Balancing Gaming With Family Life. - Page 2 - Blu-ray Forum

Blu3 · 07-23-2010, 02:55 PM

It's definately a balance act. My gaming went from 10-20 hours/week to 1-4 hours/week. I used to be good at MW2 but if I try now I'll get owned. Of course, life, family and friends come first, so it's ok with me. I've been gaming since I was a little kid and it will always be a part of my life's entertainment, but many of today's games require many, many hours of play to reach that elite level of performance, especially when you're competing online against kids who can play 10 hours a day. Once you grow up, you just don't have that kind of time to invest. What I've found out is that online games like shooters are very hard to stay on top of, but single player based games like action/adventure/RPG/etc where you play through a story (not online, even if it's available) still work fine, because you can play whenever you have a free hour or two, even if it's 2 weeks after the last time you played.

I also enjoy getting the family involved, such as 2 player action on the Lego game series with my other half or whole family fun with golf/tennis/bowling tournaments on the Wii. Getting the gf/wife/family involved in the gaming experience helps us with our individual gaming time, because then they don't feel completely left out and thus have much less of a problem when we zone out on our favorite single player games

Of course, don't forget to have a little self-control on how much time you spend playing by yourself, and don't forget family comes first, because, let's face it, none of us want to offend our loved ones, we just want to play a game for fun and everyone else to be happy at the same time - learn where the balance is in your life and family (find that sweet spot), involve them from time to time, and enjoy

Chordata · 07-23-2010, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

ugh. things like this remind me why i hate being an adult.

- bills
- family
- jobs
- responsibilities
- kids
- significant others
- house maintenance...

ugh.
not that i have kids or a wife, but i just want to watch movies and play games!
why is it so difficult!

It's not, you just have to deal with the consequences (good and bad).

I wanted a family and I got a family and I love having a family. Nothing -- and I mean nothing -- comes before my kids. I'd throw out everything I have, murder some baby kittens, blow up Canada, etc., for my kids. (If they wanted me to do all of that, though, they'd be pretty messed up kids.)

Some people don't want kids because they don't want to get up in the middle of the night, give baths, share their time, share their money, change their schedule, etc. That's fine! Hopefully they keep their controller in their pants so they don't have to worry about it.

kefrank · 07-23-2010, 04:53 PM

I have a wife, but no kids. It's tricky with the wife though, because she has a bit of a negative attitude toward video games in general*. I think the main thing is she feels that if I'm immersed in a video game when she's around that I won't be attentive and that makes her feel less cared for. And I get it - she's not entirely wrong because that can happen.

So, I handle it like this: I mostly only play when I know there's a block of time where she won't be home or is asleep. Additionally, I like to set up times to play TF2 with my brother-in-law, so I just let her know the time and make sure she's ok with it. That way, she's mentally prepared for it and it's not a problem. I probably end up with about 1 to 3 hours of gaming a week on average, given the above balancing act and all my other responsibilities. That's why I'm not a big gamer...you can see how it would take me weeks just to get through your average 10 to 15 hour game.

*Although she does love to play The Beatles: Rock Band with me, which is awesome.

perdition · 07-23-2010, 08:13 PM

Lately I've just stopped gaming, its become to much of a hassle trying to find time.

Edit:

Though, sometimes she wants to go on her n64 and play some zelda, so when she does that I play some on the 360 or ps3.

Monk360 · 07-23-2010, 09:19 PM

It took me exactly 6 weeks to put in the 56 hours to complete Final Fantasy XIII; talk about getting my money's worth.

xXI GaMe IXx · 07-24-2010, 02:09 AM

I play while at work or when there asleep or if they go to the store something like that.

BluStation 3 · 07-24-2010, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xXI GaMe IXx

I play while at work or when there asleep or if they go to the store something like that.

Man, what kind of job do you have!? LOL. I need a job like that.

xXI GaMe IXx · 07-24-2010, 04:51 AM

I work from home taking spanish billing calls for my company. I get maybe 1 call every 3 hours or so. I hanged a 32inch Tv to play on during the time I'm not getting calls. The great thing is they still pay me by the hour.

wesnah · 08-02-2010, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iam1bearcat

ugh. things like this remind me why i hate being an adult.

- bills
- family
- jobs
- responsibilities
- kids
- significant others
- house maintenance...

ugh.
not that i have kids or a wife, but i just want to watch movies and play games!
why is it so difficult!

I felt the same way you did. Until a Whoops with the GF. Now I have a 2 yr old son and all that has changed. What if your parents felt as you did/do? Well you wouldn't be here. Not picking on you just pointing it out.
But on topic. I work 11pm-7:30am. The GF works 7am-4:30am and the boy is in daycare. So I get in about an 1 hr a day M-F and a bit more on my days off. Usually @ night since I try and stay on my work time.

Heavytoka · 08-02-2010, 02:47 PM

At first I just played M-F 9pm until Midnight, but now that I have convinced my wife how fun gaming is she wants to play all the time with me.

tom pain · 08-02-2010, 03:54 PM

As a 22 year old currently still living at parents house, and making the transition between graduating from univeristy and going to full-time job (currently working part-time), there are plenty of hours in the day to share between family and gaming

Monk360 · 08-02-2010, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tom pain

As a 22 year old currently still living at parents house, and making the transition between graduating from univeristy and going to full-time job (currently working part-time), there are plenty of hours in the day to share between family and gaming

Enjoy it while it lasts.

secondhand1 · 08-03-2010, 02:46 PM

I have two sons - 5 and 3 - and we get our fair share of Lego Star Wars, Indy, and Batman, Rock Band/Guitar Hero, Mod Nation, and Little Big Planet; Most times, they brush me off in favor of teaming up togeher to fend off hordes of evil Lego minions, though. I have no problem with that as it's fun to watch them work together and solve problems. Plus I think they're getting tired of me destroying them in Mod Nation

But those sessions are short. Twenty minutes, half hour max as there are more often than not, better things to do. It's more of a reward-type activity than a we-always-play-before-dinner thing. My gaming comes after the family is in bed, and is usually only for an hour or so as being an adult is tiring.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the marathon sessions of GTA or Tony Hawk, but times change, and I'm happy with the time I do get to spend in New Austin or Empire City. The one thing I do hate is how long it takes me to finish games now. My back log is embarassing.

