Gamers, if there’s anything we know about parenting, it’s that marriage is a team effort. That’s why we were so moved by the heartwarming story of a man who loved his wife so much that he brought his Xbox Series X to the delivery room so she could watch him play Assassin’s Creed Valhalla while in labor.
Oh gosh, did it just get emotional in here or what? We’re not crying, you are!
The hero of this story is Ben Hughes, a 37-year-old lab technician from Ohio who is clearly husband-of-the-year material—that’s because when his wife Linda’s water broke, he was prepared to help her through the process in the way only a true gamer could. In addition to including the necessary toiletries and insurance paperwork in their hospital go-bag, he also packed his Xbox Series X, preloaded with a recent save of Assassin’s Creed. That way, Linda could watch him roam Medieval England as a Viking, fighting off enemies and recruiting new clan members as her cervix dilated and her body prepared itself for the stressful experience of giving birth.
As her contractions became more frequent and she began to push, Ben was there supporting her every step of the way, making sure she had a clear view of his devastating axe combos and upgrade path. That level of partner support is a rare thing to come across, but her husband, in his tender devotion, didn’t even think twice about it.
“I knew this would be a stressful situation for her, so I figured it would be nice if she could watch me play while going through all that stuff,’ said Hughes, explaining his relief to discover there was a free outlet near the hospital room’s infusion pump so he can start playing right away. “She always finds it pretty interesting even though she’s not really into video games.”
“What’s amazing is that I actually managed to complete The Book of Dragons saga while our son’s head started crowning,” he added, growing visibly emotional at the memory. “I never thought I’d get that far with everything else going on.”
Although Linda is sure lucky to have such a sweetheart of a partner, there were some unfortunate complications during her labor. Because of certain uterine abnormalities, the doctors had to perform an emergency C-section, which was a stressful ordeal, to say the least. Luckily, Ben was by her side the whole time, leveling up Eivor while storming the British Isles.
And thankfully, OGN is proud to report that the Hughes family has given birth to a healthy, 8-pound baby boy named Charlie—and Ben, meanwhile, has successfully reached 100% completion of Valahalla! Mazel tov!