Don't Worry Dad

Welcome back to code.

So I decided to decided to talk to the guys out there who are new to this. Who feel their favorite hobby is no longer possible due to their current situation.

Maybe you have a new born in the house, or another one. Congrats! Or maybe your role has Dad has left you longing to get back to your favorite pastime, but you're ashamed, or tired, or broke....or EVERYTHING. Don't worry my friends. I'm here to give you a few tips I have learned in my time to allow you to not only continue to be Great Dad but a Great Gamer too.

I'm only talking to real men here. Good Dads. If you're too busy to change diapers or help mommy because you need to prestige again, just stop reading. In fact, stop reading my blog altogether and get your act right. Being a great parent is the most rewarding thing you can do in life, and is something that will last long after your 360 is in a landfill.

So now that I'm off the soapbox, let get into it. We take care of our business but we gotta have fun too right? But how?

I think the first thing is that your significant other needs to respect your hobbies. Hopefully she/he games too (my wife does, I'm lucky) or at least understands your love for them. As long as you're priorities are straight you should be able to talk to her about your gaming. You need "private time", it's healthy for both of you, and the kids.

You need to lay the ground work right when the baby is born, and this goes for anyone, gamers and non-gamers alike. Establish a bed time, and stick to it, as hard as it is. Obviously, a new born will turn you into a zombie for a few months, but you should work in a proper bed time ASAP. More importantly, the kids need to stay in their bed. There will be nightmares, sickness etc...and of course that requires some extra TLC, but bedtime, and staying in their own bed should be reinforced as soon as possible. This way, you and your significant other have a goal every night. I have a 6 year old son and a 3 year old daughter. Their bedtime is 8 o'clock. Recently, it has been getting a little later, and little man will get promoted to a later time soon, but either way, the time is set. After that, it's "adult time". Again, that's a tip for anyone out there.

Here's another, don't be quiet. That's about a noob move as you can make as a young parent. Have a rock concert every night? No, obviously. But these kids should know normal sound levels from when they are born. Listen to the TV, play games, put music on, speak normally etc etc. Whatever you would do, do it. These two tips if reinforced properly are key. I'll put it to you like this. About once a month, we have a ton of people over our house for Karaoke night. We got LIPS and Rapstar on 360, Singstar on PS3, all fully stocked with DLC. We rock it out. Our kids are sleeping in their room and it's all good. We know they're safe, we are having fun and everything works out great. I also want to note that we don't live in a huge place by any means either. We just established those ground rules and we're good.

Ok, so you have established adult time to the best of your ability, what's next? Establish a night for gaming. If you're living with your partner, gaming every night as soon as the kids go down isn't always the best move. I have a small apartment, and yes, I do a have a TV in the bedroom, but my whole rig is set up in the living room. Plus, you do want to have some quality time that person anyways right? So what you should do is set a night a week, and let your partner know that you want to rock games soon after the kids go down. I've established this every Wednesday night at 9:00 - 9:30. That's AWWR night. Some of my friends and I created a clan of like minded gamers called "Again We Will Rise" (AWWR) and get together online and rock it out. My wife does her thing, watches TV in the bedroom, reads, whatever. And I get uninterrupted headshots and kill streaks. Here's the trick though guys, one hand washes the other.

If you get a night like that, so should your partner. That's the only way this can be sold. Plus, if you're talking about it, the two of you should make it point to do things together too. I know that when my first kid came along it hit me like an overhand right from Fedor. I got through the newborn "Zombie" phase and just forgot myself, and my relationship suffered too. So if you're not already, make time for that. Or, maybe there's too much quality time already, and if so, my bad....I'll shut up about it!

Alright so you've established the golden rules. You have your marathon night. I'm sure you want to game more then that right? Involve your family. I have plenty of games that I play with my whole family: Super Mario Bros Wii, Mario Kart, Wii Sports 1 and 2. The Wii isn't for the hardcore, but there's no denying it's fun, especially in groups, and since you have a ready made one already, it's a no brainer. Refuse to get one? Can't afford another system? 360 and PS3 both have viable options. PS Move is basically the HD Wii everyone wanted, and it's a lot of fun. I find it a little difficult to play it with my kids though since it requires you to use the camera. But Eyepet, and Sports Champions is a mainstay here. I think little hands can handle the Wii controller for sure, and in some simpler games, the PS3 Dual Shock. I think the 360's can be bit too bulky depending on how old your child is. However, the 360 has the Kinect, and that's probably your best best bet for little ones. Kinect Adventures, Kinectimals, Kinect Sports, all great for the family. Plus, the Kinect's camera pans and scans the whole room, so you won't have the same camera difficulties you had with Move.

I also game with my wife. I know, I'm lucky. But we have been known to rock a few games together, Little Big Planet, Super Mario, Mario Kart. If your partner doesn't game, try some downloadable titles, or classics to wet their appetite. If they aren't down, they aren't down. It's not a requirement.

Gaming with the fam is great, and having the marathon session to look forward to is BOMB, but what's that you say?

 "Flow, how the fuck can I keep up with my friends, or get anywhere in one night."

 I hear you. You know what doesn't? Your pillow. That's all I can say my friends. You want to put in a couple of hours here or there throughout the week you need to sacrifice something, and it's got to be sleep. Think of it this way, when the baby was a newborn you didn't get any sleep right? I remember going 48 hours straight no sleep. Several times....aaaaaahhh...memories. So to me, my body made it through that no worse for wear, and I still manged to handle my business, go to work, etc. You have already conditioned your body and mind to not need as much sleep. You unlocked your "sleepless" perk. EQUIP IT. Are you going to go all night every night? You shouldn't, even with time suckers like Deus Ex, Skyrim, Gears, and COD on the radar. But you can put in a little extra time right? Once your partner goes bed, fire it up! Have a coffee, if you need to. I'm serious.

Here's my last tip. Financing your habit. Being a parent isn't easy, and today's economy makes it worse. So how can you afford the latest and greatest? SELL YOUR BODY ON THE STREET. I'm kidding, plus, who would pay for you anyway! Seriously, budgeting your money is just as hard as your time. First thing you should do is join Gamefly, the at home game rental service. This is better then Blockbuster, or your local rental spot cause you can keep the games as long as you want, and the selection is top notch. Plus, if you really like the game, you can buy it out right at a discount. If the 16 dollars a month is too steep, find a friend, and share the "Two discs at time" fee of 22 bucks a month. That's 11 dollars per head a month. Not bad.

You should also make Gamestop's used section your friend. Join their rewards program (its free), and keep an eye out for trade in deals. And you should trade in your old games. Obviously there are a few you will always keep and play, but I guarantee there's a few you can part with right now. Gamestop always has trade in deals to make you more money.

I'm sure there are a few "can't miss" must have games you want to own right out. That's cool guy. Plan it out. Reserve early, and put a few bucks down every month. You can't pay full price for every game as soon as it drops, but with Gamefly, you can at least play it. Then, if you missed out, check back in a few months on the used rack and get it cheaper!

That's it for now guys. Have a tips or stories you want to share? Please hit up the Comments. If you like what you're reading, please follow me! And you can always hit me up on Twitter, XBL or PSN. Peace.