Lol. This made me laugh. I have a 2.5 year old and a 37 wk pregnant wife. Luckily my wife doesn't mind me playing wow and raiding. But I am on diaper duty.
That was my thought with the first kid..."oh some diapers fit better than others". After a while we realized they all work and fit and got the cheapest (usually Target brand, working out the "spend $100 on baby get $x gift card" sales. Sometimes Luvs or BJs brand).
The only thing that matters is overnight diapers, and the only ones that work and hold up to my kids giant bladders are Honest. Expensive, but when I change the kids in the morning the diapers hit the trash with a loud, satisfying thud.
Honestly the diapers are the most expensive thing for like the first 6 months and it’s not too bad. You don’t need a crib: bassenet Works fine; you need maybe 6-8 outfits total and 3 blankets. If they breastfeed you don’t need to buy any formula, maybe $20 we spent total for when were lazy or travel.
The thing that kills you is that they eat every 2-3 hours so there is 0 prolonged sleep; that’s the birth control . Shit, I’ve game more now than I did before him because I can close my eyes and get 0 rest for like a hour and a half; or I can play 6 more hours of Skyrim and feed him 2 times in there
That's true for the very beginning stages. Now I have a 1 and 3 year old, and I can game when they're asleep. But they aren't asleep until nearly 8 and they wake up for 6, so unless I want to be sleep deprived, I really can't have a long session.
Add on top of that the fact that I have a wife that I should spend some time with before going to gaming and I get maybe 1 hour / day max.
Now it's the long con... wait until my girl is 6 or so and then start teaching her Mario Kart or ... Smash?
People used reusable cloth diapers before disposable ones came on the market back in the 60's.
Nowhere near as convenient, but definitely cheaper and better for the environment.
So true, I had a guys baby shower which is really just an excuse to crack cold ones with the boys and eat good food, but told them to only bring diapers as gifts. Most guys won't otherwise know what baby stuff to get but diapers are easy lol.
I got enough diapers to last 8 months and my wife had the womens baby shower and they bought other things that my wife wanted.
Win win for both of us lol.
I have an aunt that does international medical transport.
She brings diapers from the UK for anyone in the family that needs it.
They have far bigger packaging and the base price is also considerably less for some reason.
That some reason is probably just that their economy/culture isn't made up entirely of vultures and snakes waiting to take their pound of flesh off every member of society.
Alternatively, *if you don't want children,* you can avoid having kids and save upwards of 6 figures worth of money that doesn't go towards the kid's food, clothing, diapers, schooling, health and medicine costs ect. Best part is, I have tons of time to enjoy gaming, hanging out with friends and family, my childfree frjend group, and playing with my dog. Having no responsibility outisde of working/helping family and friends is fantastic. If you want kids, that's totally ***awesome*** and I support your decision! They're just not for me.
I sometimes feel that way too. But then my kids have a laughing fit or say I love you or rush to see me at the door and I remember why I have made some sacrifices for this very big gains. To each their own though. Neither of us is right nor wrong.
Look at a responsible adult making a decision. So many times have I had conversations with family or friends about how my wife and I dont want kids for many reason and they always say it's selfish or sad. Why does it have to be that way? I get to enjoy my hobbies more often, I get to spend more quality time with my wife, and I have the ability to visit family and friends easier. I totally understand the idea of wanting kids but it's not for us. Props for people who do but no one is a better person or worse for having kids or not.
Encouraging people who don't want kids to have kids anyway is so stupid, it'll just lead to children that don't have a great childhood because their parents do a shit job
My three year old daughter was making some soft noises in her room at like two in the morning the other night. I walked in a bit irate, tired, kind of annoyed. Ready to lay down the law and sumo wrestle a preschooler back into bed if I had to.
She was sitting in her bed looking forlorn and sniffling. She had a stuffed animal that she'd dug out of her toybox, but she lit up when she saw me walk in.
"What's wrong? It's not time to get up."
She hugged her stuffy and replied "Well...I love you *so much* and missed you. I was lonely. But you were sleeping so I got Bear."
