Parents Demand Man Label His Full-Time Income A ‘Temporary Hobby’ After Buying A New Car

We all know that painful moment when relatives judge your unconventional career path. For one cybersecurity graduate, buying a shiny new car became the ultimate catalyst for intense family drama rather than a moment of shared celebration.

While their relatives climbed the corporate ladder in law and finance, this clever entrepreneur quietly built a highly profitable business inside the digital economies of major online video games. It pays the bills, covers taxes, and funded a brand-new vehicle.

Yet, to their traditional family, this legitimate cash flow is nothing more than a childish phase that needs to be swept under the rug. They fail to see the hard work, strategic planning, and long hours poured into this virtual enterprise.

When a curious younger cousin asked how they afforded such an expensive purchase, the truth came out—sparking an immediate family drama. Curious to see how the digital entrepreneur stood their ground? Read on to find out.

Parents Demand Man Label His Full-Time Income A 'Temporary Hobby' After Buying A New Car

AITA for refusing to call my income a "temporary hobby" when my cousin asked how I bought a car?

The digital frontier is vast, and for some, virtual realms hold far more tangible wealth than traditional corporate offices. Here is how the original poster described their unique business model and day-to-day operations.

I make a living through online game markets. It's mostly the MMO economy, digital goods, trading, leveling up, and any other services I'm capable of providing within the games I...

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...

A classic clash of generations occurs when a shiny new college degree meets the allure of self-made independence. Despite having a valuable educational background, the poster chose a path that aligned with their personal happiness.

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...

My brother works at a law firm, and my cousins work in finance and corporate. They don’t yell at me or anything like that, but they constantly treat my work...

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...

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When absolute honesty is branded as a threat to the younger generation, the line between protecting family and erasing one’s identity gets incredibly blurry. The pressure to conform to traditional standards quickly mounted.

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...

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. I...

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It drives me crazy that my family sees the results of my work but still calls the work itself "toys. " AITA?

Community Opinions

The Reddit community was sharply divided, with many defending the author's financial success while others heavily criticized the ethics of their gaming business.

u/Slow-Transition3149 NTA. Your family keeps calling it a hobby while somehow forgetting the part where it pays your rent, taxes, savings, and apparently bought a car. A hobby costs money....

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u/Sethicles2 So you're violating game TOS by playing on other peoples' accounts, RMTing, and harming the economy. How is this any different from those Chinese gold farmers or Elon's Path...

u/born_to_be_intj YTA for calling a grey legal area a real job imo. To provide these “services” you are breaking the TOS of every game you operate in. Your accounts are...

u/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...

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u/chimpfunkz There's a lot that's missing in order to really make a judgement. For example The games you're playing is RMT allowed? Is Smurfing/grinding someone else's account allowed per TOS?...

u/Moore2257
NTA, but I definitely don't like you for being part of the group for ruining the MMO genre

u/pumpkin_antler NTA and on any resume you can say that you owned and ran an online business/services, because that's what you're doing.  And if you have not already you might...

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u/uktobar
NTA.
It's not a temporary hobby.
You're self employed and run your own business.
Can't say the same for the bootlickers looking down on you.

u/LissaBryan People love to warn others that "you'll be sorry one day!" especially when the person is currently happy with their life choices. Gaming isn't something that's going away, and...

u/vivid_prophecy NTA. People do this with any unconventional job or career path. Instead of encouraging people to explore and find what works for them they try to use fear and...

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u/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”...

u/1962Michael NAH. You yourself know and understand that your income is not guaranteed and not stable. So your family members are not wrong to be concerned. And certainly, as you...

u/quick_justice YTA You don’t have a job. You have a questionable hustle that is likely in violation of multiple ToS, possibly illegal. More importantly, what you think is your profit...

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u/JGalKnit
NTA.  You get to call the way you make a living whatever you want.

u/HerfDog58 "I work in the video game industry." "Doing what?" Either "I'm a consultant on user engagement and interaction between development studios and their product to enhance the game playing...

While some commenters offered clever ways to rebrand the job on a resume, others warned that building a livelihood on volatile game servers is a ticking time bomb.

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Navigating the divide between modern digital side-hustles and traditional family expectations is never easy. While the financial results are undeniably real, the unconventional methods will likely continue to spark debate among loved ones who value security above all else.

Should this entrepreneur have sugarcoated their career to keep the peace, or was speaking the truth the right move? And how would you handle a family that refused to respect your hard-earned success?

Share your hot take below!

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