@npiet1: Yeah, I use adobe software (eg photoshop) a lot, but he's also pretty good with computers. I'll try the having loads of demanding programs in the background tip though aha, thanks

@npiet1: Honestly, I do do things such as graphic design and photo editing on my current laptop (even though it can barely run photoshop + lightroom), and a new PC that could run those things faster would be great, but I'm not sure he'd believe that aha

@SoNin360: damn, that really sucks. Thanks for the reply.

Let me just start off by saying that my dad has always been against gaming - I've literally never had an xbox, PS4, or any games console to play on. I'd never bothered to ask for one as I just knew the answer would be no - so I've never had anything to distract me from schoolwork

Another point is that my grades are really good - like, really good. In my mocks, I got a mixture of all 7s 8s and 9s - which are As, A*s and A**s. I've been working really hard for my gcses for the past 12 weeks, doing as much revision as possible.

However, the other day, in the last hour or so before I went to bed, my dad came up to my room and saw me playing a video game on my laptop (as if my dad would let me have a gaming PC) and he totally flipped out. Started having a go at me and telling me to give him the controller. When I asked him why, that I'd been revising all day and that I just wanted to relax, he just got even angrier and demanded that I don't talk back to him. After about 5 minutes of arguing, he just left, slamming my door behind him.

I seriously don't know what his problem with it is - he has a really short temper anyway, and he just gets so angry whenever he sees me playing games. I could understand his attitude if my grades were awful and I was letting the balance between work and relaxing slide, but its exactly the opposite of that.

I've been working for the past 6 months and have finally saved up enough money to buy the gaming PC build I want for the start of summer - but I seriously doubt that he'll let me do it. I don't think there's any way I can convince him. Also, before you ask, yes, I do have other hobbies than gaming; I do photography at the weekends, and often go out to play football/go to cinema with friends (so its not like I'm some loner sitting in his room with absolutely no friends)

What can I do to convince him? Should I just build the PC and argue that its my money and that I don't see what his problem with me gaming is? People who have been in a similar sitation and have resolved it, how did you do it?