meant to be.
