Dumb things your folks say about games

"I don't think it's healthy for you to be so addicted to that gamebox"

"You don't need any more games – you've got enough already"

"Turn it off right now or it's going in the bin"


Above: What do you mean, 'too many games'? We can still see the carpet

It doesn't matter that the parentals sit through three or four hours of awful television most nights and couldn't tell you why if they tried. The fact is, you're spending time on something they don't understand and they don't like it. Human beings love to destroy things they don't understand, so don't think they won't throw out your stuff. We've had to retrieve cartridges from a bin bag before. One GR editor even found her parents had left her a leaflet called Top 10 signs you have a technological addiction on top of her PS2.

What you can say in your defence: "Games these days are connected - I'm socialising with my friends. Plus, I need to know about the latest games or I'll be the odd one out at school/work/the pub. Besides, I'm sharpening my reflexes and problem-solving skills, not to mention my critical evaluation skills for dissecting modern media. Did you know people have written thousands of words discussing the meaning of games like Assassin's Creed or Shadow of the Colossus? Look it up – you might learn something."

Justin Towell

Justin was a GamesRadar staffer for 10 years but is now a freelancer, musician and videographer. He's big on retro, Sega and racing games (especially retro Sega racing games) and currently also writes for Play Magazine, Traxion.gg, PC Gamer and TopTenReviews, as well as running his own YouTube channel. Having learned to love all platforms equally after Sega left the hardware industry (sniff), his favourite games include Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Zelda BotW, Sea of Thieves, Sega Rally Championship and Treasure Island Dizzy.