Gaming and Family

[Haltherrion]

What sort of support and participation do you get out of family and SOs for your paper and pencil RPG hobby?

 

[El Mahdi]

My wife and her cousin both play in my games. And, up until she died*, my 73 year old mother-in-law also occasionally participated!

My parents mostly just think it's silly, but while I was growing up they though it was positively satanic. My brothers mostly just think I'm a geek, and would never be interested in playing. Oh well...


*I know, of course she doesn't play now that she's dead...but she probably could have played an awesome undead! (Love Ya Mom! Hope you're having fun...and tell Dad "Hi".)

 

[Swedish Chef]

My kids are a bit too young yet. My sister could care less. My wife doesn't mind, as long as the scheduled day doesn't conflict with her work schedule, and my folks have always felt I was a bit squirrelly, so never said anything about it.

Unfortunately, your poll doesn't cover my "all over the map" answer.

 

[Cyronax]

I hate to say it, but I'm currently in the 'hide my hobby' from the world mode. That probably should be an option.

I'm a nearly weekly gamer/DM/sometimes player, but I don't have a serious SO currently.

The girl(s) I've been dating probably wouldn't 'get' the hobby. They might feign support but it wouldn't be something that would be terribly beneficial to a relationship.

I think that means its not meant to be.

I've seriously dated girls who were genuinely supportive of the hobby in the past, but they didn't really want to play. Diamonds in the rough.

C.I.D.

 

[Stormonu]

My eldest son has been playing on and off since he was five, he's now 9 years old. My younger son (now 7) is borderline autistic, but he's caught on enough he understands how to roll the dice and enjoys his dwarf character.

My wife loves to play "healer-type" characters. She's at home in RP-heavy games, but dead weight in kick-in-the-door sort of games, which I tend to lean towards (but she's fine with that; most of the other gamers more than make up for her non-combat ability). She's actually found a system (Savage Worlds) that she understands well enough and enjoys that's she's running her own game with the boys.

 

[Umbran]

I first met the woman I married when she came to make a character for a D&D game I was running. So, you know, no problem with spousal support for my gaming.

 

[pogre]

My wife used to play until real life got in the way. She is supportive these days in part because two of my boys play in my surrent group. Someday when our younger children get older, I think she will come back to the game.

 

[Shades of Green]

My spouse is an avid gamer; she was quite positive about gaming from the beginning of our relationship, though she didn't have a chance to play any RPG before we met. I introduced her to Shadowrun and D&D and she enjoyed the hell out of it. Hopefully she'll end up DMing in the future...

My mother was neutral towards D&D when I was a teenager, and now is quite positive towards it, and even understands the basic concept, but doesn't play (which is a shame - she would've made a great role-player).

My father was the first person who has ever mentioned D&D to me, and was quite positive about it, though he never played. Like most mental-health professionals in Israel, though, he seems to think that LARPers have mental issues...

 

[crazy_monkey1956]

When I was 20 years old and in the U.S. Air Force...

One of the guys in my gaming group at the time said there was a new girl in his department that he was bringing to the next session. "Cool," I thought, "another player." And thought no more of it.

The following week, the evening before gaming, some non-gaming friends and I went out to eat. We met another friend, who'd brought along someone we hadn't met before.

"Wow, pretty girl," I thought.

Conversation ensued, "Wow, smart, pretty girl," I thought.

Gaming gets brought up...turns out she's the new girl coming to gaming, "Smart, pretty, gaming girl!" I might have fainted right there, if not for my dignity.

A month later, we were married (yep, a month). Fifteen years later, two of our four kids game with us on Friday nights and I'm about to start up a "family campaign" for all of us on Sundays. I just landed a job with WotC and my wife is doing freelance layout for roleplaying products and entered RPG Superstar.

Best family ever. True story.

 

[Wednesday Boy]

My brother was part of my first gaming group in high school but once he got into college he lost his interest in it. Other than that none of my family plays. My wife is supportive of my playing but likes to tease me about having to many roleplaying books that I never get around to using.