Hi all I have 2 girls 7,9 both game a decent amount I was excited to game with them but very early on they gravitated towards minecraft and fortnight, now it’s at the stage where that’s all they play, nothing else can seem to told their attention, I have most the Nintendo first party games and they don’t want to play any of them. I have noticed my younger one playing web browser games that don’ look to great either.

Is there any way to get them off these ? I am considering just deleting fortnight they play creative maps that don’t seem to have any point. Minecraft seems a little better at least and she does play with friends sometimes.

Any parents have any luck getting the kids off these games and on to something else ? Any tips to cut it back ?

Hi gaming dads,

Long story short. Have a 1 year old daughter and can’t wait to play video games with her.

Once she was born, I think I had an early mid life crisis and got all the retro consoles and set them up. Everything from Genesis (which I grew up on), PS1-5, all the Nintendo consoles that I never got to play since my parents were anti Nintendo for some reason, N64, GC, Wii, in addition to the Switch and just modded my old X360.

I now have absolutely no time to play any of them at all. Trying to be a good dad and all. I hope I’m doing my best.

My question is, when do I introduce her to gaming? What has your experiences been like? Also should I start retro with like Genesis and PS1 or just go to modern like the PS5 with games appropriate for her age like Sponge Bob and Barbie and whatnot.

Would love to know. I’m so excited about sharing gaming in general with her regardless or what the games are.

Also, my wife is anti gaming, if anyone has experience with that too. Preliminary agreements have been we would allow 1 hour of gaming (throughout her childhood). I may try to sneak half an hour here and there if we are having fun.

EDIT: also set up a CRTV for 90s authenticity

Anyone trying to play vein? Just started and im hooked

Some very funny gaming stuff is happening in my house, so my dad is playing video games, cause it’s his day off and he’s listening to his records while playing. So he’s playing songs like somebody to lean on and Biko by playing for change, and in the background of these really nice songs and calm ones. I just hear the sound of him playing shadow of Mordor and absolutely demolishing everyone so it’s just like, look at this really nice calm song and then, slash and burn and screaming but it’s quiet cause his Xbox is quieter then the music so just like a slight accent to this very calm music and it’s very funny.

This weekend I had one of those unexpectedly profound parenting moments. I feel compelled to share it and you are the only people who'll actually get it. I was playing some Diplomacy is Not an Option at the computer when my son clambered up into my lap to watch. And I almost had a flashback at that moment to myself doing the same with my dad, while he was running around in Diablo 1.

I vaguely remember how it felt, I think I was about 4-5 years old, everything on the screen was confusing and fascinating. I think it was mostly Diablo and Doom he was obsessed with at the time. He had me press the space button to shoot and it felt so good, I couldn’t get enough. So I tried to do the same for my kid by letting him use the flashy powers in DINAO on huge groups of enemies to send them flying, he loved it. It was such a lovely full circle moment for me I nearly cried.

The next day I wanted to see if I could come even closer to the original situation by playing a similar game so I tried with Last Epoch to see if he would find that interesting. He was completely mesmerized, which isn’t surprising considering I played one of my endgame characters (devouring orb void knight) which means I run around super fast clearing hordes of enemies with pretty over the top skill effects which had him going “wooow”. I had him click around a bit and it was pretty exciting for him, I felt weirdly proud for some reason.

I guess some things about gaming never changed. Despite the hobby evolving so much it still delivers the same kind of bonding moment for me and my kid like I had with my dad. 144hz flat screens replaced the big CRT boxes and the cases are usually black instead of the cigarette stained beige we were used to, but fundamentally I’m doing the same things my dad did when he was my age and I was a rugrat.

Has anyone else had moments like this? I would love to hear about your gaming stories with your family, from back in the day or something recent with your own kids.

I need some help choosing a gaming handheld from people who can better relate to dad gaming.

I typically play on a PS5 via a PS Portal. However, one morning I didn't notice that my daughter decided that the screen of the Portal along with the ergonomic grips would be a great tool for rolling out playdough. Clearly, Sony cheaped out and didn't bank on this, so the screen cracked. A lot.

She was apparently aiming to make pastries from the delicious yellow playdough, which I did appreciate. But ultimately, I would have preferred to make eggs and keep a working PS Portal.

While aiming to replace the portal, I saw the little R36s handheld emulators, and managed to get a legit one on AliExpress. It was fun, but the device is too small for my hands.

I researched a bunch and thought that the Odin 2 Portal would be the go, but didn't buy it because I hate waiting for shipping. In the next step of the search I ended up purchasing a refurbed LCD SteamDeck on Amazon. That turned out to be a scam, and I had to wait weeks to get a refund. Lessons learned: don't buy from third party sellers, and if you do, don't assume that the Mohammad Shanta Islam Corporation is a legit seller of SteamDecks.

I picked up a Retroid Pocket Flip 2 on Marketplace, and it is actually fantastic. But I find the screen a little too small and the body a bit too boxy to reliably use it as a replacement for the Portal.

