How do I tell my parents I want to make games, not do engineering or medicine?
Ishaan Bose11th Sample
12 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Okay, honest question and a bit of a vent. I'm in class 11, PCM, and I hate chemistry, but that isn't the whole story. The thing I actually like is game design. I spend hours designing levels in a free game editor, I've changed a few rules in a game I play to make it harder and more fun, and I made a tiny platformer with a friend using free tools. I'm not good yet, but it's the only thing I forget to eat for.
My parents want engineering ("at least something stable"), and my dad has already said anything with "games" in it is a time-pass. I tried telling him once in the car. He said "this is a phase, finish boards first" and changed the radio station. Conversation over.
I don't want to fight. I also don't want to say yes to something I'll hate for four years and then do nothing with it.
What I'm stuck on:
- How do I even start this conversation without it becoming a fight?
- How do I show them it's serious and not "just playing"?
- What path actually exists for making games in India that isn't "drop out and hope"? Do I still have to do a normal degree?
I've tried: making a list of reasons (too long, I read it out and he stopped listening halfway), and showing him my platformer (he said "nice" and went back to the newspaper). Help.
12 answers & replies
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[+][–]Kabir Joshi11thSample· 1mo ago
Disclaimer: I'm class 11 too, so I'm not an expert, but I've looked into it a lot because I want to make games too. The thing nobody tells you is that most game dev paths do involve a degree. A computer science or similar degree is common if you want to be a programmer, and design/art degrees exist if you want to be an artist or designer. So the "not engineering" picture may be less black and white than your dad thinks. A CS degree is technically engineering in many colleges.
[+][–]Rohan Sharma11thSample· 1mo ago
bro just drop out and learn from YouTube, that's what game devs do 💀
[+][–]Aman YadavDropperSample· 1mo ago
Bad advice. Don't. Most people who do well have both skills and some paper to back them up. Dropping out is a bet with no safety net.
[+][–]Kabir Joshi11thSample· 1mo ago
yeah agree with aman. Learning from YouTube is great as a supplement, not a replacement for a degree. And rohan, you're a gamer, you know it's a hard industry.
[+][–]Rohan Sharma11thSample· 1mo ago
ok fair, it was a joke, mostly
[+][–]Siddharth RaoDropperSample· 1mo ago
Big-brother perspective, from someone who sat through a hard conversation with his own father: don't open with "I want to make games." Open with a question. Something like "Can I show you something I made and tell me what you think?" and then ask him what he's worried about. Most parents aren't against your dream, they're afraid of you being broke or unemployed. Once you know his actual fear, you can answer that fear directly instead of defending your hobby.
[+][–]Ishaan Bose11thSample· 1mo agoAuthor
oh. I never asked him what he's scared of. I just assumed he hated it. that changes how I'd start.
[+][–]Ishaan Bose11thSample· 1mo agoAuthor
update: I asked my dad one question tonight, "what are you most worried about?" and he actually talked for 10 minutes. It was mostly about money and about "what if you can't get a job." Didn't solve anything but he didn't change the radio this time. Thank you all, genuinely.
[+][–]Dev Agarwal12thSample· 1mo ago
My father also says "stable job first". What worked for me with a different idea (startups) was bringing a plan A and a plan B. Plan A: the dream path. Plan B: what you'll do if it doesn't work, ideally something that uses a related skill. For you: Plan B could be a computer science degree where you take game electives and build a portfolio. It tells your dad you've thought about risk.
[+][–]Tushar PawarDropperSample· 1mo ago
Also look for game jams, they're weekend events where you build a tiny game from scratch in a day or two, often online and free. A finished small game on your page (even a bad one) is worth ten speeches. I learned that from hackathons. Shipping > talking.
[+][–]Zoya Khan12thSample· 1mo ago
One thing from the parents' side that I try to remember: they love you and they're scared. Try not to treat the first "no" as the final answer. It may take three or four short conversations spread over months rather than one big one. And don't skip boards, it keeps your options wide open either way.
[+][–]Riya Singh12thSample· 1mo ago
If you like the art side, design colleges have their own entrance tests and game art/animation is a real path too. Maybe you're more of a designer than a coder? Worth finding out which part you love most, level design, story, art or code.
