Recently on Japanese television, a 43-year-old systems engineer talked about his love of Dragon Quest and how it came between him and his family.
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via 2ch]
TV show Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? (“Is It OK If We Follow You Home?”) stops random people on the street, asking to peek inside their abodes.
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via Hachima]
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via 2ch]
On the most recent episode, a man who went by the name “Kaccho” was stopped in Nipponbashi (Osaka’s geek area) and agreed to let the show film inside his apartment. Images from the episode were posted on popular Japanese sites like 2ch, My Game News Flash and Hachima.
As soon as the cameraman stepped inside, he noticed that Kaccho had added an extra lock to his door. The reason, Kaccho said, was that he had previously been robbed — that someone had stolen his Metallic Slime PS4, his Dragon Quest emblazoned 3DS, and two tickets to a Dragon Quest concert.
The cameraman then noticed how Kaccho’s apartment was filled with Dragon Quest goods — slippers, dishes, plush toys, key holders and figures. Kaccho showed off photos he had taken with Dragon Quest developers, including series creator Yuji Horii.
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via Hachima]
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via 2ch]
While talking about the two characters he plays in DQX, Kaccho explained that one of them was created after his 14-year-old daughter. He explained that he had gotten divorced four years earlier.
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via 2ch]
“I used to look after my kid until I started gaming too much,” he said. While he can’t say for sure, Kaccho believes that his incessant Dragon Quest X-playing caused his marriage to fall apart.
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via 2ch]
He tried to get custody of his daughter, but lost.
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via Hachima]
Kaccho said he doesn’t have his wife’s contact info any more. Even though he still wants to see his daughter, he hasn’t tried that hard to get in touch by, for example, reaching out to his in-laws.
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via 2ch]
“Back when I was still living with them, I’d enjoyed sitting next (to her) and just watching (her play),” he says.
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via 2ch]
“Are you happy about the divorce?” the cameraman asked him towards the end of the segment.
“I’m lonely because my child is gone due to the divorce,” he replied. “As for my life, it’s more enjoyable compared to then.”
The cameraman said it’s possible that his daughter is still playing Dragon Quest X. “Yes, that’s possible,” Kaccho replied. The cameraman then asked, “You might meet up in the virtual world?” To which he replied, “That’s possible. If she’s playing, there’s a chance we’ll meet online.”
[Ie, Tsuite Itte Ii Desuka? via 2ch]
Until then, Kaccho spends his time playing Dragon Quest X and levelling up her character.
Comments
3 responses to “Man Believes His Divorce Was Caused By Dragon Quest ”
Well. This was a massive downer. I lived in Japan for a year, wonderful, fascinating culture. But the people who fall through the cracks fall hard.
That’s not really what ‘falling through the cracks’ means. He has a decent job and himself says his ‘life is more enjoyable’ than when he was married. The downside is he misses his daughter, but this is a consequence of him adopting the lifestyle he wants.
I know this is an extreme instance, hence why it’s noteworthy news… However, it’s hard to read these types of articles and not feel like the worst dad and husband ever, and like I need to completely re-evaluate my life – just because I like spending some of my free time gaming…
Thinking about it, it’s people like this who are a large part of the reason why gaming has such a negative stigma attached to it in the mainstream media, which in turn affects all of those uninformed, non-gamers out there. Subsequently people like this and the media that covers them, ruin it for the majority of us gamers who have a healthy game / family / work / sports balance.