Ravi's love for gaming wasn't accidental. It started when he was ten, a birthday gift from his father-a second-hand console with a copy of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
His father, a workaholic businessman, promised to play with him every weekend. But those weekends never came. The console became Ravi's escape, a world where he could control outcomes, unlike the unpredictable life around him.
When his father passed away, the console became more than a game, it
became a companion. As he grew older, Ravi upgraded his gear, moving from consoles to PC gaming. PUBG became his battlefield, and with every headshot and victory, he felt a sense of control he lacked in real life.
But control came with a cost.
"I play because it makes me feel like I can win," Ravi often thought, brushing aside the growing distance between him and his family.
"I made the decision to cheat on my wife because I liked the way you made me feel vulnerable and comfortable enough to open up to you the night before it happened. I ain't never did shit like that before and that's what made it easy for me to choose to risk everything I got for you."
"That shit probably not a big deal to you but a nigga like me ain't never opened up to nobody but my best friend-and still..that's rare. I hate even talking about her with you but I don't even feel comfortable talking to Ariana about my feelings 'cause I know she gon' judge me. You don't make me feel like that."