Context: (TLDR version further down)
For several months, I have received a lot of backlash from both my parents for playing osu! But just recently, my father starting yelling at me just because I play osu! when I have nothing to do. He says it is not a game, but a software that seeks to dumb down individuals. But the funny thing is that my grades skyrocketed at school after I started playing osu! The game had made me happy and it is a hobby for me. I finally feel like im good at something, after failing at trying different sports and instruments. The game has given me a brighter view on my future, and I finally have motivation to start plannin my future, something I didn't have pre-osu! My dad also says that clicking the circles is comparable to people living with disabilities who cannot talk or control their movements proplerly, and he says that by playing osu!, I behave like a disabled person voluntarly. He is only ranting at osu!, because my younger brother has destroyed walls and yelled all over the house while he was playing clash royale, and apparently they were chill about it. My dad says there is nothing happening in osu!, while in other games like Clash, Minecraft, LoL, there is atleast a purpose.

Also, I have a life outside of osu!, despite my obsession with the game. When im not playing osu!, I make memes, videos, sometimes I make animated videos, draw cartoon/anime characters, I often read and study about history and how the political systems around the globe work. I don't have a very social life, but in rare occasions I hang with people outside of school, and I spend lots of times chatting with people online. And many people knows who I am at school. Sometimes I try playing piano and guitar, even tho I suck really bad at it. Sometimes I try exercise my body. So I do stuff outside of playing osu!

My dad is very worried that I am going to destroy my keyboard and computer when im tapping the x and z buttons. But I have played osu! on the same laptop for 8 months, and they still seems to function normally, and there is no symptoms of them about to stop working or the buttons falling off. I did firetruck up my previous laptop, but that wasnt because of osu, it was because i tried to attach the upper frame to my screen, because it was very loose. Yet my dad blames it at osu!

Osu! has given me a broad taste of music, and I keep exploring new songs through osu! So I use a lot of my free time to just listen to music from osu!

I am 18, and I can somewhat understand what my dad is saying. I am playing osu! instead of having a part time job besides education, so I do not have any income. I rarely exercise nowadays aswell. My parents expects me to move out in a couple of years, and I actually wants to move out, yet I feel like I have a too wear economy to do that. But I am starting to planning how to earn money and how to move out etc.

And my dad also says that I shouldn't have gone the path to higher education if im the type of person that plays osu! "Because osu! is a game for the lower educated people", he says. But it is very common today for all sorts of people to play video games. And my grades are not affected by osu!. So I don't take him seriously when he says that.

I can also agree that the sounds from hitting the keyboard can be annoying, but I don't hear the taps while playing, because I have my headphones on while playing. The sounds from my keyboard annoys my whole family, and I wish the keyboard wouldn't make a lot of sounds. But my younger brother blasts his favorite playlist all over the house with his speaker, and the family is supposed to accept it? So I believe they should accept the keyboard noises if im not way too addicted to osu!

And I dont think im going to stay in the osu! community for the rest of my life lmao. I have also been a Minecraft and Krunker.io addict in the past, and been stuck in that cycle for months and years, but I was able to move on from these games. When I eventually get bored of osu!, I will probably quit this game aswell. And I dont think I will get as hooked with a video game than I am with osu!, because this game is so unique and fun in a way that doesn't match other games.

TL;DR: My parents, especially my dad, complains that osu! is a game that dumbs you down, and yells at me for playing it. But at the same time I am able to balance my life with osu! even tho im kinda addicted to it.

I don't want to quit osu! at the moment, but the pressure from my parents are growing. How should I deal with them and make them accept that I play osu! on my free time?

Your dad is right this game make you dumber lol

On serious side, maybe try to talk to your parents why they think of osu! like that.

Since you're 18, you can make your own decisions. However, since you're still living with your parents, you have to play by their rules.

Since you admit to becoming addicted to a variety of video games in the past (osu!, minecraft, etc.) you should figure out what you value from video games and replace that with other activities that offer more reward.

For more information, read Reward deprivation.

Move out, you cannot win arguments against people who believe in something so strongly about a petty thing.

Go have a serious talk with your parents. You guys need to understand eachother and where you're coming from. If you admit that you're getting addicted, then maybe it's time to lessen your play time before it gets worse. Addiction is no joke no matter what situation.

After reading about how your dad is like I doubt talking to him about osu will do anything, and it might make things worse, but this could just be from my own skewed experience. I think it's worth a shot if you're up to it though, because both sides coming to understand each other and settling on a compromise is the best case scenario. Make sure to back out real quick if it starts getting ugly though, a big ass argument probably won't help anyone. If your mum is fine with osu, or at least a lot less opposed to it, maybe you could talk to her first, and she could act as a mediator or as support when you talk to your dad, to even out the balance of power.

If talking is out of the question, the best way to play osu would probably be to play strategically at specific times when you know you won't be bothering your parents, for example if they are out of the house. If it's just some occasional backlash you could probably just play through it, but seeing as you decided to make a post on the osu forums I'm guessing you can't do this.

The only way you'll probably be able to play osu in peace is if you move out. Moving out just to play osu would be pretty irresponsible though, just think of it as a small benefit.

If things get real bad, it's probably best to just not play osu. I'd personally value familial relationships over a videogame, if it ends up getting to the point of one or the other (unless your relationship is generally very toxic). If your dad's fine with your brother destroying walls and raging while playing clash royale there's probably tons of games he'd be fine with you playing. You did say that you were able to move on from other games so you can probably do the same with osu even though it feels premature.

Also, addiction is no joke. A condition becomes a disorder when it impacts your life negatively, same with addiction. Your grades improving, getting a hobby and getting motivation for your future from osu sounds good, but if you're not getting a part time job or not exercising because of osu, that's probably something to think about. (Btw get a part time job if you don't have anything better to do, having money is pretty epic)

Damn I feel like my years of lurking on Reddit is really showing itself here, how tf did I write so much.

1. go based mode and dont listen to them. long time ago when i was super addicted to games in general, my parents just hid my pc somewhere else until I found and played again lol.

2. tell them its your free time, you can play whatever u want. also this game has the best purpose too: you can flex your skills to your friends in school and they will think you are a god.

3. get a silent keyboard and have other game opened. when you feel the rumbling, just alt-tab so they will never know.

Comrade Daniel wrote:

I am 18

I concerning pattern I keep on noticing these days is parents of adults keep treating them as children.

i ain reading allat but hope things get better or sm

Wow, it's like listening to my dad years ago when he was telling me that osu! could hurt my brain. I think what they don't understand (at least my dad didn't) is that you don't simply just click circles on the screen, but you click them in rhythm of popular songs. That might make things easier for him to understand.

Don't play with headphones for him to hear the music to understand what you are doing XD. Buy a keyboard since your laptop keys will soon get destroyed due to osu. That's just how parents is sometimes, could due to annoyance or worries for your future. Try lessening your gameplay or just ignore their complain.

jaredlol123 wrote:

Buy a keyboard since your laptop keys will soon get destroyed due to osu.

Rubber ones, so you won't lose as much if it breaks.

But seriously, you should try to talk with your parents. If can't, the last resort is moving out, though there are some pros and cons with either choice. Personally I play when my parents aren't in home, and when they're in I just open editor and don't play the game at all. (technically, since I don't mash keyboard)