Smosh Reads Reddit Stories

Cheat Codes Won't Help You Here | Reading Reddit Stories

November 22, 2025

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  • The hosts and Reddit users generally agree that allowing a 12-year-old to explore dark themes in a sandbox game like *The Sims* is a healthy outlet for creativity and exploring complex feelings, rather than a sign of genuine violence. 
  • Gatekeeping in gaming communities, such as dismissing *Animal Crossing* players as 'casual' or less legitimate gamers, is widely condemned as elitist and isolating behavior. 
  • Motivating a child to complete a classic, challenging game like *The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time* as a prerequisite for a modern console like the Nintendo Switch is viewed as a positive, bonding, and educational parenting tactic. 
  • The hosts suggest *The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker* offers the most prominent references for players new to *Breath of the Wild*, though ultimately any prior Zelda game is beneficial for context. 
  • Sharing video game experiences, like helping a child get a Switch, is viewed as a positive way for parents to bond with their children and teach work ethic. 
  • The final story detailed a humorous, dramatic incident where a father reacted strongly to finding his son playing *Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas* at the strip club, leading to a temporary confiscation of gaming consoles. 

Segments

Sims Violence Parental Concern
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(00:03:07)
  • Key Takeaway: Parental concern over The Sims violence often stems from gender bias compared to sons’ games.
  • Summary: A father questions his wife’s concern over their 12-year-old daughter locking up ex-Sims and using child labor, noting they don’t scrutinize their sons’ violent games like Fortnite or fighting games. The consensus is that The Sims is a sandbox game, and the daughter’s actions are creative, not inherently problematic. The situation is framed as an opportunity to teach empathy rather than immediately restricting the game.
PS2 Cockroach Horror Story
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(00:14:52)
  • Key Takeaway: Buying used electronics online carries risks beyond hardware failure, including infestation by pests like cockroaches.
  • Summary: A user bought a cheap used PlayStation 2 that failed to read discs, leading them to open the console for a YouTube-guided fix. Upon opening it, they discovered the interior was infested with moving cockroaches, causing extreme panic. Console repair stores have reportedly introduced ‘roach fees’ due to the frequency of finding pests in devices like the PS4.
Gaming Elitism and Casual Players
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(00:23:51)
  • Key Takeaway: Defining who qualifies as a ‘gamer’ based on game choice or skill level is considered gatekeeping and invalidates others’ enjoyment.
  • Summary: The original poster insulted friends for enjoying Animal Crossing, claiming that popular games are inherently bad and that his friends were ‘casual gamers’ who didn’t know real classics like N64 titles. The hosts and commenters strongly rejected this elitism, asserting that anyone who plays video games qualifies as a gamer, regardless of their preferred genre or dedication level.
Ocarina of Time Switch Challenge
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(00:44:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Challenging a child to beat a classic game like Ocarina of Time before earning a new console is a valid bonding experience.
  • Summary: A father offered to pay the remainder of his 10-year-old son’s Nintendo Switch cost if the boy could beat The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time without excessive Googling. This was intended as a fun, bonding activity to show the son how far gaming has progressed before he plays Breath of the Wild. The consensus was that this challenge enriches the son’s future gaming experience by providing context for modern titles.
Zelda Breath of the Wild Prep
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(00:51:28)
  • Key Takeaway: Wind Waker has the most prominent references in Breath of the Wild lore.
  • Summary: Playing The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or The Wind Waker is suggested as good preparation for Breath of the Wild due to prominent character and theme references. Breath of the Wild lore treats all previous games as the ‘age of myth,’ effectively resetting the timeline split. Experiencing games together teaches children the value of hard work leading to rewards.
Stardew Valley Relationship Drama
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(00:56:51)
  • Key Takeaway: The OP is deemed the asshole for demanding his 19-year-old girlfriend divorce her in-game Stardew Valley spouse.
  • Summary: The 26-year-old boyfriend became jealous after discovering his girlfriend married another character in Stardew Valley while he was planning to propose. The boyfriend admitted to logging into her game while she slept to confront the in-game husband. The hosts heavily criticized the boyfriend’s possessiveness, especially noting the age gap between the real-life couple.
GTA San Andreas Family Incident
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(01:02:01)
  • Key Takeaway: A father reacted to seeing his son play the GTA strip club scene by tearfully praying and confiscating consoles for four months.
  • Summary: The narrator and his brothers used a GTA: San Andreas strip club exploit to passively collect money by standing on stage. The father, practicing for a gospel concert, accidentally recorded the scene, leading to a dramatic confrontation where he squeezed the controller, making CJ punch a stripper. The father subsequently locked the PS2 and PC in his office for four months, viewing the incident as a profound betrayal of trust.