I have a similar experience.
But I think it depends on where you live. Where I’m from, the games industry is almost non existent and as you said, most people see video games as a child’s play, timepass rather than a genuine entertainment medium/art form.
On the other hand, I believe game dev is more ‘recognized’ in the West due to the well established and mainstream game industry there. We have celebrities making appearances in video games, so that does give games some credibility in the average persons eyes.
And yes, people do not understand just how complex video games are. The problem with support from friends and family is that most of the time, they have no idea about Game Development so they don’t know how to support you. For them, its like an unknown concept that they don’t know how to react to.
In the end, you’ll just have to deal with what you’ve got. I’d say join online communities where you can.