The time I lost my Pokémon save file, and other scary campfire stories

polygon.com:

I hope you’ve had a great day of reading bright, sunny articles at Polygon Summer Camp, and you’re all tuckered out. Now it’s time to gather ’round the flickering campfire, with the hot dogs and s’mores long since eaten, and tell some scary stories about gaming. You might be thinking about something like the giant baby from Resident Evil Village right now, but a more chilling example would be a famous effect from Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, where a character suffering the effects of cosmic madness would hallucinate that the game’s save files had been corrupted and wiped.

It’s an effective joke for the game to play because, well, horror stories like that happen all the time in gaming. So scoot closer to the fire, while I hold this flashlight ominously under my face, for three of the scariest gaming stories I’ve experienced over the years.

Welcome to Polygon Summer Camp! This summer we’re bringing you the best and brightest stories, all about camp vibes, that will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Join us!

I started on Pokémon young, but I kept picking up the mainline games in the series as I grew into my preteens. While my fumbling little-kid hands and walnut brain weren’t able to achieve the series ethos and truly catch them all during the era of Pokémon Blue, I eventually got there in Pokémon Black.

After years of effort and five generations of Pokémon, I had done it — I had filled out my Pokédex and caught them all in a game. Satisfied with my achievement, I no longer clutched my Nintendo DS jealously at all times. During a larger family occasion, I passed my DS to a younger relative. “Take a look,” I said. “Just be careful.” But my warning would go unheeded. After I got the DS back, I checked my game…