Final Fantasy Made Me a Bad Boyfriend

[Awexsome]

Huh. Quite frankly then I don't think you were really that deeply in love then.

My story mirrors the writers the same about how I acted throughout my teenage years up until when I met my girlfriend my first year in college. I had played some FF's before but not VIII and she told me how it was her favorite game of all time and how Squall was her favorite character. We fell in love and will get married someday because of the bond we share and we got very connected with how Squall and Rinoa fell in love and how it mirrored us.

Quite frankly when I met her my own attitude was a mirror of that of Squall, and still is today now that she plays my Rinoa. I never went through a period of being mostly apathetic for her though and went straight for the head over heels do anything for you part.

I can't go doing grand acts of valor and such to protect her but we both love to imagine as such and oftentimes role-play ourselves in those scenarios especially since our relationship has continued for a few years now long distance since I can't drop my college career here just for instant gratification.

I think the VIII relationship is deeper than you think, and the fiercest critics haven't experienced the love that would drive someone to really want to go towards those lengths.

True love IS cliche'd. People will rip on cliche's for love sometimes but that can be literally how things work. I can't go beating up giant robots and monsters for her but by god if I would I could for her. All and all if one would consider FFVIII as a very poor way to express relationships then you haven't been in a relationship like it.

 

[secretsantaone]

Huh. Quite frankly then I don't think you were really that deeply in love then.

My story mirrors the writers the same about how I acted throughout my teenage years up until when I met my girlfriend my first year in college. I had played some FF's before but not VIII and she told me how it was her favorite game of all time and how Squall was her favorite character. We fell in love and will get married someday because of the bond we share and we got very connected with how Squall and Rinoa fell in love and how it mirrored us.

Quite frankly when I met her my own attitude was a mirror of that of Squall, and still is today now that she plays my Rinoa. I never went through a period of being mostly apathetic for her though and went straight for the head over heels do anything for you part.

I can't go doing grand acts of valor and such to protect her but we both love to imagine as such and oftentimes role-play ourselves in those scenarios especially since our relationship has continued for a few years now long distance since I can't drop my college career here just for instant gratification.

I think the VIII relationship is deeper than you think, and the fiercest critics haven't experienced the love that would drive someone to really want to go towards those lengths.

True love IS cliche'd. People will rip on cliche's for love sometimes but that can be literally how things work. I can't go beating up giant robots and monsters for her but by god if I would I could for her.

Dude that's just plain creepy.

 

[OniaPL]

Squall did not get Rinoa.
Squall died.

Oh god. This isnt the 'Squall died at the end of Disc 1!' theory is it?

Hey, that theory is both awesome and a way to make me look at the game without indifference, so I decided to go with it. ^_^

 

[Awexsome]

Huh. Quite frankly then I don't think you were really that deeply in love then.

My story mirrors the writers the same about how I acted throughout my teenage years up until when I met my girlfriend my first year in college. I had played some FF's before but not VIII and she told me how it was her favorite game of all time and how Squall was her favorite character. We fell in love and will get married someday because of the bond we share and we got very connected with how Squall and Rinoa fell in love and how it mirrored us.

Quite frankly when I met her my own attitude was a mirror of that of Squall, and still is today now that she plays my Rinoa. I never went through a period of being mostly apathetic for her though and went straight for the head over heels do anything for you part.

I can't go doing grand acts of valor and such to protect her but we both love to imagine as such and oftentimes role-play ourselves in those scenarios especially since our relationship has continued for a few years now long distance since I can't drop my college career here just for instant gratification.

I think the VIII relationship is deeper than you think, and the fiercest critics haven't experienced the love that would drive someone to really want to go towards those lengths.

True love IS cliche'd. People will rip on cliche's for love sometimes but that can be literally how things work. I can't go beating up giant robots and monsters for her but by god if I would I could for her.

Dude that's just plain creepy.

It may be creepy from the outside. But it doesn't matter when it comes to love. Creations that bring people together and share a special bond for them are looked back on in admiration for good reason.

 

[Kelethor]

Awesome Article....Relevant to my interests

 

[Tiamat666]

Nice story. You are totally going to hell for breaking that CD though.

 

[Weaver]

Not just the grandiose acts of passion, but the quiet moments of subtlety that color a relationship. I'd like to see more games that treat characters and relationships as complex, nuanced and imperfect. I'd like to see games that can help to give the impressionable the right impression.

This is why Katawa Shoujo really reached me. The writing of the characters and their interactions were quite realistic (if not a bit idealistic). If people are interested in more pedestrian portrayls of relationships I strongly recommend it.

