Gamers With Jobs --- With Kids

Elysium observed:

So many new dads to be, including myself this October. Gonna have to rename the site Gamers With Babies.

Here's a question for those of you who have already crossed over to the sleep-deprived lifestyle of parenthood:

Does it get any better?

Just kidding. The single most important accomplishment of my life has been having a son. Absolutely miraculous... I'm still in awe of him. Born last August, the Little Wumpus is six months old, full of curiousity and requires our full attention.

Mrs. Wumpus and I have always enjoyed gaming... my wife even spent her early hours of labor at home playing Tie Fighter. Since the little guy's arrival, it's been difficult to find time to even leave the house together much less find time to game.

But the time has been flying by, and we've been able to sneak in illicit games of Spider Solitaire here and there. Having LW has been wonderful... but it has also been rough. The lack of sleep, lack of money and the new strain it inevitably puts on your relationship all takes a toll. Buying the latest game or upgrading the computer doesn't come close to making your list of priorities.

Don't get me wrong, it's all worth it... (if you aren't already a parent) more than you can possibly imagine. But gone are the days of gaming into the wee hours of the night. With only a job and spouse to worry about, you could get away with gaming the entire weekend away (at the risk of neglecting your spouse and suffering their much deserved wrath). Now, a 10 minute session on the X-box while the little one starts to fuss feels like full blown child neglect. To make things worse, I just took out a Splinter Cell baddy with a shot to the head from the shadows and caught the Little Wumpus watching --- at six months old, how much of that registered with him? What kind of games am I going to be able to play around the house?

For all of you Gamers with Jobs with Kids, what has your experience been? And to Elysium and Certis, thanks so much for this wonderful place to visit and remain connected to gaming.

And just think when he get''s older and you don''t have to watch him as much and it seems like you''re about to get some of your free time back for gaming, he will discover gaming himself, and usurp your time with the gaming machine!:D

Of course the flip side of the coin is in a few years you''ll have an automatic partner for playing all those games. My buddy bought himself an Xbox for Xmas this year, and him and his 12yr old son spent an entire weekend over the holidays, with no sleep, blasting their way through Halo in co-op, and having a great time. So I guess their is an up-side down the road.

is that your kid might start beating you at the games you are best at.....

I''d be so proud.

*sniff*
My little boy took out the huge boss in under two minutes!

*sniff*

I have a 3 year old son and 7 month old daughter. My game time is extremely tight. My first year it was really hard to give up all my gaming time to be with my son. He definitely won out in the end of course. I am at a point now where I have come to terms with being a dad and really enjoy it. There are still times that I would like to try that new game I just bought and have to wait until after 9:00 PM.

I do not play anything violent in front of my son. I don''t think he will turn out to be a psycho killer, but I just don''t see anything positive about it. The best part about being a gaming dad is I am forced to be more selective. Gone are the days of buying everything that comes out. I don''t have the time or money anymore. I am a very selective gamer with much different tastes now a day. I have expressed in previous posts I pretty much wont buy anything quest oriented anymore. I just can''t deal with it. I don''t have the time for anything that gets to difficult to fast. There is no time to work through difficult levels like I used to.

Hang in there Wumpus it will get better after the first year. Pretty soon your son will take interest in what you are doing and you can teach him how to play. Also, once your priorities switch because of the way your life is you will be surprised how easy it is to forget about gaming all the time.

Hang in there Wumpus it will get better after the first year.

Thanks for the ecouragement!

I agree with you about the violence. I don''t think it registers with him yet... but I am uncomfortable with it all the same. I put Splinter Cell away and am content to sneak in a few minutes of Rallisport here and there.

I miss gaming, but the priorities are definitely shifting. Saw the Little Wumpus sit up on his own for the first time last night. There isn''t a gaming moment that can compare to the warm feeling in your soul that gives you.

"FuzzyCuddleWumpus" wrote:

There isn''t a gaming moment that can compare to the warm feeling in your soul that gives you.

Are you sure? I was pretty stoked when I got the Ice Beam.

Are you sure? I was pretty stoked when I got the Ice Beam.

Doh! Forgot about the Ice Beam.

I saw my child in an ultrasound yesterday. I''ve also got the Ice Beam AND Flame Thrower in Metroid Prime.

Life is good for me right now.

How depressing and exciting all at the same time. No time for games, but warm fuzzy feeling of being a father to a future gamer I can''t wait to witness first hand all the terrific stuff thats kids do while growing up. I get a kick out of the shiz my dog does, can''t even begin to imagine what a child is like.

The countdown has begun and I am trying to get in as much time as possible on the PC in between honeydos. My last LAN gaming session for a while will prolly be this weekend, but I plan to resume my hobby as soon as I can get back to it.

Looks like this kid may come sooner than expected. I am going to have the bed to myself until it happens since the wife is more comfortable on our recliner. wOOt! Now I can snore all I want W/O being waken up 10x a night.

Slayer