My girlfriend (F29) is mad at me (M32) because I told her I want to play ‘Elden Ring’, specifically the DLC ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’, by myself instead of cooperatively with her. The game means a lot to both of us, but she always plays with someone else and I always play alone. She recently stopped hanging out with the friend she usually co-ops with (and had already done most of Shadow of the Erdtree with), so when she saw I was finally ready to start my new play-through (Elden Ring is very hard and I was saving the DLC for when I felt ready to start a new game from scratch), she decided to start playing again too. Sensing her intention, I told her, “Hey, just so you know, When I get to ‘Shadow of the Erdtree’, I’d prefer to do the first play through by myself. I’m sorry but it’s just the way I’ve always played these games.”
Shes been resenting me for it all week. I know she wants someone new to play with, but she’s already seen most of the game and I’ll feel as if I’m being led by the nose, which is not the feeling I want out of a game about exploring and adventuring. She can also get really emotional when she plays and gets routinely frustrated when she loses and trash-talks the bosses. Im not saying that’s wrong, im just saying it’s not my style. I just want to enjoy the game on my own terms at my own pace. She said she never wants to play games with me ever again.