We all have something that we avidly enjoy, and when something new is released in that subject, like the latest book or video game in a series, we’re quick to celebrate.
So much so, some people will plan days, weekends, or weeks to dedicate to their passion, agreed the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit.
That was exactly what Redditor throwaway193749372 had done when he discovered the latest ‘Legend of Zelda’ game was dropping on Mother’s Day weekend.
But when his coworkers asked him to give up his time off so they could spend time with family for the holiday, the Original Poster (OP) questioned why their time off was more important than his.
He asked the sub:
“AITA for not giving my coworker my day off because I want to play a video game?”
The OP was stoked for the release of the latest game in his favorite series.
“Anyone in the video game world knows that next week, the new ‘Legend of Zelda’ game comes out after more than five years of waiting.”
“I’m a massive fan. When the release date was revealed, I immediately requested PTO (Personal Time Off) for that date as I plan on staying home that day and enjoying the new game.”
The date the OP requested off turned out to be an important date at the company.
“What I didn’t realize was that the day I asked off for is the Friday before Mother’s Day.”
“My company has had to limit the requests off for that date now as many people have been asking off for it.”
A coworker approached the OP about his weekend plans.
“I had previously told some of my co-workers I was planning on staying home to play the game, and I guess word got around, because one of my other coworkers asked me after work to give her my PTO so she can travel for Mother’s Day.”
“I explained to her that I requested this day off months ago for a specific reason and I really wasn’t willing to change it.”
“She got pretty upset with me, claiming I care more about video games than family and whatnot.”
The OP stood firm in his decision.
“I honestly don’t really care about her not being able to travel, because I feel like if this was an important date, then you would have requested off early like I did.”
“I firmly told her no, but she told some of my other co-workers and they are p**sed at me and calling me an a**hole for not giving up the date.”
“AITA?”
Fellow Redditors weighed in:
- NTA: Not the A**hole
- YTA: You’re the A**hole
- ESH: Everybody Sucks Here
- NAH: No A**holes Here
Some pointed out the OP’s time was just as valuable as a coworker’s with family.
“NTA!!!! The same goes for any other holiday. I’m childfree by choice and people always seem to think that means I should be the one working holidays.”
“It doesn’t matter if the reason you have the day off is for a video game! It’s your day off, enjoy it!!!” – itsathrowawayduhhhhhh
“Birthday week. Mother’s Day week… people need to calm down.”
“NTA. Mother’s Day has been on the calendar all year… h**l, they could have figured out when Mother’s Day 2023 was last year. Enjoy the game.” – Illustrious_Leg_2537
“NTA – It’s not like Mother’s Day is a surprise or random event. Both employees had advance knowledge of what they wanted to do on that day, but only one requested the time off. It does not matter what either of them wants to do on their day off, it’s literally nobody’s business to know.” – KaijuAlert
“NTA.”
“It doesn’t matter why you want the day off. The bottom line is that you requested this long ago, and it was approved.”
“As for the coworker that wants to travel for Mother’s Day, last I checked this has been an annual holiday for over 100 years and you can google future dates for years to some. If this coworker really wanted the Friday off before Mother’s Day, she could have easily requested it in a timely manner.”
“Her lack of planning is not your problem. Enjoy your day!” – ComputerCrafty4781
“This exact thing happened to me! ‘Skyrim’ came out and I used an entire week of vacation to play it. (Excessive, I know…)”
“I made the mistake of telling people that and my supervisor tried to get me to cut it down. Even though it was requested months ago and was already approved and work was covered, everyone thought it was a silly reason to not be there.”
“Someone else wanted that time off for another reason so they asked again. I said no.”
“Anyway, I enjoyed my week. When I came back, people were pissy for about two or three days but eventually moved on. The lesson is, however, don’t tell people why you are taking YOUR TIME OFF! It sounds silly but you are just opening yourself up to criticism.”
“There are people who actually believe your time off is open to debate and what’s important to you may not be important to them. Enjoy the game, they can either plan accordingly or adjust their schedule. It isn’t the end of the world. And next time you have an important release date, say you have an important appointment and leave it at that.”
“NTA.” – Goodnightmoon0100
“NTA. Mother’s Day is listed on a calendar every year even though the actual date may vary. Poor planning on their part does not equal an emergency on yours. You planned. You deserve it, and it doesn’t matter why you booked it.”
