Dads of Anandtech: Do you still play video games?

[Attic]

I've got a 3 year old girl. I'm introducing her to the controller (currently PS DS4).

She likes to click the pad to make games go to the menu screen and back. She'll do this over and over and think it's a blast. I'm hoping she grows from that.

Right now i'm playing ICO with her. I tell her the story and she has a hand on the controller while I play with her in my lap. 15-20 minute sessions mostly.

Hoping we can play as she gets older, and i'm into more of the adventure story games for her and I.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Yes, I play both with the 12yo boy, we are currently playing Magica, and I play on my own games when I get the chance.

 

[Staples]

On a related question for dads, what are some games that kids can play where you have 1) unlimited lives 2) no time limit 3) no enemies that will kill you if you stand still for 10 minutes.

I have an Xbox 360 and the only games I have that fit this criteria are Lego Indiana Jones and 2 free roam car games. As I have figured out, there are not many games that let a child get used to the controller as most games will kill you if you stand still for 10 seconds.

 

[SMOGZINN]

On a related question for dads, what are some games that kids can play where you have 1) unlimited lives 2) no time limit 3) no enemies that will kill you if you stand still for 10 minutes.

I have an Xbox 360 and the only games I have that fit this criteria are Lego Indiana Jones and 2 free roam car games. As I have figured out, there are not many games that let a child get used to the controller as most games will kill you if you stand still for 10 seconds.

Well, you already hit on the lego games, there are a bunch of them and they are all pretty forgiving.

 

[Stringjam]

You could always play Skyrim with "god mode" enabled via the console command.

Great place for kids to walk around for days and see all kinds of neat stuff.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

My game time was significantly reduced when we had our daughter. Probably because we bought a house right around the same time so between those two, any free time went to vegging out. My daughter will be 6 next month, and we have a blast playing minecraft together, and she even plays test mode on BF4. BF4 is all I really have time to play now. It's a quick fix that I don't have to be engrossed over like an RPG. My daughter and I will occasionally play Mario Kart too.

I'm pretty happy with the amount of gaming I get though. It's not a priority for me anymore and I'm quite comfortable with it. Spending time with the family and watching my little girl is worth the tradeoff. And she's at the point that she's getting into it, so I don't have to watch the reality crap my wife watches lol

 

[Malladine]

I have a 6 year, 4 year and 7 month old - I still game. I'm required to watch an episode of something most nights with the wife but left to my own devices i'd usually much rather relax playing a game than watching anything on TV. I probably get 5-10 hours a week but it's not bad. I definitely have to choose when I play something that can't be paused or quit like Heroes of the Storm...normally get into those after everyone has gone to bed. Just have to watch out because staying up until 11 pm+ catches up with me quicker than it used to (i'm 35).

On the weekend I usually do some gaming (in between chores and playing) while the older 2 are watching a show on TV - they get 1-2 hours of that a day.

In response to someone else regarding fitness I try to make time for exercise at lunch during the week since I work very close to home.

 

[Homerboy]

On a related question for dads, what are some games that kids can play where you have 1) unlimited lives 2) no time limit 3) no enemies that will kill you if you stand still for 10 minutes.

I have an Xbox 360 and the only games I have that fit this criteria are Lego Indiana Jones and 2 free roam car games. As I have figured out, there are not many games that let a child get used to the controller as most games will kill you if you stand still for 10 seconds.

Toy Story 3 -- one of the best kid games of all times. Even if you don't care all that much for Disney (my kids don't) it still been one of their favorites. They will still, on (rare) occasion, fire it up and play together and they are 12 and 14 years old!

Oh and Minecraft. Always the Minecraft with these kids!!! (my 2 kids LOVE it)

 

[Anon_lawyer]

If you're a brand new dad, first of all congratulations!

Second, the first few months are crazy. Most brand new parents are tired all the time. After a while though, things calm down. Your child starts sleeping through the night (sooner or later, depending on how lucky you are) and you get on a more regular schedule. Once that happens, you'll probably find that most days you have some time at the end of the day, between their bedtime and your bedtime, to relax. You may find yourself gaming during this time, but you may also want to do something else. If you drop gaming, that's okay. Maybe you enjoy something else more. If not, you'll probably game less but enjoy it more as a way to relax.

I have found that I almost never game online anymore. I play a lot of games that are turn based, where I can save any time (as opposed to checkpoint based), basically games that I can start and stop playing anytime. I also tend to play easier difficulties than I used to. For example, the Long War mod to X-com, a few years ago I would have loved that. Don't have time, play the regular game on normal. Overall I game less, but I don't mind. Other, more important things have filled up a lot of my time. PC gaming is easy too. I can always pick something up online for $5 to give it a try.

You will also probably start to have ideas about fun things to do with your child gaming. My 2-year old daughter loves trains. So I show her Railroad Tycoon and she loves it. She also likes horses, so once in a while I'll show her riding around in Red Dead Redemption. Can't do anything else in that game because it's about as inappropriate for a child as it gets, but the horses are pretty. When she's older, I hope gaming becomes a hobby we can enjoy together.

 

[JTsyo]

Yup, once they go to bed, it's game time. Thought before they were 4, I had to stay away from online competitive games like DOTA and startcraft. Battlefield and such were fine since it didn't matter if you were AFK, also many SP games.

 

[bbhaag]

I lost interest in gaming after I got married and my kids were born. I try every once in awhile but it just doesn't hold my attention like it used to.

FWIW my kids are 13 and 8. So I'm not a new dad but I'm not an old dad either.

