Gamer Dad 01 – Keeping It Together

I am a little different from the rest of the angry crew here. I am a dad. There is a lot of stigma that comes from being a gamer, one being that I am supposed to be living in my mom’s basement and fantasize about girls that I can never have cause I am a shut in. Obviously that is not the case. What a lot of people don’t understand is just how much things change when you meet someone who isn’t a gamer and settle down to have a family no matter how hard you try to stop it.

In the old days, I had a lot more freedom than I do now. I could stay up all night and play TimeSplitters till the wee hours of the morning. I could devote myself to the newest game right when it came out. Heck, I could just spend the money to get a game the day it came out without even thinking twice.

And then I met someone.

I am not complaining. Not at all. It’s just that my life had to be adjusted. I had someone else to think about, another grabber for my attention. This started to put a hamper on my gaming. I no longer had all the time in the world to devote to Halo 2 or other games. I had to plan gaming times. Plan them! Between dates and dinner and social events it got kinda hard. I think this is about the time I realized I can’t really play RPG’s anymore, they take too much time. I could only devote an hour or two here or there. So I was birthed into a social gamer. I started to focus on games that were much better as multi-player games that would allow me to have a great deal of fun with those same friends who used to come around every other day.
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A lot of times, gamers are seen as social outcasts. What a joke. There is nothing wrong with liking what you like. I had a hard time with the missus at first with this concept. I just don’t think she really got that I was who I was. Any woman will try to mold you once they stake their claim to you. It’s true. But I stood my ground and to this day still enjoy some freedom to dabble in my hobbies – including gaming.

And then my son was born. To think I thought everything changed when I met the missus!

So begins this new series called GamerDad. It’s all about balancing your life and making time for everything. Being a GamerDad is not like being a sports dad, or a business dad, it’s being a fanboy dad. Dad’s are expected to ‘grow up’ and leave the childish things behind. Being a gamer is not childish though it has the stigma of being just that. I am happy being a family man and a gamer. There are times I miss being a hard core gamer, but I look at it like a progression. I wouldn’t have stayed happy the way the old me was. Everything changes in life, you just can’t help that fact. So this sereis is dedicated to all those GamerDad’s out there like me who are balancing everything in their life, and to those who are planning on being a GamerDad soon.

To Be Continued…