“I’ve booked vacation around video game releases and it’s amazing. Enjoy your time off and your game!” – paisley_life
“NTA. Be blunt, your videogames are more important than your coworker, and that’s it.”
“Or, be petty as I would:”
“‘Clearly, you don’t care about your mom, you would have requested the day months ahead of time, just because you don’t value your mom enough to set up the time off in time doesn’t mean I should give up my day.'” – alanius4
“I would have told her I care more about my family than videogames, but your family, not so much. Her family is not your responsibility. She should have planned better. NTA.” – crazycatlady0329
But others felt the OP could have been more considerate of the needs of his coworkers.
“I keep forgetting that Americans have a different Mother’s Day, but anyway.”
“I’ll take the downvote and say YTA but not really. I’m very excited for ‘Tears of the Kingdom’ too but you don’t need the Friday off as well and you’d be doing her a kindness.” – DSQ
“YTA. You sound like a child. You can wait another day to play the game after work.” – Random-2003
“I say YTA. Mother’s Day comes once a year and your game (a ‘Zelda’ fan also) WILL still be there. Do you have to give up the day? Well no, but your callous attitude is what makes you think you are an AH and pretty selfish at that.”
“Should she have requested the day off sooner? Probably but some people don’t start planning Mother’s Day months in advance. In fact, I looked at a calendar and said two weeks til Mother’s Day and ran out to shop so I wouldn’t be last minute.”
“It isn’t like she is asking before the said date and needs to travel to see her mother so it’s not an outrageous request.” – No-Yogurtcloset-8851
“ESH.”
“I don’t think it matters whether YTA or not, but what you’ve done is set yourself up for a very miserable work experience for a while. Nobody is going to do you any favors, ever.”
“You’re going to be frozen out of convos, not invited to stuff, etc. Is that fair? Probably not. And maybe you don’t care, or you’re leaving soon, and that’s all gravy, but really, this just comes across as shortsighted to me.”
“You can play ‘Zelda’ on your next day off, and the history of game launches is full of tales of people who took the day off and then the launch was a technical mess and couldn’t play at all, so I’m not sure the crappy treatment you’re in for is worth the upside of maybe playing ‘Zelda’ a few hours earlier than you otherwise could.” – NandoDeColonoscopy
“YTA. Just play your game the next day.”
“Are you obligated to give her your day? No. You’re still an a**hole for not being willing to inconvenience yourself so someone can spend time with their family.” – oldgold06
“YTA. You asked for that day in advance and you have the right to have it.”
“However, we all know this isn’t a game you will finish in a day. You will play this game for months, including the release day after working hours and the following weekend.”
“Traveling to see family doesn’t happen often and can’t be switched since it’s not only about seeing your mother but also brothers and other family members who may travel to join on that specific occasion.” – Mysterious-Ant-Bee
“As an avid gamer myself, I’m gonna have to go with YTA for this one…”
“While you’re not under ANY obligation, your coworker wants to visit actual family on said holiday…”
“Yes, she should’ve requested it earlier, but we don’t know how swarmed they are or the relationship between them and their mom. It could’ve been a great gesture to be a bigger person in that situation, but instead, it sounds like you stained your reputation with said coworker and others due to lack of empathy.”
“If you waited for X amount of days/months/years for the release of a game, you can easily wait an extra day or two to play it on a day off… I’ve had plenty of times where the release of a new game or DLC comes out, but something comes up that takes a bigger priority, you’ll live by missing out on an extra day or two.” – FactsThatIOffend_
“YTA. I’ve played every ‘Zelda’ game on the main consoles since the original, and I’m waiting for ‘Tears of the Kingdom’ as well, so I understand what the release means, but it is so much easier to reschedule a video game than it is a family visit for a holiday.”
“You can start playing on Saturday instead of Friday (or realistically, just start after work on Friday) and you’ll have the exact same experience. If you really want to binge the game for three days straight, you can just take Monday off.” – aetius476
The subReddit could understand how excited the OP was about the game release, but they were divided on how he had handled the situation.
Some agreed with him that he had the foresight to request the time off for the game when his coworkers knew about the holiday and could have done the same.
Others felt a little kindness could have gone a long way, and at the end of the day, the coworker being unable to spend time with their family was likely more inconvenienced than the OP, who would only have to wait a few extra hours to begin his gaming session.