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The Video Game Generation Grows Up
MarchingAnts writes "The Gaming Generation: Once A Gamer, Always A Gamer has interviews with Gabe from Penny Arcade, best-selling science-fiction author John Scalzi, veteran games journalist and founder of gamerdad.com Andrew Bub, futurologist Dr. Michael Zey, and sociologist Dr. Steve Jones commenting on the phenomena of how video gamers are coping with balancing their hobby with marriages, careers, and how video games might affect families in the future. 'Mike Krahulik, better known to his legions of fans as Gabe, one-half of the team behind the gaming webcomic Penny Arcade, says that time is the biggest challenge in blending gaming and parenthood. "You just don't have as much time for gaming," he says, "when you're getting up every 30 minutes to change diapers and get thrown up"'"
Thatsa a stronga baby!
They have to frag me to get their tea.
:D )
If I win the tournament they go hungry.
(Only joking, though tonight I was teaching my youngest how to type his name
liqbase
While you don't have as much time for gaming, it is still more convenient than the more...traditional ways of entertaining one self.
If I have a kid, and want to go see a movie, go to the restaurant, etc, I either need to find a baby friendly place, or find a baby sitter. Both can cost me extra (if you have a kid and go to the restaurant, well you have to feed the darn thing...).
If, instead, i'm playing an online game with my friends, the only thing I need to be worried about, is that I play a game that can be paused (let say Warcraft III), or a game where I can go away for a few minute at any given time (these are harder to find but still). Or even better, I can simply play solo. All around, its a form of entertainment that has tens of thousands of hours worth of amusement, and is within reach of the kids: going back to take care of diapers is only a hit of the pause button away.
Definately more convenient than, let say, going to a bar and coming back home drunk, then having to take care of the kid once the baby sitter is gone.
The problem I have is that most games these days seem to be targeted at kids and lack real depth. Games such as GTA may have R-ratings, but I doubt that many older gamers find such titles appealing.
My wife and I play MMO's for this very reason. We only play when our son (soon-to-be 2 sons) are in bed. It's much cheaper than a bar/dinner and a movie and its a lot of fun playing together. And it is something progressive we can come back to again and again ... but yea,I used to play (Everquest) hardcore in college, it was a transition once that kid comes along to playing less and just at night and naptime on the weekends ...
When I was a kid, there was a Walt Disney movie about a car nut who baby cries sounded like a car horn, crashes the classroom car simulator, and finds love in the back seat of the car. They need to update that movie with a baby born with a gamepad in hand, who crashes the classroom game design computer, and finds love while testing video games.
"You just don't have as much time for gaming," he says, "when you're getting up every 30 minutes to change diapers and get thrown up"'"
There are very simple solutions to this:
Don't change the diapers. They'll get potty trained faster that way.
Also, don't let your kids throw you up, it hurts. Teach them some manners.
Adidas To Bring Back Sneakernet
There's just so much more to life (YMMV).
Actually, some of the most fun times that I have with my daughter are the multi-hour sessions playing head-to-head games like Mario Kart 64 or Diddy Kong Racing on the old Nintendo 64. Many times my wife joins in, particularly with Mario Kart 64, and we'll play together for hours on end. Once I get the Wii hooked up, I expect we'll all spend a lot more time playing Wii Sports as well. (I'm going to have to reinforce that ol' Wiimote strap for my daughter. That handcuff mod might do nicely.)
"More to life" doesn't have to mean "outside" or "at the park".
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I initially wrote a screed to end all screeds when I read this. To the tune of Put down the controller and pick up your freeking son. Then I realized that I do stuff like exercise that takes the place of time that I could spend with my kids. But I spend 80% of my waking, non-work, before-their-bedtime time with my kids, easily. I hope, hope, hope that this (dad gaming, son just kinda watching) situation is kept to a minimum.
Just my nosy parenting advice for the day.
Simple Unexpected Concrete Credible Emotional Stories
I don't think anyone can win, but there are a few level 60 mages around.
Watch out in the dark places, there may be a grue.
And don't get caught by the goatse troll, your eyes will never forgive you.
liqbase
By the time those are complete, it's often too late, or I'm too tired, to fire up a game.
I miss gaming. I used to love strategy and role playing games. But the small snippets of time I now get make it almost impossible to maintain continuity in anything deeper than driving games or 3D shooters. It's like trying to watch a movie in 10 minute per day chunks. It loses something.
"I have a 2 year old and a newborn at home."
I'm about 6 months ahead of you with a 2 1/2 year old and a 6 month old at home. At your stage, I didn't play any games and barely watched TV. Now that we get proper sleep again, my wife or I may play a video game every now and then. I've been playing X-Men Legends lately and she's been playing Paper Mario. While one of us is playing, the other plays with/cares for the kids. When you have kids young enough to need constant attention, it's nice to have a break every once and a while and playing video games is a good way to take that break.
Both of the games I've picked up recently (X-Men Legends and Paper Mario) have frequent save points. That has really led to us playing more often since we can play for as long as we want (in 10-15 minute increments).
Uh, this is clearly time spent with his kids, and we don't know anything about the quality of said time without observing him.
Save your reactionary attitude for your own household.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I have two-year old twins, so when I'm on the PC they insist on sitting on my lap, mashing the keyboard and moving the mouse around. Try playing an RPG or an FPS with all that going on; I tried doing that once (Baldur's Gate 2, I think) and they wound up erasing a couple of my saved games. Much teeth-gnashing there, but I couldn't blame the kids--it's all on me.
It's a nice bonding experience with them, though, so now I just click on the Disney Channel site and let them have a go. Either that or I fire up Bookworm Adventures--they like the toon-ish graphics. I'm hoping they pick up some new words as well.
The only winning move is not to play.
/. Loser
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Think of it as a respawn.
I started programming when I was 8. My daughter will probably start sooner than that.
She can use a mouse. She can play several of the Curious George games on PBS kids - without assistance. (We have to navigate there, but she can select games from the list and choose the ones she likes the best.)
Oh, she's 2.
Her younger brother will also learn how to use a computer. Right now he's working on "crawling".
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ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
He's successfully integrating his work with his homelife. Although you know he enjoys it greatly, Mike is like millions of other parents whose work comes home with them and their kids get interested. I had a physics Prof who would tell us about her child that would ask questions about the papers she was working on, and she'd try to give the best explanation she could and let her child help sort papers.
Yah, if he was a normal Joe working 9-5 and coming home ploping on the couch and having the son just watch, I'd a bit concerned about that. But this way he gets to spend time with his son while doing work related gaming.
I'd say more, but my guild is raiding.
I agree. I knew a /.-esque nerd whose wife would do anything to get his attention away from whatever Medal of Honor or GTA game he had just purchased. She would walk by him naked, telling him it was bedtime, and he'd ignore her completely. Made me wonder - she was stacked.
"Tu fui, ego eris" - Virgil
Sadly, when the kids are in bed is the best time to do the dishes, the laundry, pay the bills, clean the house, or most of the other daily chores that need to be done.
Uh...that is what I have a wife for.
We're expecting our first child this March, and this is a topic I have been thinking about recently. I gave up gaming completely (well save for the odd arcade game at the beach in the summer) about twelve years back (after a lifetimes work) - Girlfriend, college, money, 'too old for it' etc.. I got back into it a couple of years back at an age where I finally am fortunate enough to indulge myself a little bit. But now I can't help but think those 4 hour sessions (it's enough for me) of 'Gears of War' and the like are slowly drawing to a close... Guess I'll have to wait until Mini-Me can frag like his/her Daddy... Could be a long wait..