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The Video Game Generation Grows Up

Posted by CmdrTaco on

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"'"

18 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. There is the other side of the coin, though. by Shados · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

    1. Re:There is the other side of the coin, though. by Dadoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      the only thing I need to be worried about, is that I play a game that can be paused

      I've discovered it's much easier to play games where it's possible to play just a few minutes at a time. I can't even start a game like Unreal, or Civilization, or Sim City, anymore. Sure you can pause them or, in the case of turn-based games, walk away for a short while, but when kids are involved, that "short while" invariably becomes a long while. By that time, you've completely forgotten what you were doing and the game is ruined.

      Nowadays, it's games like Stinkoman and Super Monkey Ball, for me.

      --
      Sit, Ubuntu, sit. Good dog.
    2. Re:There is the other side of the coin, though. by Tackhead · · Score: 4, Funny
      > 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 you'd spent more time... entertaining yourself more traditionally, you wouldn't have kids, and you'd still have time for gaming.

      > 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:

      Dude, I was about to say you were getting it, but that last bit is just so terribly, terribly, wrong :)

    3. Re:There is the other side of the coin, though. by shemnon · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You know when I play my video games? Between he time I start putting my toddler to bed and when he actually goes to sleep. So now a days I am limited to my Nintendo DS. When I hear him get up I can quickly click it closed (especially since most of the newer games auto pause when the clamshell is closed) and go put him back down. This takes up to a half hour or so.

      The only real problem is if he gets a hold of it. I either need to wait for two hours when he finally drops it (he doesn't play the games, just takes the pen out and tries to scribble ont he top screen) or I have to bear two hours of him screaming "GAME GAME GAAAAAMMMEEE!!!" when I take it away from him. And I can jsut forget about playing it in front of him. That means it's at least a year or so before I can buy the Wii and put it somewhere other than the closet.

      The joys of parenthood.

      --
      --Shemnon
    4. Re:There is the other side of the coin, though. by Senobyzal · · Score: 5, Interesting
      As someone who is into roleplaying games, I find I actually get to play more due to technology helping out. I had to drop out of a few groups because I didn't have as much time as an adult for 8-hour Saturday sessions anymore. My last group had something like 10 players but it was very rare that more than 5 would make it to any given session, due to RL commitments. Plus the game site was a 40 minute drive from my house. I finally had to quit because I was missing too many sessions.

      But since Neverwinter Nights came out, I've been able to run two long campaigns, one of which started in August 2002, the other in September 2003. Both are still going. Using the matchmaking/scheduling site Neverwinter Connections, I was able to find players for both games, each of which plays two hours a week. One of them I run early on Sundays, while my wife is still asleep. While it has some disadvantages over tabletop gaming, my campaigns have now lasted longer than any tabletop RPG I've played. In my experience, most roleplaying campaigns die out due to scheduling issues. In this case, technology has made it easier to run a long campaign.

  2. Word by everphilski · · Score: 3, Insightful

    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 ...

  3. Re:Walt Disney... by dr_dank · · Score: 5, Funny

    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.

    Times like this I wish Slashdot had a +1 - Batshit insane Disney reference moderation.

    --
    Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
  4. This is all very simple by travdaddy · · Score: 3, Funny

    "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
  5. Re:Cold Turkey by WidescreenFreak · · Score: 3, Interesting

    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".

    --
    The Overrated mod is for reversing inappropriate, positive mods, not for voicing disagreement with a post.
  6. Re:If /. is a game... by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 3, Funny

    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 :: faster than paper
  7. Re:it's called... by Cheap+Imitation · · Score: 4, Insightful
    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.

    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.

  8. Re:Rated R for Retarded by HappySqurriel · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This is actually one of the more interesting things I noticed with the Wii ...

    I, and most of the gamers I know who are between 25-40, really wanted to get a Wii as early as I could; my Sister-in-Law's nephew (14) and most young teenage boys (13-17) say that the Wii is "Too Kiddie". It seems to me that, in general, what teenagers (and teenagers at heart) think of as 'Mature' most adults think of as immature.

  9. Re:Cold Turkey by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful
    I hope, hope, hope that this (dad gaming, son just kinda watching) situation is kept to a minimum.

    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.'"
  10. Re:If /. is a game... by flink · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The only winning move is not to play.

    - /. Loser

  11. Re:My kids learnt fast by bitt3n · · Score: 3, Funny
    They have to frag me to get their tea.
    I hope your kid isn't named Oedipus, because you may be giving him ideas...
    --
    how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
  12. Re:My kids learnt fast by vimh42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yeah. Gaming is tougher as I get older. It used to be I just rocked her to sleep while playing Quake3 or UT or something. Now it goes something like this.

    Me: "Heals, I need a heal!"
    Daughter: "Daddy! I'm scared!"
    Me: "You're not even getting hit. Just heal me!"

    I'm losing my independence.

  13. Re:get thrown up? by geekoid · · Score: 5, Insightful

    hahaha... yeah make her stay up all night while you sleep, and then deal with it all day while you work.

    Man, please never , ever, copulate.
    .

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  14. Re:Rated R for Retarded by McFadden · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's the same with everything. I teach high school kids but I used to teach adult education. The games and fun activities I used in adult ed. to brighten up the classes, the kids hate because they say they're too childish. But the adults used to love 'em.

    I've tried explaining to my kids before that they're being even more childish by having tantrums about being 'grown up' but it's a waste of time.