What should I think about?
The story
I recently met a guy and got along with him quickly. He is the shy type of guy, who won't send many friend requests to people (he had 9 friends in his friend list in a game) and that didn't really have a real girlfriend. We used to be on call alone with him showing to me his favourite game, Warframe, until I decided to play it (not just because of him, but because I kinda liked the game itself too) and I made a group to play it with him, his friend (who I got along with quickly), a close friend of mine and another friend of mine. For more context, friend 1 has autism and has a lot of mental health issues so I don't want to charge him with more problems to endure because I don't want him to think that another group of friends is going to fall (specially when he is already passing through a hard streak in his life), and friend 2 is the one who I spill all the tea together always, both of us do and we spent a lot of time together.
It wasn't a secret that we both liked each other, but I had some strict limits that I told him, the one in question is that I despise games like Wuwa (hypersexualized type games) and that I wouldn't by any chance date a man that plays those kind of games. As you may have guessed, he plays them. Yesterday they confessed their feelings to me, asked me out, and I told them that if they asked me in person (since we already have plans for them to come soon), I would definitely say yes, that it would be more special that way.
Yesterday we didn't talk much because I wasn't in the best mood, so I went to bed early, and that was it. We said goodnight to each other with the same affectionate way as always (although without chatting for hours over messages like we used to) and that was it. Today, as soon as we woke up, we said good morning to each other as always and that was it. Without saying anything in the group beforehand, he called and his friend answered (so I guess they talked in private about doing it and that was it), and since I told him I was bored, he said I could join (although to be honest, it bothered me a little that he didn't have the courtesy to ask if I wanted to talk to him alone first or tell me to be alone later like we used to, but whatever). Even so, in the middle of the afternoon he sent me a screenshot of that game because of some event they added, to which I responded with an 'ew.' He replied with a sad gif, and I said 'gooner game,' to which he responded again with a sad gif. Then, I said, 'if you already know my opinion about that game and its players, why are you sending it to me?' with a funny gif to lighten the mood, and boom, since then, 6 hours without any response, and it's been 4 hours since he got on to play in a group call.
In fact, while I was finishing writing this, he asked me how I was, and, honestly, I don’t even know what to answer. If he knew that for me that was an intolerable boundary, why did he ask me out, and what response did he expect after sending me that? To add to that, I asked friend 2 if I could tell him this and he hasn’t responded either, even though he went in there to play; it’s a very frustrating situation and I don't know what to think and what to do, so thank you for reading and giving your opinions, to be honest I need it
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Points of view
Hey it sounds like this is something that's just frustrating all around. You're 100% valid for wanting him to respect your boundaries with clarity and when you like someone, the hope is that you two can align on the things that are important to you. A lot of guys who struggle to feel seen will want to share things they're interested in even if it's not socially acceptable for them to do so. While the way he's acting probably seems confusing and nonsensical considering that you felt the boundary was set, make sure you're communicating in a way that allows you to feel that those boundaries will be valued.
Also, as a guy who's been in a similar spot, I'm guessing that he has some genuine attachment to the game if he's excited to share about the events. The "ew" response also is kinda a big trigger for a lot of guys as well because it doesn't offer any room for growth and it feels depersonalizing as opposed to something more articulate. Stay honest and make sure to take the time to talk things out in a way that can lead to mutual agreement. Good luck, hoping things work out!
Wow, this is really reasonable, thank you for your opinion, it really made me see things that I couldn't see at the moment. Also, thank you for understanding my frustration, I'm usually a very chill person but that's the only thing that can actually upset me a bit. I will definitely talk about it later with him, now that we are going to spend a little time together on call, emphasizing understanding him too and saying sorry for my rudeness, also trying to talk about our situationship. Again, thank you for everything and happy holidays!
sounds like a lot going on, and it’s good you're setting boundaries about those games you dislike; but honestly, if he knew how you felt about them and still played, maybe he's not completely on the same page; also, sometimes people just vibe differently in group settings versus one-on-one. might be worth chatting with him directly when there's no game talk involved.