From Baby Bottles to Game Controllers: A Survival Guide for New Gamer Parents
5 Ways to Get Your Gaming Fix With a New Baby
Hola amigos, it’s been awhile!
To the four people that have ever read this blog, thank you for staying subscribed. Since I last posted things got pretty hectic, and whilst I regularly thought about picking this back up, life got in the way. About a year ago I changed jobs, I now work as a lecturer in a local college where (amongst other things) I teach on a Games Development course. It’s been amazing so far, and the insights I’ve learned probably be among the things I’m going to write more about in the coming months.
Obviously, as the title suggests, the biggest change has been the birth of my son, Coby. Watching him grow is similar to grinding Skyrim, except watching him level up his real-life skill trees is infinitely more satisfying, and I can’t wait for the day we can share our first real gaming experience together.
Raising him is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened to me, but like anyone else a bit of downtime is still needed. I kind of justify still gaming to myself because of my new job, but in reality it’s a hobby that I’m never going to stop doing.
In this post I’ll talk about my struggles to fit gaming into the first 9 months of parenthood. From sacrificing a snooze, to becoming a mobile phone gamer (yes really), I feel like I’ve now managed to get some sort of grove. So have a read, and if you’re a new parent maybe you too can replace sleep with a crying baby and Balatro on your phone.
Go portable
The old adage told to many a new parent is “sleep when the baby sleeps”, but sometimes after battling a newborn that just doesn’t want to be put down you don’t feel like drifting off either.
On top of that, you’re also going to be nap trapped a lot, especially in the early days. Picture the scene: your baby has fallen asleep in your arms, or you’re in the same room and don’t want risk any sudden movement waking them up. It should be the perfect chance to grab a controller, but you’re stuck in their bedroom. That’s where a handheld becomes your new best friend.
For some people handhelds are a complete no go. Whether it’s the fact your not a big Nintendo fan, or you’re type that buys a Switch and never takes it out of it’s dock. Regardless, you should be open minded about it. Your gaming is only going to be happening in short bursts, and if you’re back in work, you might even find that your lunch break is a perfect point in the day to spend a bit of time playing games.
There’s never been a better era to dip your toe into the market. With the Switch prices being low, the Switch 2 rumoured to be around the corner and a whole host of handheld PCs, not least the Steam Deck, being available. Almost all types of gaming preferences are catered for via portable devices, and we no longer live in an age where you can only play inferior games on handheld.
I personally invested in a PS Portal. I was slightly sceptical at first, but it’s an impressive device that allows me to play PS5 games from my console remotely. What I like most about it is that I was able to take it on holiday over the summer and play my games seamlessly, with it even handling performance intensive games like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth really well. If you have a big Playstation catalogue, I highly recommend it.
You don’t need a big budget though. Shockingly there are some great games on mobile (who knew!) and accepting that you are now old enough to be one of those Candy Crush addicts is an inevitability. I’ve played a bit of Balataro on console, but since it arrived on phone I haven’t stopped playing it, to the point where I’d seriously consider it for my GOTY. So it’s OK to succumb to the dark side that is mobile, you’ve earned it!
Make sacrifices
Gone are the days of Overwatch all-nighters. Sleep is now a precious commodity, one that you would probably pay through the nose for when you’re in the thick of another nighttime feed.
Now instead of missing out on sleep, it will need to be your other forms of entertainment that fall by the wayside. It will be a choice between an episode of a TV show, reading a book or a quick couple of games on FC25. You probably won’t be able to fit all three in any more.
If you are choosing games, you’ll almost definitely have to make the switch to a single player game instead of online multiplayer, not least so you’re available in a nappy changing crisis. Look, I know single players aren’t for everyone, but there’s no point in wracking up a huge quit percentage because your baby has found a new and inventive reason to cry.
If you’re a real nutter you can also stay up a bit later too. Our little one was only sleeping in 1-2 hour blocks up until recently, and as someone who doesn’t deal well with broken sleep I knew it was almost pointless going to bed before midnight. Taking a hit on an hour or two some nights seemed reasonable as it meant I could end the day zoning out for a bit.
Was this a wise decision? In hindsight probably not, but it took a while for me to find a balance, and it’s worth being open minded if you need that bit of a mental break. There really isn’t much difference between 5 hours and 6 hours in bed once you get used to it. Just be prepared for that to change when you hit milestones and a bout of sleep regression kicks in.
If you are one of the lucky ones that has a baby that sleeps the whole way through the night then this becomes a much easier decision to make, also, I hate you.
Install games and look at them lovingly
There’s a chance that no matter how much you try, you still can’t quite scratch that gaming itch. You’ll have periods where you’ll spend an entire day anticipating the chance to play something, only to finally boot up your console and feel a sudden crash.
You’re wiped out. Drained mentally, physically and financially. It doesn’t matter if it’s the only bit of quality gaming time you’ve pencilled in for the week, you’ve run out of steam completely.
I’ve actually developed a bizarre habit during this period- installing games I have no intention of playing. Maybe I’m kidding myself that I’ll be able to start something from scratch, or that I get some weird sort of buzz from picking games out of my subscription catalogue, but either way I get satisfaction out of it.
My current backlog includes, but is not limited to: Doom Eternal,Cult of the Lamb, Persona 5, The Plucky Squire, Humanity and Dragon Quest XI. That’s nowhere near everything I’ve installed, and also doesn’t include uncompleted games, DLC or second play throughs that I have in mind.
It’s a strange trait I’ve picked up that I can’t explain, but in a weird way it’s helping me feel like I’m playing a lot of games. In reality I’ve basically been playing FC24/25 and daydreaming about playing something real.
Nostalgia is your friend
Perhaps the main reason I have this huge backlog is that starting something new can be pretty daunting. I’ve been reading a lot about Metaphor: ReFantazio and the fantastic reception it’s received. I’m not going to purchase it in a hurry, but having never played an Atlus game seriously was the inspiration for me to install Persona 5. I took one look at the menu and noped out. I do not have the mental capacity to start a new JRPG.
With that in mind, familiarity is the way to go in these circumstances. After a long day in work or being the stay at home parent, the last thing you want to do is dive into a new lore heavy game.
Get one of the classics ready, play a game so ingrained in your being that you have muscle memory for every input. Sometimes you need to admit defeat and play a game that instantly satisfies you. Parenting can be tough enough as it is, get those dopamine hits wherever you can.
For me, that has been a mixture of some fighting games, FC24/25 and anything FFVII related. Rebrith and the MVC collection coming out in the same year has been amazing, because I’ve been able to play something new that also doesn’t require a huge amount of mental effort to learn.
Play the long game
Ultimately you are going to miss out on gaming, regardless of what you do, but there is hope. Infect your child with as much gaming stuff now, get them interested in everything so that you’ve got a partner in crime when they’re older. This is our generation’s equivalent to playing albums to your baby in the hope they will be ingrained into them.
Watching my brother play Street Fighter 6 with my nephew has been a joy, and being greeted to some imaginary Blanka electric in my face whenever I see them is so much fun.
I can’t wait for us to be able to join in, and I’ve already lined up a million different scenarios in my head as to how I’m going to introduce him to my favourites. In reality though, the dream is that one day he’s introducing me to his new favourite games. As long as it’s not Candy Crush.
Chuffed to see this newsletter return! Cracking read!