 

[BxgJ]

Yes I still play, obviously a bit less than before. It's a hobby I can have where I am still always present. After the kids have gone to bed I'll play for awhile, if anything comes up I'm right there.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

2 kids (6 and 3). When they were first born I stopped playing games for a while. Was too tired. Now I game a bit at night. About the same as before. Helps me wind down. Also helps that my son is into video games and is starting to get to the point where playing two player games are fun with him.

 

[BroHamBone]

3 kiddos, all girls. 3wks, 1yr, and 3yr. I game when i get the chance during the week, late night of course. Majority of my weeknight is spent with my wife watching TV. I dedicated Saturday nights a "Game Night" to the extent of not being bothered by anyone. So i get a good 4 hours give or take.

As far as sleep, ive worked awkward shifts when i was in the military so the lack of sleep is something im capable of handling when the morning comes.

In the end, ill be gaming until i lose my eyesight or cant click a mouse/keyboard. Hopefully by then, everythinh will be VR mind controlled!

 

[homebrew2ny]

I have a 4 year old daughter and my gaming came to an almost complete halt since she was born. This is not to say i do not have the time anymore but instead I much rather be doing family things than gaming given the option. Still though I equip myself with gaming paraphernalia such as xb1, ps4, gaming machine... I guess its easier to bypass the need for gaming than it is to give up the need for gaming machines.

I do wish the xb1 would produce some kid friendly games utilizing the kinect. Seems such a wasted opportunity.

 

[Evilviking]

My kids are 13 and 8 months old. I rarely have the time let alone the energy to game. But I still do when I can. I still upgrade my pc so I have the best experience possible when I do game. (I also enjoy upgrading)

 

[Murloc]

On a related question for dads, what are some games that kids can play where you have 1) unlimited lives 2) no time limit 3) no enemies that will kill you if you stand still for 10 minutes.

I have an Xbox 360 and the only games I have that fit this criteria are Lego Indiana Jones and 2 free roam car games. As I have figured out, there are not many games that let a child get used to the controller as most games will kill you if you stand still for 10 seconds.

Minecraft. IIRC, you can set up a server and put it in creative/no-zombie mode, or give god/creative mode to players (although after 10 minutes you might be surrounded by zombies, but you can fly away).
I don't know how you can set up servers for the xbox version of the game though.

Studies and dx10 card were enough to kill gaming for me... I nowadays only play some casual call of duty on the weekends. I can't be bothered with RPGs anymore, just FPSs on easy mode.

 

[ultimatebob]

I still have a Radeon 6870 in my gaming rig because I'm too busy chasing around my two year old to play actual games on it.

My aging gaming PC does a fantastic job playing Peppa Pig videos on YouTube at 1080p, though

 

[gradoman]

It might get better, lol. You might find time to game. Heck, the kid might out-game you. My 8 year old enjoys the Lego games and I even allowed her to play DA: I until she got a horse to roam around on. Yes, terrible dad, lol.

Since the birth of my 2nd (~2 months old now), I haven't had much time, but I do squeeze in some Witcher 3 late, late and end up feeling like a wreck later on in the day. Haven't felt so exhausted since the first time around, but eh, when the baby laughs and smiles, not being able or even wanting to game doesn't seem so bad.

 

[NAC]

My kids are 10 and 12. Gaming has fluctuated for me for a while. I would play say a few hours a week for a couple months, and then stop for several months, and then repeat. But I don't think I've gamed at all for a couple years now (except from rare Wii games with them). It is partially because I just don't enjoy them as much as I used to, and because there are other things I enjoy more. For example: I want to spend time with them and my wife. And I want to do productive things like home videos and photography. I want to learn the guitar. So many other things.

All that being said, I am getting the itch, I think I may get a new GPU and give some games a go next year.

 

[PC_]

barely, would like to, but barely get 2-5 hours a month

 

[ritditditdidoo]

I play a lot of MMORPG's and some of them have a lot of families playing together. By some I mean mostly EverQuest and Vanguard, I saw Father, Son, Daughter, Wife, doing some serious dungeon runs and lots of just Father Son combos.

I don't have kids but remember being one, highly recommend getting them started on Adventure Games. Monkey Island series, Sam and Max Hits the Road, etc. Also some of the 90's games were a great place to learn certain game types. For example if you can get dosbox working or buy from GoG, you can play Eye of the Beholder 2 which teaches you a lot about how to play RPG's and isn't too hard to play. This is all stuff for slightly older kids though. I think at <10 I was just playing stuff like Tetris and racing games.

 

[AgentUnknown]

I am 37. I have 1 kid and one on the way. I don't have as much time to play. But I picked up hearthstone. I have a CPS2 SF2 cab that is collecting dust. PS4 collects dust.

 

[ritditditdidoo]

I have an 8 year old niece who I play games with when she comes here. I have a small PC by the TV which can't play modern games, but it is great for anything else. She reallllly loves Simpsons Hit & Run. I don't think it is very 'wholesome' her driving around smashing into stuff and running people over, but it presents it in a fun enough way that I don't think it matters. She sometimes attempts missions but she mostly just likes driving around exploring the city and collecting the coins.

I also have some flying games which she plays for hours, and a puzzle game she loves called The Wizard's Pen. Highly recommend that one. I tried to get her playing old games that I grew up with but she doesn't seem interested. Also Minecraft obviously but she plays that at home so likes playing different things when she visits me.

 

[linthat22]

On a related question for dads, what are some games that kids can play where you have 1) unlimited lives 2) no time limit 3) no enemies that will kill you if you stand still for 10 minutes.

I have an Xbox 360 and the only games I have that fit this criteria are Lego Indiana Jones and 2 free roam car games. As I have figured out, there are not many games that let a child get used to the controller as most games will kill you if you stand still for 10 seconds.

No joke, Atari 2600