07-23-2010, 02:55 PM	#21
Blu3 Expert Member Member since:Mar 2008 Blu-ray collection:130 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:3	It's definately a balance act. My gaming went from 10-20 hours/week to 1-4 hours/week. I used to be good at MW2 but if I try now I'll get owned. Of course, life, family and friends come first, so it's ok with me. I've been gaming since I was a little kid and it will always be a part of my life's entertainment, but many of today's games require many, many hours of play to reach that elite level of performance, especially when you're competing online against kids who can play 10 hours a day. Once you grow up, you just don't have that kind of time to invest. What I've found out is that online games like shooters are very hard to stay on top of, but single player based games like action/adventure/RPG/etc where you play through a story (not online, even if it's available) still work fine, because you can play whenever you have a free hour or two, even if it's 2 weeks after the last time you played. I also enjoy getting the family involved, such as 2 player action on the Lego game series with my other half or whole family fun with golf/tennis/bowling tournaments on the Wii. Getting the gf/wife/family involved in the gaming experience helps us with our individual gaming time, because then they don't feel completely left out and thus have much less of a problem when we zone out on our favorite single player games Of course, don't forget to have a little self-control on how much time you spend playing by yourself, and don't forget family comes first, because, let's face it, none of us want to offend our loved ones, we just want to play a game for fun and everyone else to be happy at the same time - learn where the balance is in your life and family (find that sweet spot), involve them from time to time, and enjoy Last edited by Blu3; 07-23-2010 at 03:04 PM.

07-23-2010, 04:53 PM	#23
kefrank Special Member Member since:Jul 2008 Blu-ray collection:60	I have a wife, but no kids. It's tricky with the wife though, because she has a bit of a negative attitude toward video games in general. I think the main thing is she feels that if I'm immersed in a video game when she's around that I won't be attentive and that makes her feel less cared for. And I get it - she's not entirely wrong because that can happen. So, I handle it like this: I mostly only play when I know there's a block of time where she won't be home or is asleep. Additionally, I like to set up times to play TF2 with my brother-in-law, so I just let her know the time and make sure she's ok with it. That way, she's mentally prepared for it and it's not a problem. I probably end up with about 1 to 3 hours of gaming a week on average, given the above balancing act and all my other responsibilities. That's why I'm not a big gamer...you can see how it would take me weeks just to get through your average 10 to 15 hour game. Although she does love to play The Beatles: Rock Band with me, which is awesome.

07-23-2010, 08:13 PM	#24
perdition Senior Member Member since:Apr 2010 Blu-ray collection:184 Blu-ray reviews:1	Lately I've just stopped gaming, its become to much of a hassle trying to find time. Edit: Though, sometimes she wants to go on her n64 and play some zelda, so when she does that I play some on the 360 or ps3.

07-23-2010, 09:19 PM	#25
Monk360 Active Member Member since:Apr 2010	It took me exactly 6 weeks to put in the 56 hours to complete Final Fantasy XIII; talk about getting my money's worth.

07-24-2010, 02:09 AM	#26
xXI GaMe IXx Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Apr 2010 Trading Score:2	I play while at work or when there asleep or if they go to the store something like that.

07-24-2010, 04:51 AM	#28
xXI GaMe IXx Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Apr 2010 Trading Score:2	I work from home taking spanish billing calls for my company. I get maybe 1 call every 3 hours or so. I hanged a 32inch Tv to play on during the time I'm not getting calls. The great thing is they still pay me by the hour.

08-02-2010, 02:47 PM	#30
Heavytoka Active Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:Maryland 4K collection:128 Blu-ray collection:412 DVD collection:52 Digital collection:75 Trading Score:74	At first I just played M-F 9pm until Midnight, but now that I have convinced my wife how fun gaming is she wants to play all the time with me.

08-02-2010, 03:54 PM	#31
tom pain Senior Member Member since:Aug 2009 Location:Cardiff Home Theater Gallery:7 Blu-ray collection:247	As a 22 year old currently still living at parents house, and making the transition between graduating from univeristy and going to full-time job (currently working part-time), there are plenty of hours in the day to share between family and gaming

08-03-2010, 02:46 PM	#33
secondhand1 Active Member Member since:Jan 2010 4K collection:46 Blu-ray collection:347	I have two sons - 5 and 3 - and we get our fair share of Lego Star Wars, Indy, and Batman, Rock Band/Guitar Hero, Mod Nation, and Little Big Planet; Most times, they brush me off in favor of teaming up togeher to fend off hordes of evil Lego minions, though. I have no problem with that as it's fun to watch them work together and solve problems. Plus I think they're getting tired of me destroying them in Mod Nation But those sessions are short. Twenty minutes, half hour max as there are more often than not, better things to do. It's more of a reward-type activity than a we-always-play-before-dinner thing. My gaming comes after the family is in bed, and is usually only for an hour or so as being an adult is tiring. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the marathon sessions of GTA or Tony Hawk, but times change, and I'm happy with the time I do get to spend in New Austin or Empire City. The one thing I do hate is how long it takes me to finish games now. My back log is embarassing.

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