Family Calls Sister’s Gaming Income ‘A Temporary Hobby’ Despite It Paying for Her Life and Her Car

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Jun 2, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

Should your family support your career, no matter what it is?

There are so many ways to make money in this world, and not all of them are expected career paths. More than ever, we're learning about all the ways that you can make money that aren't so easy to list on a resume. The person in this story, who was shared to a subreddit, certainly had an unconventional job. There are gigs, niches, and avenues that exist now that didn't exist 20 years ago, and just because they're unexpected doesn't mean that they aren't legitimate or lucrative. Plenty of people might not fit into a certain bucket, but they still have vibrant careers. We should celebrate this, not diminish it. We can all learn from each other's career paths, and we don't have to do what's expected of us. That doesn't mean that everyone is going to understand, though. Sometimes our careers are just too far-out for the people in our lives, and that's okay. 

But just because you don't understand something doesn't mean you shouldn't respect it. We all deserve to feel like our ideas and contributions are being treated seriously and not dismissed. Maybe you have a hobby that the people in your life don't understand. If they make you feel bad about it, that's their fault. It's not your fault for failing to have a legible career path. It's their fault for making you feel bad about it. That's what happened here, to this woman who found an unconventional way to fulfill her dreams. 

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  • Cheezburger Image 10635418880
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    A woman talks with a male family member at an outdoor cafe

  • Am I in the wrong for refusing to call my income a "temporary hobby" when my cousin asked how I bought a car?

    I make a living through online game markets. It's mostly MMO economy, digital goods, trading, leveling up and any other services I'm capable of providing within the games I play. I know it sounds strage to people outside the field, but this has been my main source of income for several years now.
    via Marlene-Marina
  • I pay taxes, rent a place, bought myself a nice car, save money (in case something goes wrong) and my income is gradually growing. It's not just sitting in front of my PC and playing all day. It involves clients, scheduling, bookkeeping, some risks, market monitoring, competition and a plenty of routine work.
    via Marlene-Marina
  • I graduated from college with a degree in cybersecurity, but I didn't go work in that field full time. I find it interesting, but more as a hobby. I didn't want to sit at a job that didn't suit me for 40 hours a week just so my job title would sound decent to my relatives. My family is very career focused. My brother works at a law firm, my cousins in finance
    via Marlene-Marina
  • and corporate. They don't yell at me or anything like that, but they constantly treat my work like it's just a phase. My mom says it's awkward for her to explain to people what I do because it doesn't sound stable.
    via Marlene-Marina
  • Recently, my younger cousin asked how I was able to buy a car. I answered honestly that I make money online through. game markets. But I immediately added that it's not easy money, it's not a guarantee and it's no reason to neglect school. I said that I managed to turn a niche I understand well into an income, but that doesn't mean everyone should do the same.
    via Marlene-Marina
  • Later, my mom called me and said I should have called it a temporary hobby. According to her, now my cousin can think that he can just sit around playing games and not build a proper career. I said I wouldn't lie about my life just to make the adults feel better. I didn't advertise it as easy money. I just refused to pretend that my work wasn't real. My brother later wrote that I romanticize gaming and that one day I'll regret not having a normal resume.
    via Marlene-Marina
  • I understand that my job really is strange and may seem unstable (though you can be fired ect on a ordinary job too), but that's how I pay bills, taxes, rent, savings and bough a car. It drives me crazy that my family sees the results of my work but still calls the work itself toys. AITA?
    via Marlene-Marina
  • Cheezburger Image 10635419136
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    A woman looks upset while talking to a man at a cafe

  • We all get to do our own things, and the people who make us feel bad about that should realize that they're only hurting themselves. We're gonna do what we're gonna do, and nothing is going to stop that. But this woman's family had a lot to say about her career path, and how she should treat that when talking to the younger members of her family. Keep reading to see what commenters had to say about it.

  • Commenters agreed that she shouldn't have lied.

    Imnotawerewolf NTA has your brother considered being a parent? It's kind of his job to help his kid understand their career prospects.
    via Imnotawerewolf
  • Maahes0 NTA it would be the same if you were a professional YouTuber or streamer. Until the kid sees all the hard work behind the scenes he will just see the fun part. I follow a professional
    via Maahes0
  • Minecraft player and while his daughter's friends are romanticizing his job, his daughter knows exactly the hard work he does because he's made sure she knows it isn't an easy job. Luckily she is more interested in space stuff currently so hopefully. she continues down that path.
    via Maahes0
  • Caliente_La_Fleur Nah, just call it consulting next time. That makes it a little more palatable to those people that give a crop but usually sounds doll enough that they won't press a whole lot further. I'm just happy that you found
    via Caliente_La_Fleur
  • something that you really like to do and make money out of it. You ve developed a recurring income stream in a type of market that requires a whole lot of soft skills and organization. be proud of what you've accomplished, but keep the specifics within the group of people that would understand what it is that you actually do.
    via Caliente_La_Fleur
  • PsychologyGuilty 1460 NTA But you wouldn't be lying to your cousin if you told him you had built your own business, either.
    via PsychologyGuilty1460
  • Georgette-William NTA. I honestly don't get your relatives as "normal resume" isn't a magic shield either. People on normal jobs get fired, industries change, companies fold ect, just as you said. It isn't a guaranteed stability.
    via Georgette-William
  • You already have a degree (so just in case something happens you can go and work) and income, so the panic feels more about image than reality.
    via Georgette-William
  • Fun_Ideal_5584 NTA. Too many people live in the past with their old career mindset. You found your niche, that works for you. That should be enough for most people.
    via Fun_Ideal_5584
  • GodzillaRenovations My wife insisted that I put "office administrator" as my job when we registered our intention to marry with the local council, but said that I could put "writer" on the marriage certificate itself if it was demonstrably bringing in some money on a regular basis.
    via GodzillaRenovations
  • Which was just the kick up the that I needed, my freelance writing career took off from there, and for the last fifteen years it's been my main source of income.
    via GodzillaRenovations
  • Of course, my medical- professional wife still doesn't think it's a proper job, but she concedes that I do pay my family-supporting dues with it. (I've only fallen short on my monthly contribution to the household accounts once, and that was because of late payment rather than not doing any work.)
    via GodzillaRenovations
  • NTA, obviously. Not least. because I wouldn't discourage anyone from following in my footsteps. provided they understand that it involves long hours of very hard work for often piddling rewards.
    via GodzillaRenovations
  • O_0-22 NTA and F em. Scale up your business if you can to point where you earn more than all of them. Then you can have the last laugh.
    via O_0-22

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family drama jobs income siblings gaming career sister cousins hobby
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