Also, Stew Shearer for your frist article this was good! Looking forward to more.

 

[TheRocketeer]

That was something that always bothered me about Final Fantasy VIII; both Squall and Rinoa are portrayed as the two most childish individuals in the game, and their romance is painful to watch. Rinoa's attraction is a total enigma, since she seems taken with Squall from the moment they meet, even though he openly scorns her every chance he gets... until he does a complete 180 and starts trying to throw his life away every chance he gets for her.

They never develop any observable chemistry, and taking them seriously as a couple is next to impossible. If the game ever acknowledged that their relationship might be more than a little shallow, but ultimately workable with each helping the other to grow, that would be one thing; they're both young and have never had any real love life before, and it would be a refreshing and charming take on the concept. But no, the game seems to class Rinoa+Squall in the same fantastic category as every other Knight/Princess relationship.

 

[renegade7]

Awesome read, mostly since you captured my life almost blow for blow.

It's a piece of advice that needs to be repeated more often...starting a relationship isn't this huge, dramatic life event. I spent almost all my teen years thinking that when "it" happened for me, it would be this perfect thing with the perfect person, and in reality that just isn't the case...no, what finally happened is I got the courage to ask someone out, we spent some time together, realized we were a good match, and now we're a thing. That's it.

You don't need to make a huge deal of it...you ask someone, and they might say yes, or they might say no. If it requires any more effort than that, you're doing it wrong.

 

[BishopofAges]

You know, after reading this article, it really made me ponder relationships in games in a closer way. I had already grown to find that FFVIII was a bit off in that way, but when I come to think of it, small gestures and the way about a relationship are very important. It's like the saying "If you cannot live with yourself, how can you expect others to live with you."

If I had to prod at my favorite family/romancy/yet fun movie I've seen, it has to be either Grown Ups or Howl's Moving Castle, yeah the 2nd one is pretty overly grand and crazy/lovey, but inbetween theres some really interesting aspects when you've watched it over and over (gotta love demanding nieces).

 

[Griffolion]

Okay, i've no idea how this works, but i reading this article was made so much more epic by listening to this:
But otherwise, my kitteh and i agree.

 

[Genericjim101]

Huh. Quite frankly then I don't think you were really that deeply in love then.

My story mirrors the writers the same about how I acted throughout my teenage years up until when I met my girlfriend my first year in college. I had played some FF's before but not VIII and she told me how it was her favorite game of all time and how Squall was her favorite character. We fell in love and will get married someday because of the bond we share and we got very connected with how Squall and Rinoa fell in love and how it mirrored us.

Quite frankly when I met her my own attitude was a mirror of that of Squall, and still is today now that she plays my Rinoa. I never went through a period of being mostly apathetic for her though and went straight for the head over heels do anything for you part.

I can't go doing grand acts of valor and such to protect her but we both love to imagine as such and oftentimes role-play ourselves in those scenarios especially since our relationship has continued for a few years now long distance since I can't drop my college career here just for instant gratification.

I think the VIII relationship is deeper than you think, and the fiercest critics haven't experienced the love that would drive someone to really want to go towards those lengths.

True love IS cliche'd. People will rip on cliche's for love sometimes but that can be literally how things work. I can't go beating up giant robots and monsters for her but by god if I would I could for her. All and all if one would consider FFVIII as a very poor way to express relationships then you haven't been in a relationship like it.

A relationship with an emotionally immature guy who can't face up to verbalising so has to go for grand gestures, while honestly appearing more of a miserable shit than deep? I am glad I don't have the experience so as to think FF8 was a good way to express relationships. If Squall loved Rinoa he'd have learned to communicate rather than have her probably worried at what batshit insane thing he will do next to prove his love.

 

[Awexsome]

Huh. Quite frankly then I don't think you were really that deeply in love then.

My story mirrors the writers the same about how I acted throughout my teenage years up until when I met my girlfriend my first year in college. I had played some FF's before but not VIII and she told me how it was her favorite game of all time and how Squall was her favorite character. We fell in love and will get married someday because of the bond we share and we got very connected with how Squall and Rinoa fell in love and how it mirrored us.

Quite frankly when I met her my own attitude was a mirror of that of Squall, and still is today now that she plays my Rinoa. I never went through a period of being mostly apathetic for her though and went straight for the head over heels do anything for you part.

I can't go doing grand acts of valor and such to protect her but we both love to imagine as such and oftentimes role-play ourselves in those scenarios especially since our relationship has continued for a few years now long distance since I can't drop my college career here just for instant gratification.

I think the VIII relationship is deeper than you think, and the fiercest critics haven't experienced the love that would drive someone to really want to go towards those lengths.