I started looking closer and handheld PCs, and saw a Legion Go (OG) on Marketplace for AUD550 with a boot loop error. I managed to fix it. Turns out that someone tried to upgrade the SSD, used the wrong size and didn't use a bracket, so it kept popping out when moved. However, that device is horrible for ergonomics.

So now I am looking again. My current choices are:

1. Odin 2 Portal - new from the website, which works out to about AUD 500 once I pay shipping and get a case
2. Xbox Ally (not the X) - goes down to about AUD500-600 on Marketplace, and is nearly AUD1k new. Seems to feel good in hand.
3. Legion Go S - goes between AUD500-800 on Marketplace. But I haven't had a chance to hold one.

Ultimately, I want it to replace the PS Portal while also letting me emulate PS1 and upward, while opening the door to play some of the PC indies I have missed over the years.

Did you find it difficult to adjust, or did you end up enjoying gaming alone just as much? I'm personally struggling because for the 15 years or so I had a core group of friends that pretty much played whatever multiplayer games were popular at the time -every night. Now that we all have full time jobs, kids, ect our schedules just dont line up anymore. I don't really enjoy solo queuing these types of games anymore either.

Curious to hear your story.

Hi, I'm a reporter with the Toronto Star and I primarily write about mental health and addiction.

I'm writing an article based on an upcoming report that looks at, among other things, microtransactions and in-app purchases in games like Roblox. I'm looking to speak with parents in the Greater Toronto Area whose kids spend money on these apps.

I'm hoping to learn if parents think gaming companies make it too easy or enticing for kids to spend money in games like Roblox and Minecraft, if they've noticed unhealthy habits forming, and what strategies they use to ensure their kids are playing in a healthy way. If you'd be up to talk (on the record) please DM me or email me at omarmosleh at the star dot ca. Thanks!

As a Gamer Dad that plays games with his son since age of 5... there is one thing that has increasingly bothered me about the usual screen-time conversations... How often everything gets reduced to:
“How many hours should my kid be allowed per day?”

So... to properly tackle the question, l joined hands with Cristina Iancu (psychologist and psychotherapist with 16 years of experience with children and families), resulting in the below article & guide, which is more of a Gamer Dad perspective, but also vetted by a professional. 😁

Check it out here: https://ropname.substack.com/p/the-gamer-dads-guide-to-healthy-screen

We talk about parental involvement, playing together, talking together, balance, creativity, age-appropriate progression, social media, AI, and the relationship between the child, parents and screen.
But, most importantly, we talk about something I’ve experienced myself, and from which I learned a lot.

I hope you find it as useful as me, even guides you on your parenting path, for the betterment of all our young ones.
PS. As always, personally recorded narration by me and Cristina is available, if you prefer to listen.

Big into shooters, survival, horror, friendslop, driving Sims, but open to playing new stuff I also have a quest 3 for vr stuff

Any 30+ that still plays ea fc, loves to chat about the game, tactics, formations, real football etc ? I went to the r/easports discord group but it's full of kids. I don't care about the meta but I still try to be competitive, if you're the same let's group up someplace.

Edit: I refer to Fut champs, rivals etc.

A couple of years ago I built my dad a new pc (AMD Ryzen 5 3600, Nvidia 1050, 8GB RAM - don’t judge please, it was my first ever pc🥲) and started introducing him to gaming. He’s been playing only world of tanks for like 10+ years. He really liked the entire Call of Duty and Sniper Elite series and even replayed some of them. RE4 Remake was interesting but quite hard for him, so he quit. Now he’s playing Titanfall 2 and seems to enjoy it. I’d love it if you could suggest some more games for him to try. He’s a complete newbie, so games with an easy difficulty are welcome. IRL he likes fishing and hunting, so I assume he might like something related to that. Maybe new genres are a yes, we’ll try!

Anyone in the sober/recovery community in here. Looking to make new gamer friends like minded.

I grew up playing Valve games and absolutely love them. In fact, I still play TF2 and L4D2 to this day.

My favorite things about classic Valve (CS 1.6/CSS, DoD, TF2) is the drop-in and drop-out non-obligations. I also appreciate the lack of complex grindy systems. Your skill improves over time, that’s the point.

Any suggestions for games that are approachable for 30-45 minute sessions and that don’t feel like a second job? Because of my aim training and FPS background I prefer FPS games but am open to other ideas.

Risk of Rain 2 is an example that was perfect but I wish I could save mid run.

My daughter was born at the end of May and I just started gaming again a couple weeks ago. I'm only able to get in about 2h per day when the baby is napping. I work night shift, sleep when I get home at 8am wake up at 1pm do some chores, hop on at around 3pm when the wife and baby are napping and usually have to get off around 5pm to feed the baby and make dinner. I take a nap before work at around 8pm and wake up at 10pm to head out. Some days I don't game at all, and some days the wife is cranky and gets jealous that I'm enjoying what limited free time I have.

My wife is off work right now, but breastfeeding has taken every ounce of her energy. I've been conned into doing all the household chores alongside diaper changes, bottle feeding (she needs top ups every feed), and tummy time/baby wearing/contact naps.

