Housekeeper thinks I must be a warmonger, or worse?

[simovitch]

We were getting our closets cleared out and items boxed up by my wife's "organizer" in preparation for an interior remodel. While at work, my wife received a text from the organizer saying that "something (emergency) has come up" and she can't finish the closets and ultimately will no longer be working for us, and will not return phone calls. She is usually super-reliable and friendly after 2 years of very helpful service.

So I come home and almost everything is boxed up, including several old wargames... except AH's "Advanced Third Reich" which is lying there alone in the closet. Mind you this game box has a very noticeable National Socialist symbol on it.

My wife is very upset now, convinced that the organizer misinterpreted the game box and that is the reason she left, and she (and apparently most of the world) "doesn't get" us or our hobby. So of course I am second guessing my self and trying to justify my own interest in conflict simulations. Sheesh. We finally got a response from her but she still would not state the reason why she quit even after we "explained" the game box.

Anyone else come across this type of situation?

[Corwin09]

At my software developer job many years ago, I liked to play wargames at lunch. Most people paid little attention but one younger co-worker walked by my desk while I was playing Steel Panthers. He was very horrified! I was probably lucky that HR wasn't notified. I chose my lunchtime entertainment more carefully after that.

[Zovs]

Steel Panthers is tame compared to what those younger folks play, Doom, Halo, and Quake….

[Rosseau]

That is probably the wildest "fear of wargaming" story I ever heard.

Don't worry about it, Simovitch, my friend. At least your wife "gets it," and that's all that matters.

My wife had questioned me decades ago. And I said, "Baby, I'm just playing with little ants (Combat Leader, SSI).

Thanks for sharing, though. And Zovs is so right about certain FPS games. And even those have not been proven to cause overt violence to others.

[CaptBeefheart]

That's interesting. People can be too quick to make assumptions.

I once mentioned to an old classmate that I liked wearing my Hawaiian shirt that had most American WWII bombers on it (B-17, 24, 25, 26, 29; see below) when I went out pub crawling back in the early 2000s. Since I lived in Tokyo then, he was shocked that I would wear it since it could have been seen by someone who had experienced B-29 raids. I told him to relax since that is one place where nobody would have made the connection (and nobody ever did).

Cheers,
CB

[Rebel Yell]

Love that shirt!

[EwaldvonKleist]

I never really got a negative reaction but thats because I keep the wargaming/military history interest to myself, unless the people know me and won't jump to conclusions.
Then again, in Germany military/wargaming is looked upon with more suspicion than elsewhere.

I once had a friend and his girlfriend staying at my place for a few days. She was from Russia and, looking over my bookshelf, discovered my collection of Eastern Front/Operation Barbarossa books. She took it well.

[Rosseau]

That's interesting. People can be too quick to make assumptions.

I once mentioned to an old classmate that I liked wearing my Hawaiian shirt that had most American WWII bombers on it (B-17, 24, 25, 26, 29; see below) when I went out pub crawling back in the early 2000s. Since I lived in Tokyo then, he was shocked that I would wear it since it could have been seen by someone who had experienced B-29 raids. I told him to relax since that is one place where nobody would have made the connection (and nobody ever did).

Cheers,
CB

Yes, great shirt! I can see 55 years after the fact it not being a problem. Most Youngin's wouldn't even make the connection.

Now, a Russian seeing the Eastern Front books, well good as long as parents/Grandparents didn't suffer in that war.

[Kuokkanen]

Steel Panthers is tame compared to what those younger folks play, Doom, Halo, and Quake….

Doom predates Steel Panthers and has got its share of phobes. Pretty sure someone or other has walked upon a guy playing Doom, or derivative, or box of one, and freaked out.

[gamer78]

.

[TulliusDetritus]

All I can say is I had introduced my 4 or 5 year old niece to Left4Dead (FPS with tons of zombies). Now 18, about to start university, one of the best students (incredible grades) so far, soooo...

Below difficulty levels In Doom2 and another modern version. if I had an euro for every zombie, monster I dispatched, Bezos and Musk would be polishing my shoes as we speak.

[Edmon]

It sucked being a nerd when I was young, playing video games was the least cool thing ever.

Then video games got popular and I still wasn't cool .

[demyansk]

I had the same thing or similar happen. I read all books on the war and many of them on The battles and personalities. I don’t have too many people over and when I do, just a collector and like reading about this stuff, I find it interesting.

[Lobster]

Been playing wargames of one sort or another since I was 10. We even made our own. Never stopped. If anyone said anything I just pointed out it was a game just like checkers or chess. A competition. I never bothered to hide it. If someone didn't like it that wasn't my problem it was theirs. It's pathetic that people were okay with slashing and hacking but when they saw a wargame it was "OMG what are you doing?".

Not so bad these days except for a few small minds. They watch all of the graphic blood, guts and gore on TV both fictional and real then are aghast that you would play a game involving moving about little chits representing the combatants of WW2. Many of them wouldn't even be able to point out Germany on a map. Heck some of them couldn't even point out the country they live in.

BTW, better off getting someone with a mind less narrow than a closet space.

[westminster]

Before Avengers, Star Trek, and Star Wars became so popular. Some people would, think you are a geek and also playing games is waste of time. But what other people do for fun, you may think is waste of time.

[Aurelian]

All I can say is I had introduced my 4 or 5 year old niece to Left4Dead (FPS with tons of zombies). Now 18, about to start university, one of the best students (incredible grades) so far, soooo...

Below difficulty levels In Doom2 and another modern version. if I had an euro for every zombie, monster I dispatched, Bezos and Musk would be polishing my shoes as we speak.

Wolfenstein The New Order. Got that yesterday from Epic, being that it's free....

[greengiant]

Well there was that time in the 80's I took my D&D box to school to get some friends to play, only to have it confiscated by the principal claiming it was the work of the devil. My mother kicked his ass and got my game back but I was never allowed to bring it to school again.

[ElvisJJonesRambo]

Well there was that time in the 80's I took my D&D box to school to get some friends to play, only to have it confiscated by the principal claiming it was the work of the devil. My mother kicked his ass and got my game back but I was never allowed to bring it to school again.

Times have changed. Certainly the people. Now kids take Kevlar backpacks.

[Kuokkanen]

Well there was that time in the 80's I took my D&D box to school to get some friends to play, only to have it confiscated by the principal claiming it was the work of the devil. My mother kicked his ass and got my game back but I was never allowed to bring it to school again.

Similar nonsense has been said about video games, rock'n roll, and TV. There are more of course, and some of it are indeed valid concerns.