And Baby Makes Wii

"My downward spiral into casual gaming didn't happen overnight. The first baby was easy. All she did was eat, poop and sleep. Blizzard released World of Warcraft right about the time I started my paternity leave, so I spent most of my journey to level 60 with a sleeping baby in my arms."

Aaron Griffith describes his slow, downward spiral into casual gamerhood.

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Great Read.

Let the kids play! It's only fair.

That was such a sweet read, and a bit of a wakeup kick. Thanks alot!

I did the exact same thing with my Wii, and even that didn't last. Now I just host parties and play vicariously through others.

Luckily my daughter loves playing Singstar with me. She is probably the only 3-year old who knows (most of) the lyrics to "Over My Head"... or... "Oh Burn my head" as she sings it.

gangreneprime:
Luckily my daughter loves playing Singstar with me. She is probably the only 3-year old who knows (most of) the lyrics to "Over My Head"... or... "Oh Burn my head" as she sings it.

I just bought Singstar from Amazon based on your recommendation. It should be here by Friday. I'll let you know how it goes.

Glad to hear it! However, I must caution you... my daughter _loves_ "Singstar Pop" and _hates_ "Singstar Rocks". Rocks, while not as edgy as the fans would have liked, is not as cute and cuddly as Pop, and thus not so 3-year old friendly.

She also makes me play Um Jammer Lammy a lot. Whilst I love the game, she only wants to hear "the baby song" and "the plane song", and like any kid that age, ad infinitum.

Great little article- sent it to all of my parent friends.

During the rush last Christmas, I camped outside overnight for a Wii. It was cold and miserable, but I got one.

This may not be the place to post this...but I really really want to know:
Why do Americans (and it is largely Americans) find it acceptable, nay, necessary to stand in line for hours (sometimes days) on end, just to be the first to get a shiny toy, see the newest StarWars and so on?

How would getting an iPhone early so important? What's so crucial about seeing Return of the King on opening night (I went to see it on openeing night, too. It just did not require me waiting for hours...)

It just seems unbelievably silly to me. Can anyone explain this (Is there a psychologist in the house?)

thanks

Involving your kids in gaming is a good step, but it brings its own problems. My twins are five years old now and the level of contention for the TV is getting ridiculous. At times all four of us want to play different things. And then there's the way the kids always want help with gaming tasks. My daughter loves Jade Cocoon II - because she enjoys watching her mum playing - but it's a nightmare when she plays it herself because it really wasn't designed for five year old players. She needs help with everything.

And the tech skills they pick up are a double edged sword too. Yesterday I went to answer the phone and when I returned I found my son had got into my GMail and tagged my entire inbox with random tags. I was just lucky he didn't hit "Archive"!

sharp_as_a_cork:

Why do Americans (and it is largely Americans) find it acceptable, nay, necessary to stand in line for hours (sometimes days) on end, just to be the first to get a shiny toy, see the newest StarWars and so on?

I believe it's simply that the initial supply is uncertain. A lot of people want to get them as soon as they possibly can. It's not that they want to be first - it's just that the farther ahead they are in line, the less likely it will sell out before it gets to them. They don't necessarily want to be the first to see the movie, they just want to see it as soon as they can, and when they get there, they want to make sure they have a good seat. They expect that other people will form a mob to try to get it, so the only proper response is to join the mob.

As for why it doesn't happen in other places - well, it does.

Bongo Bill:
As for why it doesn't happen in other places - well, it does.

It certainly does in Japan, and though stories about it seem to be fewer, it happens in Europe as well.

Babies kill games.

gangreneprime:
Glad to hear it! However, I must caution you... my daughter _loves_ "Singstar Pop" and _hates_ "Singstar Rocks". Rocks, while not as edgy as the fans would have liked, is not as cute and cuddly as Pop, and thus not so 3-year old friendly.

She also makes me play Um Jammer Lammy a lot. Whilst I love the game, she only wants to hear "the baby song" and "the plane song", and like any kid that age, ad infinitum.

Well, I got the Rocks version. She just kind of hums into the mic right now. I can't beleive they didn't put the "Wheels on the Bus" song on the Rocks version.

She got Ratatouille for the PS2 over the weekend for her birthday. A little too difficult for a three year old, but she enjoys watching me play it and it is better than just driving around with the sound muted in GTA San Andreas. :-)

Nice Job, a little lengthy, but easy to get through.

I have to agree on Ratatouille, my son loves driving through San Andreas. Problem was that while I was trying to throw another load in the laundry, I came back to seeing him pummel the little ol' lady with a baseball bat.

He looks at me and says, I'm like the Green Power Ranger, Arrrrrr!

i feel your pain i dont have kids but i stay with my sister, nephew, neice and brother in law. my sister plays world of war craft and makes me watch the kids when she plays ... all night till day break so i dont get to.

p.s. my sister is evil and prays on small dogs