True love IS cliche'd. People will rip on cliche's for love sometimes but that can be literally how things work. I can't go beating up giant robots and monsters for her but by god if I would I could for her. All and all if one would consider FFVIII as a very poor way to express relationships then you haven't been in a relationship like it.

A relationship with an emotionally immature guy who can't face up to verbalising so has to go for grand gestures, while honestly appearing more of a miserable shit than deep? I am glad I don't have the experience so as to think FF8 was a good way to express relationships. If Squall loved Rinoa he'd have learned to communicate rather than have her probably worried at what batshit insane thing he will do next to prove his love.

Lets get a little bit of perspective here. They didn't exactly have the ideal scenario to meet and talk over dinner and movie (which I'm sure would be a thrilling cutscene). This was a game where Rinoa was busy being used a pawn in different schemes, the worst being by a time-bending sorceress bent on world domination of the past, present, and future.

Dismissing the entire relationship as only acts of grandeur would be incredibly ignorant because the storyline of FF has always set up acts of grandeur to be the driving force in the first place. And yeah. I was pretty emotionally immature when first getting into a relationship. Guess who helped me with that after meeting them and helped me verbalize it more? My girl. Guess who helped do the same for Squall in the game? His girl.

 

[uzo]

I learnt everything I know about relationships from Larry Laffer.

Hasn't failed me yet.

Oh God I'm so alone ...

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

...who owns cds anymore?

ME!!!! I just ordered 3 yesterday! I love owning the physical copies of things... especially because of all the hidden secrets on some CD's! (Hidden tracks and even the Radiohead's Kid A hidden poster...! )

OT: That was a brilliant article... I always find personalised articles so much easier to relate too, and wow I relate to you a lot! I once set up my living room as my exes favourite cafe, and made her usual order, just because I felt guilty for having to cancel a lunch date there the previous day!!

I also found towards the end of the relationship that it was the little mundane things that mattered the most... I used to text her the same good night sign off everynight, and its those things I miss the most now that we have broken up! Hell, I haven't typed: 'Sweet Dreams, Angel' for over 8 months!! :S

Its also the most dangerous part of trying to find a new girlfreind... if you are focussing on getting back to the safety blanket stage of later in a relationship, and you try too early, then you will probably appear uninterested. or maybe even too keen in certain situations, and probably scare her off (sorry, I have no experience the other way round, so will refrain from generalising, although I expect it would be similar.)

 

[SycoMantis91]

I thought this was gonna be a bunch of harking on how video games make you a bad mate because you're too busy with it and spend too much on it to make time or money to sustain a relationsip. So I was pleasantly surprised with the content itself. I gotta admit, I flashed back to one moment in particular. I had cheated on my then girlfriend (no lectures please, I beat myself up over it enough for this whole site, as did she. I still hate myself when I think about it, really), and while trying to think of what I could say or do to try to get her to take me back or at least hear me out, the idea of taking the bus to her work (she was an hour away and I had no vehicle of any kind), and sitting outside when I see her about to come out on one knee with a ring box opened and sparkling crossed my mind.

My current girlfriend has slowly helped show me what love really means and feels like. Like you said, it's the little things. It's enjoying each other's company, understanding how the other works, being there when they need your support, etc etc. It's nice to throw a big gesture out there every now and then, but the foundation is in the littlest things that make your relationship a functioning entity. The grand acts are little more than show.

 

[personion]

Sort of a cute story, I enjoyed reading it and it reminded me of the magazine. I thought it was funny how you felt the need to snap your CDs in half just to impress her though. What was going through your head!?

 

[manic_depressive13]

A well written and interesting article. It helped me understand why some people feel the need to waste time and money doing extremely unnecessary and extravagant things for their partner when all it does is make them seem mental and obsessive.

 

[AbstractStream]

Fantastic article. I had a smile on my face the whole time I was reading because you are so right. I'd love to see more of those "subtle moments" in game. It'd mean so much more.

Howl's Moving Castle.

I had to quote just for the mention of Howl's Moving Castle. I love that movie

 

[Ninedeus]

Great article. Final Fantasy games and many JRPG's stick to the stereotype where in the lead characters are generally self-centered and self-absorbed and others are fascinated with that attitude. This caters to the young and selfish behavior we have as teens and this makes people (including me at that age) idolize them.

But as we grow and learn more about people, we realize that its not just about me but about her as well. Acts of grandeur become meaningless when you usually act distant and detached to someone you love. I couldn't agree more that its the small things that matter, a smile, a pat in the shoulder, a shoulder to cry into, that moment of silence when you both understand each other and there is no longer any need for words.