Dads of Anandtech: Do you still play video games?

[Zeze]

All my life I played video games.

I got married, I still played video games- nothing significantly changed.

Then I became a dad. Holy hell, that turned my life upside down.

I'm exhausted 90% of the time. When I do get a break, playing games is the last thing I want. I'd rather watch TV.

I used to play DOTA pretty intensely (4.5K). Now even during free time, the last thing I want to do is play such an intense game (which require no breaks). I even lost interest in Hearthstone- I just can't keep up with the ever evolving meta.

Learning a new game feels more like a chore than a fun discovery. Therefore most RPGs turn me right off, a genre I used to LOVE. I just can't be bothered with it.

I just watch Netflix in my down time. Or play a very easy mindless pick up game like GTA 5 or indie styles like The Binding of Isaac.

Does this get better? I think video gaming just might be end for me. As kid(s) grow up, I'd rather spend time with them or sleep.

 

[Kneedragger]

Man I'm in the same boat as you. My first baby is almost 8 months old. Now.. She goes to bed at 7pm but I'm so burned out that I lose motivation to play. I even make coffee in the evening to stay up so I can play but it's been hit and miss with keeping me up. My work alarm goes off at 4:45am every day so I have long days..

She only naps about max an hour here and there. I'm really hoping her naps get longer because I think that would help with gaming.

 

[Homerboy]

Kids are 12 and 14

I still play occasionally -- certainly not like I used to.

But now I get to play with my kids too. Legos games when they were younger. Sports games. Even GTA-V now with my son.

I don't nearly put in the hours like I used to. I think that has to do with not only having kids, but just getting older too. I play a couple of key games and that's about it. Maybe an hour a day or so on average.

You learn not to get caught up in the minutia of the games (as you don't have time) and just enjoy them for what they are. I recently started up Path of Exile and enjoy the game a ton, but don't get wrapped up into making "THE ULTIMATE BUILD!!!"

Long story short is your gaming will still be there... just different. And it's a BLAST playing with your kids!

 

[Homerboy]

What you guys are learning isn't specifically about your gaming habits that change when you have kids, but your whole life changes. Not for worse or anything, just things change... and they should! You have a person to raise! It's not easy, but it is infinitely more rewarding then killing Bowser

 

[DeadFred]

Like Homerboy said, when they get older and start gaming so will you. I played all the Lego games with my son and now that he's 12 we team up and play BF4 a lot. We communicate well and are a force to be reckoned with in an attack helo, I pilot and he's my gunner. He always wants to get in there and help with new PC builds and upgrades, good times!

 

[K7SN]

Neither a dad or a granddad but old enough to be both. My life wasn't exposed to video games until the 70's and the original adventure on a DEC. I was about 30 then and more interested in the Fortran code than the game. I was stuck programming on a Cyber mainframe and bored I discovered that Adventure, now called the original adventure, was ported to that mainframe; I played it way to much; a feature was you could disconnect by cursing so if you typed 'effh the troll' all quickly obtainable evidence or your timewasting went away. There was a log but nobody ever checked except for crashes and it was kept on one of two tape disks that once a week, the old one was erased and then used for the next week so if anyone discovered your timewasting, an alibi like 'I just found this' was sufficient. I miss those days when some afternoons I played games instead of doing the research work I was supposed to be doing.

I've written more old-time video games than I have played unless you count, which I don't, timewasters like solitaire and other generic Microshaft games. By old-time I mean DOS, Apple, 6502 based computers where graphics were very limited. Several years ago some of my younger friends got in to this World of War and if I had had the time I would joined them but frankly I's rather program than play most of the time.

OP - hope that gives one old man's perspective.

 

[gothamhunter]

Eventually you can play video games together

 

[nakedfrog]

Given that my kids are twelve and nineteen, I may not be your target audience for this question. But there were definitely times where my gaming dipped to nearly nothing for months at a time.

 

[Homerboy]

Like Homerboy said, when they get older and start gaming so will you. I played all the Lego games with my son and now that he's 12 we team up and play BF4 a lot. We communicate well and are a force to be reckoned with in an attack helo, I pilot and he's my gunner. He always wants to get in there and help with new PC builds and upgrades, good times!

