u/GomuPlays

So this post isn’t going to be super long and thought out like others. i’m not good at giving detail, and there isn’t a whole lot to really elaborate on.

I had an online friend for 5 years. we met playing video games and had formed our friendship around that. When we were both online, up until about 5-6 months ago, we’d hang out and game together. Honestly for that time, it was probably one of the most stable friendships i’ve ever had.

fast forward to about a year ago, my friend got me into the popular trading card game Magic The Gathering (MTG). i think this was the beginning of the end of our friendship. as i got into the game, he would be overly critical of the decks i was crafting and playing, and would get upset when i was winning too much. it all came to a head about 6 months ago. We had an argument about our differences in MTG philosophy. After this argument, our friendship shifted from hanging out every day, day in day out, to him basically putting me on the back burner. i would hit him up for games, he would either not respond or take days to respond. the only times he would actually game with me from this point forward was if someone else was involved as a buffer.

two months ago, i called him out on shifting our friendship dynamic. i told him i still wanted to game with him and that i missed my friend. he basically said he felt the opposite, that i ruin games for him (MTG) and that he had no interest in playing any video games with me anymore at all. i also said some things that im not proud of in response.

the other night, i had proposed trying to play a game we really enjoyed playing together. it took him two days to respond, and that response was that he vehemently and insultingly refused. at that point i had enough, told him i think we needed to stop being friends and stop hitting up each other for games, but he could stay in my discord community i made for MTG and stay connected with the friends we made mutually . in response, he wrote an essay about how all of it is my fault and im the asshole, then he blocked me and left the discord.

since, i’ve been questioning my decision. i regret that i had to end a friendship of 5 years, but i no longer having the feeling of unrequited friendship hanging over my head, which also feels better. Did I do the right thing breaking off this friendship?