AITA: I 21(f) love playing on my computer. It is a 2020 macbook air for reference. Currently, is a Saturday night at 11:30pm and I want to play a game I very much enjoy on my laptop in bed, and the game happens to be mahjong (on mahjong.gg). Now mahjong is a lot of clicking because of how the game is, just matching tiles. I have no other noises going on in my apartment at this time. No music, no tv, no talking, computer volume is muted, and both of my pets laying next to me quietly. Yet, my downstairs neighbors have been complaining about hearing the clicking of my mousepad. They also have been complaining about hearing the typing of my computer. They shouted through the ceiling “can you do this tomorrow” or “bro you’ve had all day why are you doing this now” and even "CAN YOU F-ING STOP." When they started pounding on the ceiling is when I finally gave in and closed my computer. Didn’t even finish my game of mahjong 🙁
I just want to know if I am the one being an asshole. I am just playing a game on my computer that I enjoy before bed. We do live in a really old three-story house turned into three separate units. I am right in the middle. I don’t know how sound carries through to their apartment, but maybe it is really loud? Is mahjong not a socially acceptable game to be playing at 11:00PM? I would love to hear your guys opinions on this because I genuinely don’t know. Thanks!
How thin are your floors for them to be able to hear your clicking and typing?
OP didn’t mention the three story house was 3 cardboard boxes stacked vertically 🤣🤣
I hope the rent is cheap at the very least.
Being a converted 3 story house it’s possible the heating or air intake vents are shared between floors / units so sound might be traveling through them.
NTA, there is no way they can hear your clicking in a way that bothers them that much. I’d assume that if they can, then there are plenty of things you can hear from them. Playing mahjong at 11:30 is not unreasonable, and there’s nothing you or the can do if your apartment doesn’t have any sound deadening
NTA Its not like you have loud music playing or thumping on the floor. Makes me wonder why they havent complained about your footsteps or every other noise that you make if they can hear the keyboard clicking.
If your downstairs neighbors can hear the clicking they must have Superman hearing. You’re in your own space minding your own business. You’re NTA here.
It’s not as though you’re doing a Riverdance impression at 2am.
If you want to be nice (and not because you need to) there are quiet-clicking mice. Logitech has a few. But honestly, your neighbors are free to purchase a pair of headphones if they’re unable to cope.
Tell them to turn a fucking fan on or something. You can’t control the thickness of your floors. NTA.
That’s ridiculous. What you do (within reason) in your own space is your business, and what you’re doing isn’t even disruptive. If you were running a 24 hour tap-dancing school from your apartment or breeding elephants or something, I’d see an issue, but clicking? NTA. However, you may want to consider changing your Mac settings so that you only have to tap the trackpad, not click, so that it no longer makes a noise. It could settle the issue, but don’t feel obligated to adjust your activities to accommodate your neighbors; they’re being unreasonable, not you. Have fun with your mahjong!
NTA. If they can hear the clicking then the issue is the horrendous building quality, not you.
This is unhinged. NTA. Your neighbors would loose their shit if they had someone playing league upstairs lol
How do your downstairs neighbors even hear your computer clicking?
This reminds me of when my parents told me about an argument they had. My dad would be in the basement playing a tower defense game, when my stepmom was in bed, on the second floor. She yelled at him for the noise, and he couldn’t believe she could hear him, because there were two floors between them. Turns out that the noise was coming up the heat vent. The vents were lined with metal, so the sound bounced up and was just audible enough to be annoying.
I experienced something similar, when I had an attic apt (third floor) and a vent connected me to the first floor kitchen of a different apt. Not only could I smell their cigarettes, but I could hear them talking. (but not well enough to eavesdrop. Just enough to be aggravating since it was my bedroom)
I’d check to see if there’s a vent near your bed that could be carrying the noise. If so, blocking the vent while your playing might solve the problem.
Vents and pipes are a good shout actually. I can’t think of any other way for the noise of typing or clicking on a mousepad to carry through to someone downstairs.
That being said, from what OP has told us, she is being completely reasonable with noise levels, and is entitled to quiet enjoyment of her home which she is doing. The neighbours needs to seriously find another solution if trackpad clicking is loud enough to keep them awake.