Seeking Advice For Family Comm.

[Ravkrat]

So I recently got fired from my job, no tears from me though xD, I've known for a few months now that the chance of me getting fired was increasing so its no biggie to me but of course my family,mother in this case, instantly freaked about it saying how I was lazy at work and that I should do has management says.. I could go on but this isn't really what I want advice on just some background for the advice.

My 'career' choice when I got out of high-school was game-programming, I just mashed my two interests together and eureka! Career-path. So I went to college for g-p(short-hand..what? I'm lazy with typing T_T)finished a year and due to certain circumstances I havn't gone back yet,its been about.. two-ish years. //More background//

In those two years I havn't really coded or done anything involving coding so I'd like to get back into it but my family is opposed to me having access to "my" old computer. They fear i'll relapse into my gaming addiction(I could go off on a huge tangent and explain this story but it would be a few paragraphs) In short.. how can I convince my family that I want to get back into coding without it seeming/coming-off has a way to start gaming again.

 

[Southern Discomfort]

Maybe delete all of your games on your computer? That is, if that hasn't happened already, it could provide a sign to show that you're serious about it. Aside from that I guess you need to argue the point that a computer isn't just for gaming on. You could also provide them evidence of your work once you do have access to it again.

 

[wyverary]

I'd suggest maybe getting a computer that is way too slow for any gaming whatsoever. I don't know if they make netbooks anymore, but something along those lines, perhaps?

 

[Ravkrat]

wyverary: the only thing with that though is that it still needs to be somewhat good( hate taking 10+ min to compile a program) then there was 3ds max.

Southern Discomfort: I've thought of that but, and here is the funny part, the computer I had has been moth-balled(its in a closet), I've tried showing them a project awhile back,it was game of life my final project from my single semester in college, and they kinda just went ' ah cool ' then more recently I tried showing them my idea for a virtal-reality device I could go off on a huge tangent but
tl;dr
cat-scan device+brain+software+???= Idea(??? is all the bits I'm still looking into)
..lol.. yea not enthusiastic about showing it to the family again.

 

[SocOfAutism]

Why don't you just enroll in your school and start classes again? I don't understand this problem. If you can't work on programming at home, go to the library and work on it there. They have computers. Apply for student aid and get a laptop with whatever extra you have left over. Game programming would be a great career, very aspie friendly, high paying, etc. Your family must not be well-informed if they're not encouraging it.

If my son had a gaming addiction but wanted to program I'd go find him a Tandy Color Computer and let him go to town.

 

[wyverary]

wyverary: the only thing with that though is that it still needs to be somewhat good( hate taking 10+ min to compile a program) then there was 3ds max.

I'd say the patience is worth it. My own CIT instructor likes to say it's like cooking a Hot Pocket...as spoiled as you are, you are impatient for it to finish cooking, so you just take it out and the inside is still frozen. Mind, it was maybe a decade or so ago that I was compiling code as well, and given that computers those days were much less powerful, it took even longer than ten minutes!

 

[Ravkrat]

Why don't you just enroll in your school and start classes again? I don't understand this problem. If you can't work on programming at home, go to the library and work on it there. They have computers. Apply for student aid and get a laptop with whatever extra you have left over. Game programming would be a great career, very aspie friendly, high paying, etc. Your family must not be well-informed if they're not encouraging it.

If my son had a gaming addiction but wanted to program I'd go find him a Tandy Color Computer and let him go to town.

I would do that but I'm also trying to 'get started' in life, finish getting a driving license,get a car. I guess the best way to describe what I'm doing is that I'm trying to line everything up to where I can get it with one throw/shot, the problem right now is that there is a blanket ban so to speak meaning that if anyone in my family 'catches' me playing a game(I assume any game not just video games but that may just be me poking fun at the 'rule') then i'll essentially be kicked out of the house+family that and the pc I was using has most of my work on it ( >_< ) has far has programming goes most of it is on hold, except for a theory of mine but that doesn't yet require coding, and i'm focusing on getting them to understand that I'm not addicted to the ruddy thing(gaming) and that game programming doesn't mean 'play games all day'

That and the exp/knowledge from game programming is highly transmutable.

they did encourage it at first but I made some major mistakes, went to college when I was heavily depressed, food plan got cut and thought ' eh I'm a 'adult' now so i'll make do' and didn't tell family about it ended up dropping 80 pounds in four weeks, then throw into that the meltdown I had(not to proud of that) and few other bits and bobs and well.. yeah I can see why they hesitate

Ah almost forgot the school I was going to is in the next town, thirty minutes by car.. seven hours by foot


Has an aside I've always thought it funny how people freak-out about game addiction, last I heard playing games doesn't rot your teeth,give you lung cancer, cause erratic moods(over-drinking),or cause you to kill others so you can get your 'fix'.

Though I have read plenty of stories/head-lines, from the guy that died at a internet café gaming,to the kid that shot his parents for taking his game away. But I get the vibe that these are only a fraction of how people react to games getting taken away/binge gaming