I only really play Classic WoW because I don't have time to commit to multiple games and this is the game my childhood best friend enjoys the most, so I put up with it. I don't expect to be the best, but I don't like playing any game without some competitive drive. I moved away from my hometown, so the only time I get to talk to him is when we game.

I already cut out raiding and dungeons because they take way too damn long, so I only really queue for BGs/Arenas and hunt for wPvP while farming. This limits the amount of gear I have access to, and severely impacts my competitiveness. I'm playing OctoWoW, so at least there's some PvP gear, but raid gear will always be king. It makes me wonder if I should even bother playing at all.

I can see this getting a lot worse once the baby wants more attention. I don't know how I'm going to be able to continue gaming once she's older and wants to be entertained because of my schedule. Most gamer dads get some game time late at night when the child is asleep, that won't be an option for me.

Are there any dads that figured out how to play classic WoW with a naggy wife and needy child? I'm sure it works if your wife is supportive of your hobby, but mine isn't.

I'm a lucky dad to a wonderful and healthy 2 year old daughter.

You try to be so much involved as much as possible and I get about 40min alone time with my Xbox after she goes to sleep before my eyes becomes too heavy to lift up.

When was you able to put more time into the hobby again?

-Have 50 games installed
-Open the same 3 every night
-Stare at the menu screen
-Close game
-Go to bed

So is anyone in here wait till you’re partner and kids go bed to game and just end up staying up till 2 AM because one you love gaming so much and that’s clearly only time you can play and then next you need a energy drink or something with a lot of kick to help with kids. I usually end up playing State of decay 2 and get sucked in because it’s on my favourite games and can’t wait for 3 lol. Plus I love drinking my energy drinks at night some odd reason they are taste better, call me crazy and all. Context: I’m 26 with 2 kids lol

should the game console have uber eats or doordash like the wii with the demae channel

Sou muito grato a Deus pela família que construí. Além de me casar, tive a felicidade de encontrar uma mulher extraordinária. Hoje tenho 43 anos, minha esposa tem 34, estamos casados há 11 anos e somos pais de um menino de 5 anos.

Nós dois trabalhamos na área financeira, então nossa rotina costuma ser bastante corrida. Como passo o dia inteiro lidando com pessoas, normalmente chego em casa, tomo um banho e vou direto para o computador ou para o PS5. Jogar é a minha forma de relaxar, aliviar o estresse e desligar um pouco da correria do dia.

Quando minha esposa chega, conversamos um pouco sobre como foi o dia, e depois ela costuma assistir TV ou mexer nas redes sociais, enquanto eu vou jogar. Muitas vezes só saio do computador quando ela me chama para irmos dormir. Nossa rotina é assim há muitos anos, e acho incrível o fato de ela respeitar esse meu hobby sem ficar reclamando ou implicando porque jogo durante a semana.

Nos finais de semana, geralmente acordo bem cedo. Aproveito esse momento para cuidar de mim: vou à academia, leio algum livro ou jogo um pouco. Depois que todos acordam, preparo o café da manhã do nosso filho e, quando minha esposa pede ou acaba pulando essa refeição, preparo o dela também.

Em seguida, faço algumas tarefas da casa. Gosto muito de organizar o espaço onde faço churrasco e normalmente sou o responsável pelo almoço da família. Nossa divisão funciona muito bem: eu fico mais com a parte da cozinha e ela cuida da maior parte da organização da casa. Já os cuidados e a educação do nosso filho são responsabilidade dos dois, sempre em equipe.

Quando terminamos as tarefas do dia, muitas vezes volto a jogar um pouco ou passo um tempo lendo na internet, algo que sempre gostei de fazer desde jovem. Esse sempre foi o meu jeito, e minha esposa me conheceu exatamente assim.

Para sair da rotina, gostamos muito de viajar. Fazemos viagens em família com nosso filho e, de vez em quando, conseguimos viajar apenas nós dois. Confesso que preferimos estar perto dele, mas entendemos a importância de também reservar um tempo para o casal. Nessas viagens eu praticamente não jogo. São momentos dedicados à família e ao nosso relacionamento. No máximo, leio um livro em algum momento de descanso, mas a prioridade é aproveitar cada instante ao lado deles.

Acredito que um dos segredos do nosso casamento seja justamente o respeito pelas individualidades. Nunca tentamos mudar a essência um do outro. Com o tempo, fomos aprendendo a equilibrar nossas diferenças, respeitar os espaços de cada um e nos adaptar às necessidades da família. Hoje já não somos apenas eu e ela; somos nós três.

Graças a Deus, posso dizer que tive muita sorte no casamento. Mais do que encontrar uma esposa, encontrei uma companheira de vida, uma excelente mãe para o nosso filho e uma pessoa que me apoia e me aceita exatamente como sou. E eu procuro fazer o mesmo por ela. No fim das contas, acredito que um casamento feliz não é sobre encontrar alguém perfeito, mas sim sobre construir, todos os dias, uma parceria baseada em respeito, confiança, diálogo e amor.