My (prefer not to say for this post, 39) partner (redacted, 38), wants me to wear only one side of my headphones while gaming. I play Siege so sound is pretty important. Their reasoning is that since we’re staying in a hotel for a month, they couldn’t get me to open the door.
They
* Forgot their keycard
* Front desk was not manned
* Forgot their phone
* Luckily had a charged smartwatch so they could call me and I let them in
They said "No more. You cannot make it so that you can’t hear me!" And somehow I have to be the one to take the L here. FWIW my partner is diabetic. But still, this is such a stretch case where I am being punished for their fault.
Consider open backed headphones. I have some Epos Game Ones and they’re wonderful. You can still hear the sound of people taking around you but the sound quality is amazing.
It was unfortunate circumstances, you don’t really have to but is it worth the fight? I personally don’t think it’s unreasonable to keep one side off or to turn it down
If it was reversed and they had full headset on and you were pounding at the door or trying to call but they couldn’t hear it would you be mad too?
YTA. Accidents happen, and if they might have needed to get to her diabetic medication fast, it could have gotten serious very fast.
There are headsets out there that don’t use the ears but the bones of the skull for sound transmission. Maybe get one just for your hotel stay.
You mention your partner’s diabetic, so you apparently see the relevance. If they can’t get in when they need to, it may not be just an inconvenience — it could turn into a medical emergency.
Of course they should do everything they can to be responsible for themselves, but forgetting things and emergencies happen. You’re saying it’s more important for you to be able to play a game with 100% sound than to be available to your partner in a real-life emergency. Doing what you can to prevent a medical emergency isn’t a game.
I read an article somewhere where a guy was upstairs gaming with noise canceling headphones on, he thought he heard something and took off the headphones. He immediately heard his wife screaming his name and his 3yo daughter crying. He ran downstairs and found a man r@ping his wife and talking about how the daughter was next. The man had kicked in the door and attacked his wife and he didn’t hear any of it until there happened to be a moment of silence in the game and he thought he heard his name. If I remember correctly he shot\k!led the attacker. His wife & child are traumatized, wife refuses to return to the house (I don’t blame her) and he is guilt ridden for not protecting his family.
YTA. This is honestly a constant concern of mine too because my husband also wears full headphones while gaming and I’m constantly afraid that something will happen to me and he won’t know. When I was pregnant and extremely sick with my first I got a button with a little monitor that lit up colors that we put right next to his screen for when I needed him to come help me which was nice but only worked when I was home and had the button handy. (If anyone has any better visual suggestions I’d appreciate them as I’m pregnant with #2 now and have a history of fainting). Your partner has brought up a valid concern and your unwillingness to compromise for their peace of mind seems a little selfish.
INFO, do you need to use a closed system full headset? If you have obligations I would suggest an open system as it still allows full depth of sound but let’s you hear around you. It does produce a bit of noise but it is better than not being able to hear your partner in distress.
can’t you at least just wear one whenever they leave the room for peace of mind? unfortunate to have forgotten both their phone and keycard, sure, but mistakes happen. but also, is it really just about potential emergencies? there isn’t much to do in a hotel room, maybe they’re also asking because they want to chat rather than just sit around in silence while you game
It’s one month. Yeah, they should remember their key, but forgetting a key doesn’t make them the A H. Kicking up a fuss over having to adapt to a harder gaming experience, however, does mean YTA. I play games where directional sound is vital. You can deal. You’re on a short path to not having a partner IMO.
They forgot more than their key, though. A 39 year old with a medical condition needs to be more responsible as well.
Can you use speakers when they’re not with you? Is it imperative that you need your headphones?
YTA. You’re only staying there for a month. You can live without a full headset for a month. You said there was a time they didnt have their phone and mentioned it was lucky they had a charged smartwatch. What if that luck runs out and they had no way to call you? Their safety and well-being should come before gaming, always. Get bone-conductor headphones or ear buds with ambiance options (allows you hear external noises.) As a gamer, I’d rather play a game with an audio handicap than not be able to hear if my partner needs help.