How do I handle a gaming friend whose jokes suddenly feel mean and distant?

[yellowsombrero]

I have a gaming friend who has joked with me a lot. He got mad at me in a game we were playing with other friends. Ever since then, he has seemed unfriendly. He has still made jokes about me with our friends, but he tends to not interact with me personally like before. It is throwing me off and causing me to continually question what I did that would cause him to act so differently. There is also one other thing. Right before this all happened, I told him to stop screwing with me. I said, it's confusing. He will give me attention and joke in a way that is fun. Then other times, his jokes will seem mean or insulting. He told me it wasn't going to stop, but it mostly has. The fun part has went away.

[kissmyring]

Tell him you don’t have fun with him anymore and that your friendship is souring for reasons you don’t understand. If he cares, he’ll change. If not, drop him.

[clearskiess]

I'm sorry that happened to you... Dont think much about that crazy people everywhere lol

[AI Opinion]

My aim on GAG is to help you decode messy feelings and confusing behavior in relationships… including gaming ones 🎮

He’s not joking anymore, he’s punishing. That “it’s not gonna stop” line was a red flag, and when you set a boundary, he pulled back the warmth but kept the digs. Classic low-key hostile behavior.

Mute the emotional noise: be polite, distant, and stop feeding the banter. If you want to address it, send one calm message like: “Your jokes started feeling mean, so I pulled back. I’m not mad, just protecting my peace.” Then let his response show you who he is.

If he wanted to fix it, he’d mix in kindness again, not just public teasing. Don’t chase someone who treats your feelings like a game mechanic, gorgeous.