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

[Nimble Goodbarrel]

Back in the day, my mum and dad were pretty happy that I was reading, number crunching and hangout with my friends in a safe place instead of in a park or in a ditch somewhere.

Today, I try to keep it from my parents. I learned that along with the educational side of things, my parents felt that it was weird and a waste of time. I can just imagine what they think 15 years later. The difficult thing is that my group gets together just around the corner from their house. I have to travel in from the city by train and make up an excuse to go over to my friends house. When did things get so complicated?

My wife thinks its very nerdy and wont give it a try, even though she is a huge drama geek. She is cool with it though.

 

[MadLordOfMilk]

My father's the one who taught me how to play! To put things into perspective a bit, I'm a current college student, so I seem to be younger than most other posters in this thread.

When I was younger and my grandmother was moving, she came across my father's old D&D books (along with other stuff). With his old stuff back in his possession, he ran a few games for my cousin, my siblings, and I. We had a blast, and I've been a fan ever since

I never got into regular play until late high school, where I managed to connect with a friend who'd played with her older brother and convinced a few friends to start playing. I even learned some of the teachers had a weekend game, and one of them had done work on a few of the 3.5e books!

Though I currently play mostly 4th Edition, at this point I've tried virtually every edition of D&D. My personal favorite is still the B/X set I learned the game with (favorite including BECMI/Rules Cyclopedia, though my father just had B/X, for you nitpickers). I'm currently trying to get a hold of a Rules Cyclopedia to play with my college friends (without paying through the nose).

 

[maddman75]

Its always been that weird thing I play, and never really got any grief over it. I started playing in the 80s when the satanic scare was going on, but Mom's an atheist and stepdad was lapsed Catholic, so they didn't really get an earful about it from anyone. My Grandma was in an Apostolic church, which are pretty socially conservative. She said 'If someone kills themselves over a damn game they must've been crazy before they ever played it.'

Grandma kind of owned.

 

[Chris Knapp]

Back in the 80's when I first started playing, my friend's parents were the ones who taught us: we couldn't understand the concept of a game without a board. My parents were ambivalent though. My mom was supportive though. She often used to drive me to our gaming sessions across town and even ferry some of the other kids home. They never bought me any of the books though. That was what allowance money was for. After my local game fell apart, she encouraged me to start a play by mail game with one of those companies in the back of Dragon magazine.. She used to type up my "turns" at work. She would show everyone at work what I was doing so I guess she was rather proud.

Now, 40, married with a kid, it doesn't occur what my mom thinks. My wife on the other hand is kind of embarrassed. She used to go out of her way to tell people that I play D&D in hopes of shaming me into quiting. Now she pretends it doesn't exist, especially when I ask her if she'd rather be a sports widow.

 

[evildmguy]

I'm 37, 38 this year, married with no kids and a computer geek. My parents are middle of the road Catholics who raised us Catholic and sent us to Catholic school until 12th grade.

Until we gamed at my house, me being the DM, I think they wanted to make sure I was okay and not out doing bad things. When they find out I am just seven houses down playing DND, they didn't care.

When I started hosting it at their house while still in high school and then home for summers from college, they also didn't care. I think they saw it was a form of socializing and thought it good for me.

My mom, several times, would come back from going to garage sales and hand me a stack of DND books she found for a couple dollars or 50 cents or whatever. They never played it but obviously approved of it. They will still let me game there if we use my hometown as the meetup point!

I had two players who's mothers did not approve or like them playing DND. Or at least, weren't as supportive as my mom. One banned her son from playing after the 700 club attacked it in the 80s. The other could still play but until she met everyone and really saw what it was, she didn't like it.

So, very supportive parents about my playing DND.

On a similar topic, my wife isn't a gamer but did try to play for four years. It didn't work out and now she has other things she would rather spend her time doing. It would probably be more fun for her now but I don't see it happening again.

edg

 

[evildmguy]

My wife on the other hand is kind of embarrassed. She used to go out of her way to tell people that I play D&D in hopes of shaming me into quiting. Now she pretends it doesn't exist, especially when I ask her if she'd rather be a sports widow.

Ouch.

My wife started out jealous but has come to understand that it's a big part of me and my life and it wouldn't go away without me being miserable. Being the DM and hosting the game, her only "rule" is approval of anyone coming to our place, which is fine. I haven't had the problem often, though, with most recent new players dropping out or being asked to leave after a month.

Now, she's quite supportive of it.

edg

 

[Mercule]

My folks (especially my dad) didn't care for it when I was growing up. I think I only got away with it because I was otherwise a pretty straight arrow.

Now that I'm all growed up, have four kids, stable job, etc. I think he finds it a bit odd, but not objectionable. I've compared it to being a sports fanatic.

 

[Chrono22]

Well, my father started playing D&D as a teen. He thinks it's a fun hobby- but he has some odd ideas about what roleplaying is and what it's about. His idea of it, is that you go into dungeons and kill things. That's about it.

If the alignment spectrum actually applied to real life, I'd say my mother falls hard onto Lawful Neutral with good tendencies. She thinks D&D is a waste of time... but then, so is most any other activity you do for fun. So, she thinks of it as a hobby she can't enjoy because of some quasi-philosophical beliefs she has about what constitutes "real fun".

 

[weem]

Nice!

Great responses, it's cool to see other peoples positions.

There seems to be a lot of clarifying of age, marital and mortgage statuses so I will throw mine in I suppose... I am 33, am married, and also have a mortgage (we just bought our first house in September!).

With that said, I love D&D and have played for some time (22 years). As my parents, they know it is a big part of my life, so their thoughts on the game 'register on my radar'.

It's not like I ask them how they feel about it, or if they would have me play or not - but I know what they think of it like I know what they think of my work, or of anything else going on with me. Their opinion of the game would have no effect on whether I played or not - I would play regardless - but as it so happens, my parents dig it, and (in my Dad's/Step Mother's case) they even inquire and are interested in how my campaigns have been going.

As for my wife (wives seem to be coming up as well), we have been together over 8 years now (married for a little over 1). She knew when she met me it was big thing in my life, and she is awesome about it. She has never tried playing, and may never - I know she would not really be into it and she is pretty sure she would not (she knows enough about it to assume). With that said, she enjoys when we play at our place as it gives her an excuse to make cookies for everyone, haha.

So yea, great to read these responses - looking forward to seeing any more


---edit---

As a side note regarding the wife, before we bought our house, she pointed to the third room and said, "this would be a good D&D room"... excellent...

 

[Nivek]

My mom calls the game DNA for some odd reason, even after correcting her many times. She likes me playing D&D though and encourages it.
My dad is baffled why I play D&D instead of doing the stuff "regular" teenagers usually do. He makes fun of me playing it but he still likes the idea of me playing it.