I beg and plead my son to play TF2 with me -- no go. Though he does want to play GTA with me, but that will require a few upgrades to my PC...

I miss the Lego games together. That was just a blast trying to find all the little secrets and such. Sports games were fun... then he started to beat me and I quit

 

[waffleironhead]

When the kids were really small, they used to take naps on my shoulder. I tried playing intense shooters, while wearing headphones or with no sound at all, but they always woke up probably because of my heartbeat increasing so much. They were quite ok with browser games. Our ATOT games of ikariam and grepolis were very nap time approved. Now, I just dont have the time or interest. Ive got a lot of games waiting on steam, but have no desire to get into them.

 

[BurnItDwn]

My brother from another mother Brad has 4 kids, and he sometimes plays Minecraft or Wii games with his kids. That said, he doesn't game much.

 

[Ketchup]

Yeah, you game less. Especially when they are little. As they grow up, the Lego games are great. And you can play more with them as the grow up. I laugh at my little girl because all the Strawberry Stortcake and My Little Pony games she wants won't fit on her tablet at one time.

Do things change? You bet. Is it worth it? Absolutely!

 

[CPA]

Sure do.

 

[StinkyPinky]

Yes I still do. My kids are 3 and 7.

Do I game less? Of course, but I still usually do 1-2 hours a night.

 

[local]

I have twin 2 year old daughters with a third on the way. I game every single day once they go to bed. I was rough at first but that only lasted a month or two.

 

[tHa ShIzNiT]

I have a 10 year old. I play games as much as I can but my body has been deteriorating physically due to sitting at a desk all day for my job, so I am basically physically unable to play. I would play a helluva lot more if I could though. I'm hoping some type of scientific breakthrough will help me to play more in the future.

In my mind, I envision some type of zero gravity gaming setup where it doesn't hurt my neck and back so much.

 

[Staples]

As I get older, I am finding them less appealing. Son is three and wild. He will probably burn the house down if I don't constantly watch him. I am the same in that I don't have the patients to learn new games. Games are so overly complex now days and the more buttons they put on controllers, the more stuff developers will find to do with them. I used to love RTS games but now I can't be bothered with the time to learn them. Some of the best games I have played in recent years have been tower defense games. Same strategy bit they don't take a long time to learn.

 

[Stringjam]

I have a little girl due in 2 weeks.....I'm gaming as much as I can right now.

 

[Dannar26]

Definitely not. I have a 5, 3, and a .25 year old. Most of the time I'm tired or doing other things.

I still game though, just rarely during the week. It's mostly a weekend night sort of thing.

I'll be super pumped when they get old enough to Co op with me...

 

[KentState]

Was somewhat motivated to game tonight, but after giving my daughter a bath and help putting her to bed, I ended up watching Dateline and browsing the internet. I usually get up very early on Saturday and Sunday and play.

 

[Anomaly1964]

I still game A LOT but not as much as my son. He calls me out on watching more TV than gaming now but I go through periods where I get sucked in. One of my greatest memories is having him sit in my lap and pound F3 for me when I played SWG...

 

[Markbnj]

Yes, I still play games. Was playing BF4, now currently attempting to finish FONV for the third time, and occasionally messing about in FSX.

 

[rivethead]

Yes, but my gaming time is way down. I'm lucky, lucky I tell ya, to get one hour a night.

That's life.

But I enjoy the hour I do get and have little patience now for crap games. I'm much more selective in what I choose to play.

Basically, I just repeated what Homerboy said above......

 

[PricklyPete]

Yes. Just about once a week I get on xbox live with some old friends. Play for a few hours. FIFA or BF4. That is one night a week and after the kiddos are asleep...that's all the time I care to devote to it given my responsibilities and other interests.

 

[Jeraden]

I have 3 kids, aged between 14 and 4. I go through phases. I will say that for the most part I've dropped epic/large-scale games -- like most RPGs. I just don't have the time to devote to them. Or I get to play them so infrequently that I often forget what I was even working on/questing towards the last time I played. So a lot more shorter focused games where you can pick it up for a bit and play, but you don't necessarily need to devote a lot of time to. The Wii U is great for that, and by far our favorite/most used console by the whole family. A lot of the time is spent playing the same games the kids do too.