A closer look

The most emotionally devastating betrayal in gaming history was born of sheer necessity. During the development of Portal, playtesters kept carrying standard boxes into complex puzzle rooms and immediately forgetting they had them. Frustrated, Valve painted a giant pink heart on a box and explicitly told players to carry it because it was their "friend." Gamers immediately trauma-bonded with the inanimate object, making the eventual forced incineration entirely soul-crushing.