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

[FriendlyFire]

Divorce

 

[bhsup]

But you'd still have your kids...

 

[Farm Boy]

Yea, multiplayer is hard these days. Every now and then somebody will suggest firing up an MMO and it's just like, are you insane? I'm doing well if I can fit in a couple games of LoL with people a week.

 

[Zack]

I do have over 7000 hours of Civ 5 in since it's release though.

7000 hrs / 24 hrs/day ≈ 291.7 days

291.7 days / 30 days/month ≈ 9.7 months

9.7 months / 12 months/year ≈ 0.81 years

Civ V released Sep 21, 2010, or approximately 4.25 years ago.

0.81 yrs / 4.25 yrs ≈ 19%.

8 hrs sleep / 24 hrs ≈ 33.3%

19 / 67.7 ≈ 28.4% of your waking hours spent playing Sid Meier's Civilization V.

They play a lot more in their free time than I ever did.

So, unless you meant 700 hours (which frankly is still ridiculous), you're saying that your kids spend basically every second not in school playing video games.

 

[FriendlyFire]

But you'd still have your kids...

Given that it is a Girl
You can kiss good buy to money as well.

 

[Takhisis]

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

Multiplayer Co-op, man.

 

[timtofly]

7000 hrs / 24 hrs/day ≈ 291.7 days

291.7 days / 30 days/month ≈ 9.7 months

9.7 months / 12 months/year ≈ 0.81 years

Civ V released Sep 21, 2010, or approximately 4.25 years ago.

0.81 yrs / 4.25 yrs ≈ 19%.

8 hrs sleep / 24 hrs ≈ 33.3%

19 / 67.7 ≈ 28.4% of your waking hours spent playing Sid Meier's Civilization V.

Basically.

So, unless you meant 700 hours (which frankly is still ridiculous), you're saying that your kids spend basically every second not in school playing video games.

I never said I was proud.

 

[Zack]

Jesus Christ, man. How are you not bored of that game? I've played dozens of games since Sep 2010 and I'm not even at 2000 hours, and I'd consider myself a fairly avid gamer -- plus I don't have a wife and kids!

And you played the demo for 81 hours?!? What?!

Sorry if I'm making you feel bad, it's just mind-boggling to me.

 

[Hygro]

timtofly is a civ fanatic

 

[Bamspeedy]

Its probably one of those things you can be 'logged in' to it, but necessarily playing it. He can have the game loaded up and counting his time while he is really posting on CFC.

 

[gay_Aleks]

Why would you do that? You're only making your PC slower.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Why would you do that? You're only making your PC slower.

Sometimes it is a real pain to shut the game off when you are taking a short break. It starts with leaving the game on for a minute while you do some mudane task, then you start doing it more often, for longer times (eat, shower, etc.). Before you know it you find you are leaving the game on for hours while you browse the web, only shutting it off when you leave the house or sleep for the night.

 

[Grisu]

Sometimes it is a real pain to shut the game off when you are taking a short break. It starts with leaving the game on for a minute while you do some mudane task, then you start doing it more often, for longer times (eat, shower, etc.). Before you know it you find you are leaving the game on for hours while you browse the web, only shutting it off when you leave the house or sleep for the night.

sounds like you're describing me I even went as far as playing some games in windowed mode (like EU3) so I could switch back and forth more easily

 

[Bamspeedy]

And as a father you may find you only have a couple minutes here and there to play, which are all lost if you spend a couple minutes just loading up the game.

 

[timtofly]

I rarely am posting and playing the game at the same time. Not that talented/willing to stop playing long enough to devote attention to posting. I have not been posting that much here in the last 2 months. I have to admit though, most of the 7000 hours was on an old computer where late stages it would take an hour just to go through my city list to update the build queue, waiting between turns could take 20 to 30 minutes.

I have also played CivII TOT which is even more time consuming, the way I play the game. I enjoy late game play even if it becomes tedious. I always thought a game could take up to 80 hours over a 6 month time span. The moves become chess like. Now that steam keeps count, I am unsure how much time I have sacrificed to Civ. I have played 3 full games and logged 1000 hours in the last 2 months though. V moves a lot faster than II did.

I do not have a full time job. Some days, I may not work at all, and most of my time is on the weekends. When I am not playing, the computer is folding for science research folding@home. Folding and Civ5 cannot run at the same time. Both are too graphic intensive.

Even when I worked full time, I have to confess, it messed up my job sometimes.

 

[classical_hero]

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

Often when i was around at my cousin's house with he young daughter, I would be playing with the toys far more often than she would be. My favour one was a talking doll that had an English girl do the talking and I had so much fun with that one.

 

[Bamspeedy]

I have played 3 full games and logged 1000 hours in the last 2 months though.

1000 hours in 60 days is 16.67 hours EVERY day. While I had days like that when I was single and played Civ III, work prevented me from doing that every day. Now with three kids it's often 0.67 hours/day.

And I didn't mean you just posted on CFC, there are other activities on the web. But if you are waiting for AI Civ moves you can't really 'pause' the game and get on the internet I guess (without another computer/device.)

 

[wolfigor]

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"?

in early months (before 12 months) you can play with your child around.
The child will require attention but sometime she will mostly busy with her toys and so on.
As long as you are there and pay attention (e.. between turns) then you are ok.
You can't dedicate full attention to the game but it's doable.

after 12 months (if not earlier) the child will be insanely interested in your computer and mobile/tablet.
Images, sounds, etc.... it will be difficoult to have her do don't touch your PC when you are playing.
If you have a touch screen... forget using it: your daughter will take over.
Mouse/trackpad is more complicated and she will not have the coordination to use it.

But touch screen... my god... After 12 months your daughter will be able to start any game and make skype calls very easily.

If she will associate your PC/phone/tablet to her games or watch cartoon, then you will be not able use any of those devices in her presence.
She will cry to get to it.
TV gets pretty much ignored due to to the low interactivity.

I suggest you to setup a strict schedule were she has a nap after lunch.
That will be your gaming time: the baby's sleeping, your partner away.
Joy!

Pre-school, kindergarten, and similar stuff will be a god send to have a few hours for yourself.

 

[Farm Boy]

Often when i was around at my cousin's house with he young daughter, I would be playing with the toys far more often than she would be. My favour one was a talking doll that had an English girl do the talking and I had so much fun with that one.

Yeap! Little girl toys are pretty cool too. For young children they can often pull off a degree of intricacy that would just be begging a little boy to destroy it in 10 seconds. Standard deviations, all that.

 

[HannibalBarka]

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.

Oups, sounds very familiar
I spent hours playing Civ (3 and onward) while rocking my kid in his cradle with my foot to get him to sleep. I since than played Civ with my oldest son and other games with my daughter and the young boy. I bought Total War lately because my son wanted it.