How does your family view your hobby?

[Vymair]

I started playing when I was 13 (1979), my parents bought me all the books and were supportive as long as my grades were ok.

The really odd thing is that same time is when my parents returned to the church (my mother eventually became a minister) and our associate pastor (he was about 28 at the time) was into D&D and to help the parents of the kids playing D&D wrote an adventure based on the Xmas story (Herod imprisoned the 3 Kings of the East instead of letting the seek Jesus) and ran both the kids and the parents of those kids thru the adventure so they could experience it for themselves.

My mother saw what it did for my organization skills and was always supportive and my dad was ok with it. The rest of my family never got into it, but I have lots of hard-core card players in my family, so I think everyone just saw it as something similar...

 

[Desdichado]

Mostly my family either thinks it's kinda geeky, or that it takes too much of my time (both of which I can't really argue with too much) but lately my wife's been playing with me and some friends of ours, and having a really good time. My kids are starting to ask those "interesting questions" so I may start playing something with them soon too.

 

[Kal Torak]

My mums just happy that i go out and get off my arse at least long enought to get on the bus to my friens house.
My Dad and Step-mum just think of it as a hobby.
My sister is a casual player and a fantasy reader from the age of 5 or so.

But the think that I really find strange is the terribly religious reaction towors it, I find that in Italy and the UK this is totally absent, it's just a hobby like any other. I also find it kind of scary that so many people belive that my hobby is such an evil thing (the fact that I'm and anti-clerical athiest notwistanding)... (better stop before this gets religiously orientated)

 

[Teflon Billy]

Teflon...

It sounds like you owe your grandparents a lot. Great people.

You don't know the half of it Blu

 

[kingpaul]

My paren'ts initially (when I started just over 20 years ago) thought it was the work of Satan, and effectively stopped me from having friends who did any type of role-playing games. When I hit highschool, they accepted BattleTech, 'cause that was furturisitic, and didn't have any of that Satan stuff (magic) in it. They've lightened up since.

My wife just doesn't understand it. She and the other wives have formed the "Gaming Widows, Erie Local", and go out and do something while the husbands play their strange game.

 

[Zappo]

My parents view it as a hobby. We played a couple games together back when I was starting (they probably did it to check what it was about and as an occasion to spend more time together), but that's it. Now that I've grown out of dungeon crawls and into more "role"playing, maybe they'd like it, but they don't really have time for it.

My uncles, grannies, etc. don't even know about it (not because I keep it hidden, but simply because I meet them once or twice a year). If they did, they'd probably not understand or not care.

Luckily, the whole religious thing has never taken root in Italy, but even if it did, all my close relatives are atheist or agnostic, so it wouldn't matter.

 

[Eridanis]

Luckily, the whole religious thing has never taken root in Italy...

Someone better tell the Pontiff.

 

[Mahiro Satsu]

I just started dating someone who thinks that it is the biggest waste of time in human history. Then again shes 21 and listens to N'Sync...

 

[John Crichton]

I just started dating someone who thinks that it is the biggest waste of time in human history. Then again shes 21 and listens to N'Sync...

I dumped a girl once because she didn't understand my interests (there were other issues as well, of course). It would have been cool if she tried to understand. But alas.

 

[Mahiro Satsu]

Shes pretty cool other than that. She'll warm up to it later. Shes smart, she may even start to play.