Help: Get Parents to Accept the Fact that I am a Gamer/Otaku

[Galletea]

You can't make anyone accept anything. My mother refuses to entertain the thought of watching anything animé but will watch disney cartoons with my sister. It's just how people are. If they're not forcing you to change your hobbies and interests then it doesn't really matter does it?
Form your story they just don't get what you're into, and I'm fairly sure you don't like everything they like either. The best answer here seems to be just to live and let live.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

Ignore them? Don't watch it when they're around?

 

[Ironic Pirate]

Think of it from his perspective, he probably thinks anime is something you say when you sneeze, and here you are watching something animated, which to him is normally kids shows and the Simpsons.

So instead of being really dramatic, just have him sit down and watch one with you. Pick your most serious one, without any over the top anime reactions.

 

[Folio]

They can't be convinced. They just don't know what it means.

I study Animation and my dad kept asking me if Shrek is in 3D graphics or in vector graphics. Why? Because he doesn't have a clue!

Besides, what does it mean that he laughs because you watched a cartoon that's politcally simular?

What does he watch? The news? How riveting! |-(

 

[Folio]

Say " you know how your parents said how stupid T.V. was? Same thing."

Grandparents didn't bother saying that TV was bad. They argued that storybooks were bad. I'm serious! 'Stories are just made up rubbish. Go outside, boy. Smell the fresh air! There's not such thing as adventure!'

Nowadays the modern parent would argue that 3D is bad for the eyes and that their kids should only watch flat screens without gimmicks. Why? Because they don't know better.

There is always an excuse for parents to disagree with a popular medium: Go study instead of sports, go play instead of reading, read a book instead of watching tv, watch tv instead of playing violent games. What's next? Play games instead of gardening?

 

[TheRundownRabbit]

Just say "Deal with it!"
At least its not as bad as my parents.........ask me how it feels to be raised under a fascist and zealot. I bring up a minor opposing viewpoint to theres (example, really happened: "I think the catholic church is too big to be sought over just by the pope."), they look at me like I belong in a fucking straight-jacket

 

[TraderJimmy]

Thanks. They actually mentioned that gaming was a "teenage thing" When I told them that at least 5 out of the 40 kids in my grade were gamer girls (small grade due to private school), and that the average gamer's age was around 30, they said, I shit you not, "Its said that so many people just stare at a screen and don't interact with anybody". Not only have they apperantly never heard of multiplayer, but they don't seem to realize that all those years ago, when they went on dates to the movies, THEY WERE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING.

More so if anything. In movies, you barely interact at all if you go with just friends - certainly, you don't have conversations or anything. I love the hypocrisy of one of my parents decrying my hobby from afar (I barely play an hour a week of games these days, for whatever reason), and watching hours of mind-rotting reality tv.

 

[SalamanderJoe]

I made my parents watch Sky Blue (a pretty serious and believeable anime) and they said it was weird, and I reckon it was it because it was anime rather than CGI or live action. Because the following week they watched Final Fantasy:Spirits Within and loved it.

 

[Palademon]

Insult something they like for an more valid reason.

Or tell them that they are very immature and closed minded for thinking that anything animated must be stupid or childish.

 

[Shock and Awe]

So saying it reminding him of stuff he watched when he was young is bad?

 

[kakaomasse]

my mother is the same with me, except that she finds it adorable that i watch animes and shit xD (by adorable i mean "childish" with positive connotations)I just don't care, and she rarely makes comments

 

[Lullabye]

I, like many of the lovely visitors of this site, am an avid fan of gaming/anime/zombies/sci-fi/everything else that is commonly associated with what people perceive as being "nerdy" (No one likes the N-Word).

About 20 minutes ago, I was watching Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. For those not in the know, Gankutsuou is the sci-fi adaptation of a 17th century French story of romance, revenge, phillosophy, justice, repentance, etc etc etc.

While in the middle of watching an action scene, my dad came up to the TV. I could see that he was struggling not to laugh, so I called him out on it. Denying it at first, he broke down and admitted that the show reminded him of a cartoon I had watched as a child called Liberty's Kids, about two teenagers witnessing the events of the American Revolution.

You may ask, "What do these two things have anything to do with each other?" The answer for my dad was, "They're both animated". I've bought several anime dvds, many maaaaannnnyyyy manga, and have a bleach and death note poster up in my room (Put up on the wall over my door so that no one will see it unless they are looking for it, my parent's condition for puting it up).

My question to the Escapisters (Escapees, Escapiters, etc ad infinitum) is this: How can I get my parents to accept the fact that I'm a "nerd" (here used to describe their point of view, as I hate that word with every fiber of my being) and stop making fun of my chosen mediums of entertainment (games, anime, etc)?

Um...so all they do is laugh? Wow...uh, why do you even care? i would've killed for that sort of reaction from my parent.
I think the only one who needs to accept you're a nerd is you. "Put a poster above my bedroom door so no one will see it" And of deathnote no less. Someones a little insecure....

 

[imnot]

Why make them accept, douse your house in petrol and burn it down! then claim the insurance and buy more games and japanese stuff!
THEN BLAME VIDEO GAMES!
MWUHAHAHAHA!

OT: ignore them, or like tell them.

 

[Canid117]

If you were really a Japanophile you would not like the label Otaku. It has a very negative connotation and I know that without even being one.

Like many thing's in Japanese it has taken on a different term in English. Like sushi meaning "raw fish" instead of just a dish involving vinegared rice. Or like manga meaning "Japanese visual novel" instead of just the literal Japanese meaning of "comic book".

I imagine it sounds incredibly stupid to those who have seriously studied Japan or who are Japanese themselves but its still useful to have terms for those things anyway.

So if a Japanese person started calling themselves a pedophile and then explained that in japan it has become slang for person who likes pets I should not call them out on how thats a bad idea?

 

[Snarky Username]

If all they do is laugh, I don't think you've got much of a problem. Yeah, it isn't ideal, but at least they don't think you're going to hell for it like some horror stories I've heard.

Think you're going to hell??? Jeez, I feel bad for whoever is born to those culture-haters.

Try being an atheist in a Christian house... But yeah, I think you're really overreacting if that's the only thing they did. Don't worry, parents aren't going to like everything you do.

 

[El Poncho]

My parents might mock me at some things that I do but I know it's just a joke, and in turn I mock them about things they do.

I have got my mum into Professor Layton games and my whole family(including my extended family). Play Rock Band/Guitar Hero at Christmas.

I have 2 aunties around 20-25 who are gamers. One isn't a big gamer but the other is and it's awesome^-^.

So I haven't had any problems with my family criticising what I do.
I suggest telling them to gtfo.
[small] Also I thought Otaku meant the same thing as Nerd? [/small]