Couple’s dispute over playing Slay the Spire 2 in bed gets a ruling from comedian John Hodgman: ‘Pick an arbitrary battle and stick with it’
Comedian and actor John Hodgman has issued a ruling on a relationship dispute that has occupied the internet’s lighter corners: is it acceptable to play Slay the Spire 2 in bed while your partner sleeps or tries to relax?
The dispute was brought before Hodgman’s podcast “Judge John Hodgman,” where the comedian hears and arbitrates on humorous but earnest interpersonal conflicts. Hodgman, best known for playing the “PC” in Apple’s “Get a Mac” advertising campaign, sided with the gamer, declaring it perfectly legal to play the deck-building roguelike in bed—regardless of the bed-sharer’s objections.
In a characteristically witty ruling, Hodgman advised the couple to “pick an arbitrary battle and stick with it,” a playful reference to Slay the Spire 2’s core gameplay loop of making strategic decisions through countless virtual battles. The advice serves as both practical relationship counsel and a clever game-specific double meaning.
The ruling arrives during a period when gaming gets frequent negative headlines, and the internet has appreciated the lighthearted nature of the dispute and its resolution. The case underscores how gaming has become woven into everyday life and domestic routines, creating new relationship dynamics that previous generations never had to negotiate. Whether one agrees with Hodgman’s verdict or not, the decision has provided welcome levity to gaming discourse.