Don't misunderstand - he wants ALL the bro games - CoD, Assassin's Creed, Red Dead Redemption, and Halo. He WANTS them. He also wants Harry Potter. He's 12, so he can't buy ANY of those games except Harry Potter because they are rated M. I figured he could save for the HP game, and since my mom doesn't want to buy him a rated M game, his cool sister can. It has nothing to do with conforming and everything to do with not being left out (but wanting to play too). I experienced this a good amount as a child when my parents couldn't afford a lot of things my friends had. He also wants an airsoft gun (which ain't gonna happen). He has an Xbox (as well as a PSP and DS Lite), just not Xbox live as it's $50 and he's young. He'd be happy about the Xbox live, but wouldn't really have anything to do with it if he doesn't have any games he can play online with friends - that's where I come in with my game.

What must also be remembered here is that maybe HE's the one expecting his FRIENDS to conform. Who knows, really? He's popular and influential in his friends group, but he's not aggressive. While I don't find it likely, I DO know he likes games like Wrestling, NFL Blitz, etc. (my parents experienced issues when he started acting aggressively verbally after playing too much blitz, which is why my mom was naysaying a new game. I personally think he knows better now).