Do your parents accept your hobby?
Monday, December 18th, 2006 - 8:56pm
So about 6 months ago I asked my father to play World of Warcraft with me. What better way for us to bond on a regular basis when we live a few states away? I initially got an enthusiastic "yes." After I sat him down for a trial run and had to drag him away after a couple of hours, I thought it was a done deal.
Four months later I had all but given up. Gentle nagging, buying the game, getting the sister to call, everything you can think of couldn't get him to log on and play. I finally had a talk with him about it, went something like this:
"Dad, I was hoping we could have played that game together."
"It didn't seem like something I'd like."
Ok, I had thought there was more to the conversation than that, but it was still a rather silly excuse - this is the man who loved Lord of the Rings and plays computer solitare and sodoku for hours each day.
My father is the old fashioned type, if you can't make money doing it then he doesn't respect it.
We shall grapple with the ineffable, and see if we may not eff it after all.
"What misconception traveled down the road and made you want to be here?"
No, they do not.
But they gave up trying to talk me away from it years ago.
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I don't imagine master craftsmen leaping away from completed projects and shouting "Done, motherf*ckers! - 1Dgaf
My mom just found out I write for the site, ha! I don't really talk about gaming with my family very much. I think they know I do it but are unsure of how to broach the subject.
I'd like to add that I don't think they bear me any ill will because of it.
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I don't know. I do know that they aren't happy with me for not being in a stable relationship and making grandkids... but you KNOW that would cut into my gaming budget!
/PS Don't let my Girlfriend know I said that!
Politely rude. Briskly vague. Firmly uninformative.
This is awesome, but only because I made a comment about this exact thing just this past Saturday. We were out at lunch with my entire extended family because my little sister's college graduation ceremonies were that day. At one point during the meal someone brought up the screeching kid that was right behind us for the entire graduation ceremony. I looked down the table at my parents and told them if they ever wanted grandchildren they were going to have to count on "the other two" for them, and I pointed at my older brother and my sister.
Laughter ensued.
I think they thought I was joking.
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I don't imagine master craftsmen leaping away from completed projects and shouting "Done, motherf*ckers! - 1Dgaf
Nope. And it's not just my hobbies either. My family (far beyond my parent) have never accepted me for who I am. I'm just too weird for them and they've let me know that many times.
My family is traditional. Sexism still exists--gaming is completely 100% okay for my brother but it made me seem odd or crazy. But it goes beyond gaming. Heaven forbid I sit my ass in front of TV for once while he washes dishes instead. Cleaning is so gay and unmanly. What I do find odd is that my mother used to play games when we had a NES.
The type of music I listen too was also in question all the time. My mother enjoyed hispanic music and my brother was into rap. My entire iPod is video game music, remixed video game music, techno and rock. And again, I was always shunned.
Because of all that, I normally do not share my hobbies with anyone unless we share the same hobby. I have issues.
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Accept how? I mean, my parents don't play video games, but I come from a family of gamers, so it certainly doesn't make me the odd kid out. I am the only one in the family who owns a gun as far as I know. Now that they didn't care for, though I think they've learned to accept it.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
There. Fixed it for you. And I mentioned playing a game once at Thanksgiving and there was this dead silence like I had just mentioned how fun it was to rape a cat.
Great thread, souldaddy.
My parents never bought me a console as a kid so I had to play video games at my friends house. But they are pretty accepting of my hobbies now. My mom knows not to call on Wednesday nights (Zombie Skate). I think my dad would get a kick out of Guitar Hero. I know zero's mom sure did!
The darkness comes and the darkness goes
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My parents brought home an Atari 2600, and I was hooked from day one. They still don't understand why I enjoy games as much as I do. And I like every type of game, as my high school D&D and collegiate Magic addiction will attest.
Somewhere on a deep ocean vent no man has ever seen, God smites a small colony of tube worms because you masturbate.-JoeBedurndurn, on sin
My parents brought me up into videogames. When I was 2, they owned an Atari 2600. When I was 6, they got me an NES for Christmas. My dad used to challenge me to Karate Champ. My mom was hooked on Tetris and Dr. Mario.
My parents played games somewhat sparingly after that. My mom liked Mario Kart 64 and Cruis'n USA on the Nintendo 64. Eventually I left for college, and the game systems naturally went with me.
Logan and I did hook them up with a GameCube a few months ago. For a while, they duked it out in Mario Golf every night.
