From Late-Night Feedings to Late-Night Raids: How Fatherhood Redefined My Gaming Passion

From Late-Night Feedings to Late-Night Raids: How Fatherhood Redefined My Gaming Passion | PCMag

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(Credit: Jordan Minor, Naomi Urey, Tim Torres)

Yes, this is yet another meditation on gaming and parenthood. Despite their youthful image, video games aren't just for the young. The hobby now includes multiple generations of people who have become parents. In fact, aging game developers gave rise to the so-called "dadification of video games," prestige titles all about grizzled men caring for innocent young wards—a trend that includes 2013's The Last of Us and last month's Pragmata. Dads who play games, make games, and star in games are nothing new. However, this year I became a new father, which dramatically changed my relationship with the medium.As I prepped for the birth of my first child (born auspiciously close to Mario Day), I drew from plenty of wisdom, including Crossplay's experienced gamer parents and a conversation I had with Reggie Fils-Aimé, Nintendo's former president. So, I didn't expect my transition to a gamer father to bestow upon me great parenting insight no one had previously put into words. However, it's valuable for each of us to talk about how we engage with video games, from our identities to our relationships. I'm unique in that I have a professional incentive to stay up to date with the video game industry. But as someone who's been playing games religiously since I was old enough to hold a controller, it's been fascinating to document how parenthood fundamentally transformed my connection to this pastime. When time is so precious, I can only do the things that mean the most to me. Becoming a father didn't make me reject video games; it reaffirmed my passion for them.Handhelds Kept My Gaming Sessions Short and SweetWith a newborn, I can no longer commit to playing games for hours uninterrupted. I love my daughter, and from the instant she arrived, she received my full attention whenever it was demanded. I help feed and change her. I break down cardboard boxes with the efficiency of a puzzle game savant. I calm her with Metroid music during tummy time. I go to every doctor's visit. I continue to happily give her much of my life. So, you'll no longer find me locked to my PC or console, sweating over a competitive shooter like Marathon. However, between naptimes, supportive friends and family, and above all else, having the privilege of an amazing partner to share the responsibility with, my weeks of paternity leave included enough time to also proactively carve out a healthy gaming life. Handhelds have been a huge help for tackling tons of recent releases and a big chunk of my backlog. With my Switch 2 and Steam Deck, I've started, stopped, and started again as quickly as needed between daddy sessions. In retrospect, all parents were right when they said handhelds' pick-up-and-play nature is perfect for pivoting at a moment's notice. So much so, I was even playing games as soon as we had a free moment at the hospital. I discovered playing handhelds in short bursts was reminiscent of reading novels chapter by chapter (though I did read more books during paternity leave, including Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald and How We Play the Game by Alexis Nedd). Tackling titles in that fashion over an extended period also gave me more time to appreciate them and reflect on their experiences. I played many Virtua Fighter 5 matches, diving deep into the time-tested 3D fighter while marveling at the Tekken and Yakuza costumes. Sektori combined the neon dual-stick shooter dopamine of Geometry Wars, remixing it with constantly changing layouts that made each run unique. Mullet MadJack caught my attention with its striking 1990s anime-like art style and breakneck shooter-roguelike gameplay. Dead As Disco's beat-'em-up thrills synced to the rhythm of my digital music, a synesthesia experience so mesmerizing I kept saying "just one more song."Unsurprisingly, this lifestyle lent itself well to quick games. Intense, arcade-style experiences, where it only takes a few seconds to start pressing buttons and having fun, were soothing and helped relieve stress. But I also craved the sense of accomplishment games provide, the feeling that those breaks I took were leading to something more. Otherwise, an entire day would be mindlessly filled with free moments while waiting for the next baby chore. It took a handful of hours each day, but I made it to the end of some awesome campaigns.  Our Top-Rated Games for Families Astro Bot Review

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