What do your parents (currently) think of D&D?

[Vyvyan Basterd]

I'm married, in my 40s, two children, mortgage, et cetera. What my parents think about D&D doesn't even register on my radar, and it hasn't for more than 20 years.

Ditto, except for that 40s part.

Back in the day they bought me stuff for birthdays and christmas and were supportive of my hobby as long as it didn't effect my grades. The only person in my family that ever raised a concern was my grandmother. Our local paper ran a story about the negative aspects of the game, including the usual "demons and devils are described in gory detail" tripe. The weirdest part of the article was a creature that attacked you with its 10' long male genetalia. I explained to my grandmother that it was just a game of imagination, that we usually played the heroes trying to defeat evil, and that the genetalia monster must have been printed by some 3rd party company as a joke. After our single discussion she understood why I liked the game and never had an issue with it from there.

 

[Oryan77]

I don't ever talk about the game with my parents. I think my dad knows I play but it's so alien to him that he doesn't even ask me about it.

My grandfather recently asked me about D&D, but all he said was, "Aren't people that play that game kinda weird?"

 

[Chainsaw]

what do your parents think of D&D (as best you know)?

Growing up..
Mom/Dad: Didn't pay too much attention to my habits as long as I made good grades, but then again, I was watching Nightmare on Elm Street in the 2nd grade, so...
Grandmother: Needed my personal assurance it wasn't Satanic, then bought me just about every 2E handbook and complete guide and setting under the sun... "As long as you're reading and not watching TV, then I'm happy."

Now:
Mom/Dad: Don't know that I play, but likely wouldn't have an opinion on it given that I played as a kid and turned out just fine.
Grandmother: Playing at EGG's table.

Wife call's it my "nerd stuff."

 

[ExploderWizard]

Both of my folks have passed away. After I started playing, my mom was interested in finding out about what I was spending so much time on so we rolled up an elf for her to play and ran a short adventure in the guard tower included in the Moldvay Basic set. She wasn't interested in playing much more but saw the educational benefits of playing and didn't mind me continuing.

My dad never played but he did buy me a ton of AD&D stuff for my birthday one year.

 

[Celebrim]

My parents actually bought me the red Basic box set (the first one, which ever that was) and were initially relatively supportive, and latter they bought me the light blue Expert set. I then spent my allowance on some AD&D books. However, after about two or three years of me playing, they flipped through one of the AD&D books and were horrified by the soft porn, crude drawings, demonic and occult references and the like. Actually, I can't say I blame them too much, because I did not then and do not know approve of some of the presentation in the 1e books, nor do I approve now of the inclusion of the occult in D&D (for example, I thought the 3e Binder class inappropriate). But in any event, from that experience they went from being mildly supportive to extremely hostile, and eventually must have got some influence from the occult scare folks, because we had a series of huge fights and they eventually forbid me to play and burned by AD&D books.

D&D is the first thing I remember I ever deliberately disobeyed my parents over. Me not playing lasted maybe two weeks, and the last fight is an extremely sore point with me to this day that I try not to think about.

Since then, we've had this thing where they basically ignore that I'm playing (well, was playing, since I haven't played in like 4 years now, sucks to be me), and I don't bring it up and make some minimal effort to hide the fact from view so that they aren't forced to acknowledge it. So far as I know, they know and still vehemently disapprove but are resigned to my 'bizzare' and dangerous habit. I don't really know, because we don't talk about it.

Now that I'm out on my own (and married... and have kids), the books are on the book shelf, so its not like I'm trying to hide it but we haven't had the big fight over it again. I anticipate having it at some point, as soon as they realize my 4 year old girls favorite TV program is the Dungeon & Dragon's cartoon. And in a year or two, I fully intend to start an M&M inspired game with them, and wouldn't be adverse to playing D&D with them. So eventually this will all result in some sort of huge flamefest.

 

[Jack99]

I am 35, with 2 kids and a wife and all that follows.

My parents pretty much think the same as they did 20 years ago. That its a weird hobby and a waste of time. Of course that didn't stop them from giving me the Citty of Brass box set last Xmas, when it was on my wishlist

They do think it beats me playing WoW though...

 

[Dalzig]

The one time I asked my parents, they asked me these questions:

• Are you on drugs?
• Are you hurting people?
• Are you going to jail?
• Are you doing horrible in school?

After I answered "no" to all of these questions, they pretty much said "then do whatever you want."

 

[ExploderWizard]

But in any event, from that experience they went from being mildly supportive to extremely hostile, and eventually must have got some influence from the occult scare folks, because we had a series of huge fights and they eventually forbid me to play and burned by AD&D books.

Wow. Thats awful.

These days I wonder how many parents are out there that would be grateful that thier kids would be involved in something that included reading books.


Any books.

 

[fba827]

My parents probably don't even realize that I play - they just figure it's some other game, nothing more, nothing less.

As it is, they do not understand or appreciate any sort of fantasy or sci-fi genre (my father completely ignores it all as "stupid" and my mom might give it a chance but ultimatly never understands what's going on).

Also, I would never let them see the cover of a few of my rpg books because they show skin (even if just a little, or just posed in full clothing) or gore (even if either is just a little), or it shows some fantasy scene which would just bring them to calling it (and me) stupid (see reason above).

So, yeah, they don't really know about D&D as anything more than some other game (don't even know it's name), and if they did, they'd just call it "a stupid game/stuff."

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

To my knowledge, my parents don't know I still play (when I can), and I doubt they'd really have an opinion on it one way or the other. They got past all that back in the 80's .

My brothers (all younger) may or may not know, but I doubt they care. They still knock D&D as something nerdy, but mainly as a poke at me (the nerd in the family) rather than at the game. And I know at least one of them has retained a fascination with dice-- he's got way more than I have (or had, up until I lost them all )

Frankly, having been out on my own for nearly 20 years now, it's not really something that comes up all that often