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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To want to stomp on DH's headset?

21 replies

ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 15/07/2019 23:28

DH likes to game (COD on Xbox) once in a while. I'm fine with that. We're a family of gamers. He works hard, doesn't have any hobbies and doesn't drink/go out. However, this year he treated himself to a new fancy headset and mic and its driving me insane.

The "fantastic sound quality and noise cancelling is amazing"..... apparently! Yeah.fantastic. Except it makes him yell. His excuse is that he can't hear himself shouting to his game mates. I spend the whole evening telling him to tone it down, calm down, quit yelling, stop shouting or fucking well shut up! He just apologises but tells me he can't help it because he can't hear himself yelling, talking to his friends. He quiets for maybe one sentence and then it's full volume again.

It's half past 11 at night now and he's kept the 7 and 9 year olds awake! He's so damned loud! I can hear him from the other side of the house with all the doors shut.

WIBU to accidentally fall in the headset cable with a pair of scissors? It's the only "hobby" he has but I'm getting to really resent it. I've just lost it with him and told him he has to take one ear headphone off his ear or turn the Xbox off. I never ever issue ultimatums or argue with him but this is getting beyond a joke now. WWYD?

OP posts:
Windyone · 15/07/2019 23:31

sounds like the behaviour of a teenager. Is he too stupid to understand the issue?

LEELULUMPKIN · 15/07/2019 23:31

Get him to buy you all an equally fantastic pair of noise cancelling headphones.

RasberryRoyale · 15/07/2019 23:32

Omg. That would drive me INSANE!

Record him and show him just how loud he is. He shouldn’t be keeping your kids up. Is he swearing?

My DH games but thankfully not online. I wouldn’t ruin his headphones but I think if he can’t keep it quiet then he can’t play if he is going to keep the family up. That’s not on.

chzarind · 15/07/2019 23:36

WWYD

I would tell hi, to start behaving like an adult.

ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 15/07/2019 23:43

He's not swearing at all, just speaking to his teammates really, really loudly, like if he was in a busy pub trying to talk over the noise. He plays with his BIL so will chat about all sorts so he's not screeching like an overexcited gaming teen or anything, he's just talking LOUDLY.

I like a good game on the old Xbox and we're not quite ready for the pipe and slippers yet but I'm hoping me going mad at him tonight might make him realise that it is actually an issue.

OP posts:
ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 15/07/2019 23:48

Thankfully that's it for tonight. He's just finished his game and is off to bed. We're going to have to have a serious talk tomorrow though. It's such a silly thing but its like he can't see the issue because he can't hear himself being loud? I mean, does he think I'm making it up or something?

OP posts:
Awaywiththefairies27 · 15/07/2019 23:49

OP, record him next time and show him.

ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 15/07/2019 23:57

I think I might just do that @Awaywiththefairies27 and @RasberryRoyale

At least he'll be able to see how annoying it is. I don't mind sitting reading my kindle for the hour or two while he plays but I can't these days as he's far too loud and distracting.

OP posts:
Ijustdontcare · 16/07/2019 00:16

What headset does he have OP? There is a feature on a lot of them called either Mic Monitoring or Sidetone that allows the user to hear themselves a little bit to stop the problems you are describing here.

Ijustdontcare · 16/07/2019 00:20

Ah forgot to add that if his headset doesn't do Mic Monitoring on its own the Xbox has a built in feature if the headset is plugged directly into the controller without the adapter

HennyPennyHorror · 16/07/2019 03:11

Throw things at him everytime he shouts. Socks, balls, newpapers...just light things. But literally EVERY time his voice goes over the acceptable level, hit him in the back of the head with a sock.

It will work eventually.

MrsTeaspoon · 16/07/2019 04:09

I’m sorry but he knows he has primary school aged children needing sleep for school in the house! If I have earphones in and need to speak at all I’ll turn the device off so I can check I’m not being too loud...common courtesy. Is him implying that you’re lying about how loud he is? Yes and that’s not on. Is he not giving a toss about the children’s sleep? Yes and that’s not on. It’s really selfish and you DO need a serious talk.

BlackCatSleeping · 16/07/2019 04:40

Your poor neighbors too. I have no idea, but it sounds like the mike monitoring thing others mentioned may be your answer.

He really needs to stop this.

TwistyTop · 16/07/2019 06:41

Are you sure he isn't 13? This isn't normal adult behaviour.

My DH and I both game but I can't imagine either of us ever being so stupid as to shout about anything after the DC have gone to bed. Or even before they've gone to bed, actually. I've never felt compelled to shout whilst gaming...

minisoksmakehardwork · 16/07/2019 07:25

You know you can put a time lock on the Xbox, so after so much gameplay it would shut down. I don't know if you can limit it by time, eg not after x time. But if you work out what time he normally starts and what time is reasonable for the kids/noise level, you could set it...

Stompythedinosaur · 16/07/2019 07:47

That sounds amazingly irritating. There's no excuse for keeping the dc awake.

theunrivalledjoysofparenting · 16/07/2019 07:50

FFS. how many threads are there on here with useless gaming 'men'? How old is he? That would drive me insane. What a selfish twat. He's so loud he wakes up the dc, you can't even read - what must the neighbours think? Honestly, I despair.

Vulpine · 16/07/2019 07:50

What a cock

ChesterDrawsDoesntExist · 16/07/2019 10:28

actually. I've never felt compelled to shout whilst gaming...
that's the thing, he's not shouting as in yelling at the tv or his game mates, he's just talking as if he's in a really loud pub. It's not even overexcitement, just voice volume.

Thankfully no school for the kids so they could get up late today.

He doesn't switch the Xbox on until after all the kids (including our eldest, so not that early) are in bed and all the usual jobs are done for the night so a timer is no good.

I'm definitely going to look into the settings @Ijustdontcare, thanks for that info. There's no way that everyone needs to talk at an insane volume when using them? Im surprised he's not deafening his teammates.

He's bloody lucky he's such a good man (works FT, parents as much as me, cleans and does laundry like a dream.) If not I'm sure he would have got a tv remote to the head last night Wink

OP posts:
NotSoThinLizzy · 16/07/2019 10:32

Could he play with one head phone off his ear? Or at least turn the headset volume down. My OH can sometimes do this because he cant hear himself. I tell him if he dosent stop I'm taking the cables to the xbox 😂

serenoa · 16/07/2019 11:12

But literally EVERY time his voice goes over the acceptable level, hit him in the back of the head with a sock

...with sand in it.

Grrrrr...

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