On a mid-March weekend in 2020, Elyse Gorman Freeman was scheduled to play in a Killer Queen Arcade tournament in San Francisco. But instead, she was at home in Salt Lake City, with canceled plans like the rest of the world, playing the online version of the same game, Killer Queen Black. Both versions are highly competitive, multiplayer games.
Through other gamers she knew online, she and Jeffrey James Carpenter, who lived in Gaithersburg, Md., found themselves on the same team.
They soon played in a competitive league. At first, each saw the other as a friendly gamer, especially since both were involved with other people. They often chatted on Discord while waiting for their games to begin, as well as relying on the communications app to talk and text while playing.
As the months went by, each of their relationships ended. And with the newly released Animal Crossing: New Horizons, they virtually went fishing or took part in other outdoor activities, when in reality, they barely left their homes.
“He used to come over every day to water my flowers for me,” Ms. Freeman said. While that virtual act of kindness gives an advantage in the game, it was also his way of flirting. They began exchanging text and voice messages daily, which then turned into regular phone calls.
By July, “We began talking about the fact that we’re long distance, and how is this going to work?” Ms. Freeman said.
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