How can you be a father and still play video games?

[Ludwitch]

I recently became the father of a beautiful daughter. Now I am on paternity leave and take care of her while my wife is continuing to study medicine at the university.
However, I refuse to become an "adult" and still play a lot of video games. Since I have to carry my daughter in my arms a lot of the time, I resort to playing games that require only one hand for mouse control and no keyboard and games that can be paused at any time. Lately that have been Hearthstone (from Blizzard, no pause), Craft the World (to be found on steam) and Civ V BNW. Also some XCOM: Enemy Within with the Long War mod, but it is not ideal (plays more smoothly with keyboard shortcuts).

How much time do you spend playing and how do you manage the responsibility for your children? What game do you play? I am eager to hear new ideas for one-hand-only pause-at-any-time games. How do you get in touch with other parents that are not yet "adults"?

 

[gay_Aleks]

How old is your daughter?

 

[illram]

Basically when my kid is asleep is the only "free" time I have. And that is sometimes filled up with other things that need to get done, so time for video games is significantly diminished as a dad. I basically have about 2 or 3 hours of "free time" a day after she goes to bed, depending on what else needs to get done and how late I am willing to stay up. And sometimes my wife even has the gall to say I should hang out with her and not play video games... the nerve!

There was one time my daughter fell asleep in an Ergo on me and I played Skyrim, but I never tried that again.

The days of the sustained multi-hour gaming marathons are over for me though. Probably for the best anyway.

 

[warpus]

I am pretty sure you can play Train Fever with one hand, but don't quote me on that.

I also think something needs to be clarified: Games are not for kids. Games are for all of us.

 

[bhsup]

Baby slings

If you're looking for something more stylish...

Spoiler :

 

[H4run]

under 3 month is hard, even you hardly sleep at night. My baby was sleeping all day and party all night during that time, now he already developed a sense of day and night, and gladly sleep with us during the night until morning. Taking care a baby when (s)he is under 3 month old is amazing, they sleep 17 hours a day but during that 7 hours they able to make you so busy that you don't even have time to sleep for 2 hours sometime. Just amazing, my baby is a genius on how he manage his time to keep us busy.

My appetite in gaming is decreased after my son is born. I rarely play game but yea I able to but unlike the old day, well it change not only many things but almost everything, and you can't escape the feeling of being old, being a father directly makes you feel old and fat also

 

[Zelig]

Eh, video games are easy, you can do them at home with the kid, I'm losing far more members of my sports teams and snowboarding groups to children.

 

[Antilogic]

In a few years, play Kerbal Space Program with your kid.

 

[gay_Aleks]

You could have your very own hobbsyoyo! Or, whatever the feminine version of hobbsyoyo would be.

 

[BvBPL]

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Five characters.

 

[Zack]

Five characters.

If video games are so childish, and you are posting on a video game forum, what does that say about you?

 

[bhsup]

BvBPL, childish things are like bubble makers and such. Video games are not childish.

Disclaimer: I have a vested interest in this position.

 

[downtown]

It's pretty hard. I probably play about 3ish hours a week. Basically, your free time for anything when babies are really young is cut down, and you want to use that time for sleeping, for your wife, for household stuff you've been neglecting, etc. If you want to wake up early or stay up really late, godspeed, but man, I'd MUCH rather sleep than game.

Activity mats are a useful thing to get babies out of your arms for a little bit though. Those help.

 

[Farm Boy]

Bubble makers are excellent. I enjoy some of my son's toys more than he does.

 

[Leifmk]

I was going to post about baby slings, mei tais and other carriers. I've got three kids and have logged many hours of play while wearing a sleeping or about-to-be-sleeping baby. And reading, watching stuff, messing about online, etc.

As a matter of fact I'm wearing my youngest as I type this. Soon he'll be in deep enough sleep to transfer to bed.

 

[bhavv]

When the child is old enough, play multiplayer games together!

 

[Ludwitch]

Fortunately, I still find a lot of time to play. She takes up a lot of my attention, but she also sleeps a lot. And I am home 100% on paternity leave, so I can squeeze in a little gaming every now and then. And sometimes I play with her sleeping or about to sleep on my arm. I rarely use the baby sling when I play (too lazy to put it on), but always when we are outside in the real world.

How old is your daughter?

She is two and a half months old.

In a few years, play Kerbal Space Program with your kid.

I have that on my wishlist for ages, waiting for the -75% offer.

BvBPL, childish things are like bubble makers and such. Video games are not childish.

Disclaimer: I have a vested interest in this position.

To quote Sheldon Cooper: "Leonard, be serious. We're playing a game here." My motto exactly.

Bubble makers are excellent. I enjoy some of my son's toys more than he does.

I hear you! Her first LEGOs arrived last week. Since she is still too young to play with them, I had to break them in

 

[Grisu]

well, kids cut a lot into your playitime, but I still play the occasional game, just not as much as I used to. these days, play time is restricted to lazy evenings when the kids are already in bed

I hear you! Her first LEGOs arrived last week. Since she is still too young to play with them, I had to break them in

LEGOs are the greatest gift to parents and even the kids like them

 

[Kennigit]

When the kid gets older you can play with the child

 

[timtofly]

How did we skip the husband/boyfriend part and get directly to the offspring?

The only games I have played in the last 15+ years with two boys and a girl within the first of those 4 years, have been versions of Civ and the Anno series where one can "forcebly" leave the game and come back when other more pressing aspects of life allow it. Now my two sons have played multi player Civ with me. The whole point of contention though is my wife blames me for turning my boys into computer game freaks themselves. They play a lot more in their free time than I ever did. I do have over 7000 hours of Civ 5 in since it's release though. My 14 year old son wants to go to college to be a computer gamer programmer.