This. I still want to plant my face on the desk every time I hear the phrase "why don't you just pause the game?" - usually in the middle of a boss fight

Of course I will still excuse myself if there is an emergency or something that can't wait, but I still hear that phrase so often, even after explaining that there are 4-24 other people depending on me at the moment.

Not only explaining that I cannot pause the game, but that I am not talking to myself when I am in vent -.-

I've not really had a problem explaining the "other characters are real people" aspect of the game to my mother, but then when my girlfriend and I had to live in separate states for awhile we used WoW to communicate and do stuff "together". She thought it was really sweet.

As far as explaining the other parts of the game to her (the teamwork, the level of skill and professionalism in raiding, etc.) well... I actually took a shot at it last time I saw her and made a half-screenshot-half-MS Paint diagrammed version of the Sindragosa fight. I was able to point out all the add-ons and stuff that needs to be kept track of, the Grid nameplates of my fellow teammates, and gave basic explanations of each of the jobs each raid member had.

She was overwhelmed fur sure, but inclined to believe me because I could still point out one poor little druid tree cowering inside an ice block and say, "See, Mom? That's Laura. You know her, she does this job for us..."

I finally got my wife on board with the fact that I can't pause the game, but the other night, when I was in AB she suggested that I ask the pally I was fighting for a quick time-out. "If you ask nicely, I'm sure he won't kill you while you empty the dishwasher."

I didn't even bother to explain that even if I did ask nicely, he wouldn't understand anyway, I just said that the guy was a jerk. Let's be honest, if you rolled a human pally, you probably are!

J/k. :)

I'm married and my husband and I both play, but my mom (aware of our pastime) just figured out the fact that there are other people playing with us. But she seems to think that this only happens if they physically come to our home and play. I've demonstrated to her a few times that there are other people playing from other locations, but she doesn't quite get the distance thing.

She's asked me a couple of times why "that young lady you're referring to" couldn't come to some gathering or party that we're having (or to my baby shower). When I explain that we live in Alabama and she lives in Canada and another guildie lives in the UK and another in Alaska... She just shakes her head like that's not possible. I even let her talk to these people in vent, and she STILL doesn't believe that they live just down the road from me.

As a game playing parent, with a game playing spouse, with game playing kids (Wizard 101). When asking the kids to do something around the house and being asked if they can please get somewhere safe, the answer is always yes :) I have lucky kids.