Family enraged at me for buying games.

My family thinks buying games is a waste of money when I can easily pirate them. I try to justify my purchases but they are all over me. Even my sister who is only 4 years older than me and the reason I started playing games thinks the same. They although hate my gaming enthusiasm but have also helped me by buying a powerful monster computer of my liking. I have no hobbies beside gaming(I play badminton as a sport sometimes and I'm good at it) and its related task.

First and foremost, I live in India and if any of you know about an Indian family they are very traditional and hard to accept new things. I have just started to save up money to buy games for real, as most of the earlier days I used to play by pirating the games not buying them. I am not ashamed of it, as I have made a pact with myself to buy most of the games I played through piracy. For now I got SkyrimLE, GTAV, Payday2 , boderlands2, and valve complete package on my steam account. And right now I was collecting money for Diablo3 or overwatch. But the thing is my family like always is getting in the way, they make fun of me like i was some juvenile. And like always they think me playing games is a sign of my immaturity. Besides the scenarios I have proven them wrong with.

I may not be good at acquiring good grades, but they are passable(Only due to studying for 1 hour at the day of the exams). I have a social life and a good friend circle though some of them may drink(Which is hated by my community) But they all are good folks and only 30-40% of them play games, and only 3 of them are gamer's like me(playing CSGO and GTAV Heist together).

I may not be the ideal child for most part, But I have done everything they have asked me to. I do every single chore they ask me off even abandoning a match and getting killed off again and again due to my ideal standing character. I listen to there every word(If I don't have a headset/phone on)

P.S. I live in a average household according to Indian standards. I was lucky to be admitted in a government college in my own city so still living in my old room. And just to tell you the wages this family earns you can search for the income of an income tax officer.

P.S. the thing I am facing is also happening to my 3 other friends. SO I would like to ask you what should I do. I understand where they are coming from and there reasoning, but except skyrim I purchased all the games due to their online features, which my parents couldn't understand.

As a teenager I used to pirate games as well, but upon entering university I decided that the right thing to do is pay the appropriate amount. As long as you have at least some savings to be used at your leisure, I see no excuse in don't paying a game developer for the product/service they offer. Gaming is just another hobby like watching movies, reading books, etc. and you have every right to want to invest a portion of your money on it since it offers you the desired entertainment. Now, it's common for older or more traditional people to disregard gaming as a kid's hobby. So if they cannot understand that it's actually a whole industry with a wide audience not unlike the quite popular movie industry then there's not much you can do. Some people are just set in their ways - simply pay them no heed.

@johnd13:I never though of buying a game is a waste of money, I am just buying myself a commodity like they do as they subscribe to channels on TV. I am not one to watch TV and stay there and pretend to be like them. For them I should do something constructive and use that money to buy real things in real world. I cook when I want to eat, I never use my motor transport other than going to college, most of the time I save money that I get as pocket exchange and from older family members who come to my home(Tradition of giving money to juniors). SO the money I am using is my own(Though I haven't earned it but have saved it). But I can't understand why are they reacting like this. I never waste money in thousands of clothes like my sister do(Which she eventually never wears), I don't go to movies( as most of my friends are in other cities due to their placing of college) And the only time I can have fun with them is playing heist on GTAV... so I this time I wanted to go dungeon hunting. But it seems impossible for now.

Im indian OP. In India games are very expensive,gaming hobby is expensive.I have spent over couple of lakhs ( maybe more ) for console and PC gaming.My advise is better spend your money on girlfreinds or cars/bikes or even partying instead lol.Gaming passion will fade out with time as when you get a responsible job or marry.Dont spend highly on gaming.Im with your parents on this as a veteran gamer, upto you to trust me on this or not?

Do what makes you happy, but if your family's disapproval makes you unhappy then I guess you gotta wait it out until your independant. I enjoy camping and often go by myself. When I lived with my parents my mom thought it was super weird and didn't like it. It bugged me, but I continued to do it anyway. Eventually, despite her disapproval she came to an understanding that I liked my time alone with nature and stopped seeing it as an anti social thing and more of something that helped me relieve stress. Maybe your parents will come around, maybe they won't, but when you get your own place it won't matter anymore.

wut

Well with humble bundle and different sales from Steam and other stores, games aren't expensive as long as you don't want the latest and most hyped games.

Gaming passion will fade? Why didn't I get the memo? Been doing this for maybe 25 years now. Not even becoming a father could stop it. :P

True. Steam Sales are the way to go full economy.

HaHa personally my gaming passion hasn't faded completely either, but its very less now compared to even three years back.I play like 5 max newest games a year now lol.

@flyingdodo: Moved from Off Topic to General Discussion. OT is reserved for non-gaming related topics.

Also, please avoid piracy discussion or the thread will be locked.

-Byshop

Used to be like that with Steam sales in my opinion. These days, if you really want a good deal on a bundle of games, humble bundle is the way to go.

So when are you gifting me couple of awesome Jumble Bundles? :P

@Byshop: Ok!! sorry!! about that

Tell your parents if they want money to just Rob someone

Tell them you don't like to steal. And tell them your supporting the company so they can make more games that you like.

I'm from India as well ,it's simple ,you don't ask them for money for games ,just save it on your own like I do .

talk to @indzman, I imagine he can/could empathize with you the most as a young Indian gentleman.

oop, beat me to it!

Gaming is fun, but reality > gaming. Here in the states, gaming is relatively cheap. In India and many parts of the world, it sounds pretty expensive (as much as double or more as much as I'd spend per game) so I have to sympathize with any non-gamers that might argue it's a waste of time and resources; if my 50 dollar a month habit cost me 150 (or 300, or 400, or 500, or....) dollars a month, I might not be the gamer I am today.

mmmmmmmmmmmmonkeys...

mmm :)

I can relate to that so much (I live in a very conservative Arab society). Your problem will be solved when you get a job and start making money. Just be patient.

I'd like to share something with you... I've been the gamer of the family since I was 10 years old (now I'm in my late 20's). When looking back at the past, I think I've never expected much emotional support from my family. They can scold me all the time for gaming but I can never forgive them for their unsupportive attitudes when I published my first novel and when I got a full scholarship from a foreign government. So the fact that they didn't accept me as a gamer didn't matter to me when it comes to my education and future plans. As the saying goes, my [family] broke my heart long before any boy had the chance to. It really hurts when no one in your family understands you TT-TT

I'm sorry, but your family is wrong if they want you to pirate games. You're in the right, ignore people that don't want you to support the people that make the stuff you spent time with.