Dad is retiring soon, and I fully expect him to get an Xbox 360 to play on the HDTV he'll get when they build their new house. Until then, he's got a Nintendo DS to occupy him from time to time during long overtime shifts.
My interest in games was an early manifestation of my interest in technology on the whole, and I learned to use a computer as a child because I was too impatient to wait for my parents to install new games. My parents let me see it through, and now I'm a computer programmer.
They're even well aware of the name *Legion*, which has been my name for about 14 years now, over half my life.
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My dad used to take me and my brother to the arcade as kids, so I guess I could be considered one of the lucky ones. Doubly so since I am in a computer animation major and they wouldn't dare say anything against what could very well one day help put their grandkids through college.
Quintin_Stone wrote:
lunabean wrote:I don't really see and/or talk to my parents that much. Besides the occasional "You have way too much stuff" I really don't know what they think...
I got a fever.... And the only prescription...is more cowbell!
Last.fm
So, my mother bought a Dreamcast a few years ago just to play House of the Dead (my little brother and sister were in middle school and high school, so it was officially for them). Most recently, my mother has been up to visit our little baby boy and (as a bonus) stayed up until 3 am playing Dead Rising...
Yeah, not only does she pretty much accept the whole hobby, but she's really got a thing for killing zombies!
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They're actually quite accepting. Oh, hold on one second. Mom! Bathroom! Bathroom!
"Men like sex, thus boobies! Oogaba!" - dejanzie
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come on down to Rat Boy's nest!
light up a stogie, and soon you'll see
how rock can be commercial-free!
'I'd hit it!'" - HP Lovesauce
In 1990 my dad signed me up for an account with OLGA, the Online Gamers Association, a BBS (Bulletin Board System) that was local to the Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area. I would use a DOS program called Telix to connect to it with my speedy 2400 baud modem. Rudimentary versions of email, board posting, instant messages, and chat rooms were all introduced to me at the age of nine.
I would guestimate that OLGA's membership and GWJ's current membership have about the same age demographic. Since these folks were all in one area, it was a lot easier to organize GTs, or Get Togethers, which is equivalent to our Slap & Tickle. They'd have them about 4-5 times a year, I'd say. I was too young to attend these functions by myself, so my dad would chaperone me. Usually, we'd meet up in a park, grill up some burgers and dogs, throw footballs and frisbees, and enjoy the Florida weather. I must say that the first time I met the faces behind the usernames, it was quite a shock. I hadn't imagined that so many of the people I'd been talking games with were mature adults.
Sorry, I didn't mean to turn this into a post about my old BBS. In high school my mom used to help me host LAN parties for my friends. My dad always bought me all the NES games I wanted. And I mean all of them. Or damn near 90%. I had over 80 NES games by the time the SNES came out. In summary, I think my parents not only accepted but also encouraged my gaming habit. And I think the Get-Togethers helped my father see the legitimacy of gaming as a hobby.
In Ultima Online I used to poison hams and leave them on the ground in cities for people to pick up and eat. I can't believe how many people thought street ham was a good thing to eat. -Elliottx
Well, it's true that they are a bit more agreeable when I reach my hand under my jacket.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
I don't talk to my dad about gaming.
My mom accepts it and often fuels the habit through her generous purchases. She even feigns interest when I tell her about all the new stuff coming out.
I think my parents are pretty neutral on the gaming thing, since I've shown interest in various forms of gaming since I was a very young kid. However, they don't exactly encourage it anymore, either, at least financially. Admittedly, it's not a bad thing, since their idea of a Christmas present or birthday gift for me is usually something for the house that I can use.
Admittedly, others in my extended family don't quite get it. Case in point: a relative who, when she heard that I was into LARPing, asked me if that meant I dressed up in those furry animal costumes. After I stopped choking on my drink, I clarified the differences between LARPing and furries.
I accrue pens like Hefner accrues bimbos. -- duckideva
I agree on the balls. Not a fan of the balls. -- wordsmythe asserting himself in OOC Theater
Yes. Or they get the hose again.
My parents think it's silly I've had the same hobby for over 20 years, but they've accepted it as something that I've loved for so long that just isn't going away. I also have a son who's nuts about video games, and as his parent, I think it's great he's into them. I think it's a big misunderstanding and shows the generation gap between the baby boomers and the gen-x'rs. I think going forward, as the gamers themselves are growing up and having kids, it's just as acceptable to play games as it is to watch tv or read a book.
