By Calm-Specialist5995 • Score: 2 • April 14, 2025 2:13 PM
I (34f) had an argument with my husband (34 m) and I need to know if I'm in the wrong.
For context. I grew up in a house that very much pushed gender norms. Girls cooked and cleaned, boys did yard work and worked on cars etc. this extended to play. Boys got to play video games, girls did not.
As an adult I know now that all of that is bs. Girls can play video games and area prominent part in the creation of many videos games and a bunch of other stuff as well. I was inspired by the women who came before me and started teaching myself how to do things I wouldn't have before. I even got my college degree, which wasn't the norm for girls where I was raised.
I taught myself how to fix my own car, I do equal share in yard work etc. on to the issue, as an adult I have tried to play video games. Unfortunately, I don't care for it. I get why people like it, but it doesn't hold my attention. I'm more likely to want to go for a walk or read a book or go to a local market. I've tried again and again but I stop playing after maybe half an hour from boredom.
My husband loves to game. That's how he relaxes He'd rather game than do any of the activities I've listed above. It doesn't interfere with his job or anything so I just shrugged and thought we are just different in how we relax and that's fine.
A couple of months ago he started asking me to sit with him when he plays. I said okay and stuck it out for about an hour but I'll be honest, I was bored. I tapped his shoulder and said I was going to go get dinner ready and didn't return to watching. He asked again a few days later and I said I honestly don't really get into playing or watching games, but he said it helps him focus. So I got a book and sat quietly until bedtime when he put the game down and we went to bed.
This continued off and on but he started asking me questions like "did you see me snipe that guy?" Or "that was awesome, did you see that?" I'm not actually watching him play so of course I didn't see any of this stuff. I generally just nod and go back to what I was doing. I took up needlework to give me something to do while he played since me being there seemed to be something he wanted despite the fact I wasn't watching. He kept saying "I don't mind if you watch me play." Any time I got up, even to go to the bathroom he'd say "you don't have to leave just bc I'm playing a game."
About a week ago he bought me my own gaming controller. He's always said I can play his games any time I want but I told him I don't really want to. I'm not into gaming. The controller stayed in its' box.
Yesterday he took it out and handed it to me and said we were going to game together. I've repeatedly told him I don't mind if he games but I'm not into it. I don't push him into my hobbies, he shouldn't push me into his. He started the game and I made it to an hour and a half. I swear it was the longest hour and a half of my life. My mind kept wandering, I kept getting lost or getting taken out by the game. I finally said I need to stop, and he threw a fit. He said it was a great game (I can't even remember the name of it) and I should want to game with him. I pointed out he doesn't enjoy or participate in my hobbies, why am I expected to participate in his when I've stated it's not my thing?
He said he even got me a controller in my favorite color (which yeah he did but I never indicated I wanted such a thing) and I should want to do this. I kept asking why. Why did I need to do this with him, why can't we have our own hobbies? He didn't answer just called me ungrateful and an AH for giving up.
I said I tried it, didn't like it, and yelling at me wasn't going to change that. He said I could at least sit there and support him. I do sit there, but he can't expect me to be a couch potato and do nothing for hours at a time.
He said forget it and went back to gaming. I took a shower and went to bed, giving him space to cool off. He sat down to game today and asked me "you gonna sit with me while I do this or not?" I said I'd sit with him if he wanted me to and sat silently as he played, still sitting here typing this out.
Am I really the AH for not wanting to watch him play video games? I also don't watch pro gamers either so it's not just him. I just can't get into it, but I want to support him and his needs. What do I do?
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