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

[Malakor]

Well, I'm 50, so much like the fellow in his 40's, the opinions of my parents matter nary a whit in regards to my gaming. . . however. . .

My father for years was of the opinion that it was bad, since the 'experts' on the 700 club claimed so many people had committed suicide because they played it. He shut up after I gave him a standing offer to come listen/view any of the games we played without letting us know he was coming and gave him a schedule of when and where we played. Now, he just falls into the not understanding it, but apparently it's not as bad as everyone made it out to be camp.

My mother never voiced an opinion either way, but she was always more open minded and even read some fantasy and science fiction books of mine when I lived at home and found them enjoyable.

My spouse considers it to be 'fun to watch and listen' to our group when we used to play at my house (before it became full of dogs, grown children and grandchildren).

All of my children have played from time to time, my oldest two being the most active, and I look forward to introducing my grandchildren to the hobby in a few years.

 

[talarei07]

my parents were okay with it. they would ground me from it when my grades would slip or i broke the rules

 

[Ravellion]

They probably think it is a bit odd that I still play this one game so often, and that I haven't gotten bored with it, but for them it is like I am playing a far too complex boardgame. The whole "D&D is satanic" thing didn't really hit these shores, or if it did, it certainly did not linger.

 

[Ravellion]

my parents were okay with it. they would ground me from it when my grades would slip or i broke the rules

So they'd ground you if you didn't use the "weapon vs armor to hit modifier table"? That's harsh!

 

[Afroconan]

My mom used to think it was a computer game that I played with my friends... Now she knows it's some game that needs big rulebooks... that's it...

 

[billd91]

My parents know I play regularly and, as far as they're concerned, the hobby's not that much different from any other regular game event like playing poker, euchre, or going bowling. They've been a source of gaming materials for a long time now too. I used to get AD&D books for Xmas back in the 1e days. And the traditional gift now still is gaming related - it's a gift card to the local game store. It's particularly convenient because they offer 20% discounts on your birthday and mine is shortly after Xmas. It's been a personal tradition of mine to ask for the gift cards for Xmas and then go to the sale for over 20 years now.

 

[DrunkDutch]

Well my Dad was the one who got me into it. He got me into fantasy lit when i was young, then later on gave me his copies of the old basic set rulebook and a stack of adventures along the lines of castle of the silver prince and isle of dread plus a ton of others.

 

[TerraDave]

small anecdote 1:

Many years ago, I leant some D&D stuff to a "friend" of mine, including somethings giving to me by a departed relative. That kids mother went on some anti-D&D purge, and the stuff was lost. I still get a little upset about it.

small anecdote 2.

At a (real) friends house on Sunday when 40something he picks up the phone "Hi mom...I am playing Dungeons and Dragons with my friends".

 

[lin_fusan]

Yeah, being in my mid-30s and 400 miles away, my parents' opinions of the game don't factor in my day-to-day life but growing up, my father hated the game. He thought it at best a waste of time and at worst the reason why I wasn't a straight-A student in high school.

Even in college and post-college, he kept expecting me to grow out of it (as well as video games) and move on to more important things, like finding a career.

Three bits of irony:

1) My parents were the ones who bought me my first Red Box Basic set for Christmas when I was eight or nine years old!

2) Post-college, I came home to find my mom reading my Sandman comic books. After a brief conversation, I found out that she was a big fantasy and science fiction geek. She loves Star Trek!

3) Although it took me a while, I'm now working in the game industry. My dad never thought anyone could make money making games.

Now we don't really discuss my hobbies. It's probably because there are other more important family crises to deal with. However, my dad knows that I'm not a criminal and not homeless, so he figures any gaming hobbies must be harmless.

 

[fba827]

At a (real) friends house on Sunday when (...snip).

Okay, I have to ask why you felt the need to clarify the classification of the friend. ??

If they aren't "real friends", then they are acquaintances, or, if they aren't "real" then there is medication for that