My parents have also thought the Simpsons was nothing more than a stupid kids cartoon with a swearing father. I've tried to explain to them the subersive social commentary and pop-culture references throughout it, but they just don't get it. They still think animation is in the same playpen with videogames.
Either way, we're the new generation, and they are not. And if they are not nice, we will put them in homes. All of them.
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I think I've said this before, but my mom beat Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy VI (the SNES version) before I did. And my dad liked Galaga. Then there's my aunt - she loves Spyro. In fact, I think she's been playing more video games than me the past week (but then, I have been sick and unable to really play games that much).
So suffice it to say, my family accepts my hobby. My aunt also wants to get a Wii! But then, she already moves the controller around as it is, so she'd be a natural.
"I'm absolutely retarded. Not 100% sure why." - atom
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"Do I what I do: hate everyone." - Quintin_Stone
My parents think that gaming is bad for you, bordering on evil. We also don't get along for a lot of other reasons, so it really doesn't matter - other than the fact that I had to beat Wizard's Crown one hour at a time, since that was all I could play.
Remember: this conversation is just between you and me ... and the NSA.
MaverickDago wrote:
Good thing it wasn't Oblivion, you'd be playing that until the sun goes white dwarf.
"I'm absolutely retarded. Not 100% sure why." - atom
"Dhelor + intarwebs = Great ideas." - wordsmythe
"Do I what I do: hate everyone." - Quintin_Stone
My parents let me game all through my childhood, so in that sense they have always accepted it. But it was probably not until my high-school years or later that they realized that games could function for me as both an intellectual and creative outlet, and not simply as a fun hobby. On the whole, my parents have been very supportive, and only increasingly so with the passing of time.
My grandfather is a different case. I love him to death, and he loves me at least as much. But he was always perplexed and turned off by my video game hobby. This changed completely, however, about six months back when I received my first paycheck for writing about games. I daresay that was a more significant moment in his life than it was in mine.
Good topic, by the way, souldaddy.
The market has much to answer for as to why gaming is NOT an art. -- illum
Actually, my hobbies have always been what my parents hated. I love soccer, actively and passively, while they despise it. I have always had a burning passion for computers and games, but my parents always put the brakes on those. Maybe rightfully so
In any case, I had to save up for my NES myself, had no more than 6-7 games (almost all bought myself) and had only the NES for 5 years or so. With my Amiga 500 I was already 5 years behind, with the 386DX40 later on the same. It was not until I was old enough to find a summer job I closed the tech gap. So I learned to work for what I love, which is a good thing.
But, like Violet Myst, I still hold some kind of reserve talking about games to random people. Not many people can really relate, I am still afraid to fall into the nerd category, and it's often just easier talking about soccer, girls or other male oogaba subjects.
Roo: "Just to cheer you up if any of the above made you sad: Boobies."
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I think the last bit of resentment melted away when I visited my first scientific conference on the topic last month. That said, they have always been pretty accepting of the whole thing, though they are firmly in the solitaire faction.
And if I haven't seen further, it's because those bloody giants blocked my sight.
My father thinks it's stupid. But this is only because he thinks the games - as he understands them -lack depth. He thinks it's all shooting and jumping.
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My father thinks it is stupid as well. He views it as a waste of time and believes I have wasted too much time on them growing up. I simply point out that instead of me sitting on my ass watching Sports Desk or Hockey Night in Canada, I simply game. That shuts him up about it, but it does not change his view on it.
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"I may be out of ammo but I ain't out of chainsaw B*TCHES!" - Sinister's warcry for Gears of War
My parents and very accepting. They bought me an Atari 5200 one year for Christmas, and it was quite the family event to all sit around and play that. The next game system I got was the NES, and I had to fight for time to play that from my Step-father always wanting to play whatever it was he wanted. He seemed to have less interest in the SNES and Genesis years, but they never tried to keep me from it.
When I went away to college and got a N64, and brought it home, that got him hooked again. He was all about Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, and Legend of Zelda: OoT. So, he also got a Gamecube and a PS2 eventually.
So, yes I will say they are very accepting of my hobby.
Ulairi wrote:
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My parents *accept* it but they certainly aren't happy about it. Every time I head out to their place they are asking if I'm doing anything else, and that games are for kids... The good news is I am the "good" son in that I haven't screwed up nearly as much as my other siblings, so I do have that going for me
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