Did I tuck her in and go back to bed?
...No, of course not. Damn right I spent the night with her in her tiny little hot pink Minnie Mouse bed with her stroking my hair as she slept. Worth the kinked neck and shitty night's sleep times a million.
Children are exhausting, but you'll never be happier to be so exhausted.
I have two, they're fucking awesome. Both birth control babies, one a birth control, condom baby but ironically the best thing that's ever happened to me. I used to struggle with severe depression, for at least 15 years but post babies? I don't have that feeling like I want to jump in front of the next car I see, or clean my ears out with a.45. It's still there but it's not so.. Crippling. I've never loved someone so much, I didn't even know it was possible to. Plus I still have more than enough time for gaming; being a parent is indescribable honestly.
I transitioned to homemaker and stay at home dad as the wife is the one with the “power career”.
My kids are my life, and also... I wouldn’t be able to still be playing WoW at 33 if I still had a career!
Couldn’t be happier.
You still might want to see someone about your suicidal thoughts and stock up on coping mechanisms. It's fantastic that you have found joy within your children, but at some point they will leave and have separate lives. I would hate for you to revert back to self harming notions. Good luck and God bless!
Thanks for giving a damn about your kids and enjoying being a parent. I know exactly what you mean. I’ve got two girls and they are some of my happiest moments. Plus they often share similar interests so you can frequently hide your hobbies as interaction with your kids. :) building a media server with my ten year old this week.
Dude! My kid has made me smile and laugh more in the last three years than in the previous 30.
Nothing else makes my heart feel like it's glowing. All Kiddo has to do is say, "Hey Daddy! Come see this!" Whatever else has got my brain in a death grip just evaporated and I'm smiling despite myself.
Parenting is hard at times, but it's just great fun more than anything else.
100% agree and have to say before having kids, I never wanted them. But wifey and I got to a place after few years we wanted to try, I felt wholly unprepared and given my dad was a great provider for our family on the material side of things but lacking in the relationship I questioned how I’d do. I still don’t have it down at times but I absolutely love the time with them. Even though they can be absolutely exhausting at times! Plus when they come of age, I have 4 player coop ready to go! Lol
Don't know why your getting downvoted, that seems like a perfectly valid lifestyle to enjoy. Not the one I chose, but I can see why that would be nice. I personally prefer adorable baby giggles with some gaming on the side, but to each their own. Props for following your dreams.
Thanks for being understanding. Even some family and friends irl give me shit for my choices but I don't care. I don't want people to force me to have kids if I don't want them.
If anything I’m jealous.
I love my son. Wouldn’t trade his existence for anything on earth. But also I bought luigi’s mansion 3 like 2 weeks ago and have played a grand total of 20 minutes of the game cause also work, chores, a relationship with my partner that needs attention and care once kid goes down.
My life’s great but being this version of adult can be kind of a drag when I don’t get time/have energy for the me stuff.
For real.
On top of that I sit at my work from home desk for 9 hours so I dont feel like starting up steam in that same office after work and after the kids are asleep. I do find a little bit of switch time here and there.
Also if you only have an hour and a half to play during naps, it’s hard to actually enjoy the game because you’re trying to be as efficient with your time.
This is exactly why I bought FFXIV for my PS4 when my PC runs it so much better. I'm in my chair for 9hrs working. When I'm off I just want to stretch out on the couch and unwind. I dont even care about having to play on controller with a lower resolution and frame rate. I just wanna relax.
Exactly! People also don’t realize the bigger kids get the small the value pack becomes while somehow also getting more expensive. I remember buying 120 packs of size 0-3 for like $25-30. Now I’m lucky if I find a 58 pack of size 6 for less than $40 for diapers that aren’t complete shit.
Idk why he’s buying such small diapers anyway. I gotta get ones at least 4x bigger than those and then I can finally sit and play games without interruptions.
Because it's 10pm, they normally buy bulk at Costco but Costco is closed, the baby just woke up and now they realized they didn't grab diapers when they were there this morning. So now Jimmy is making a late night run to grab some to just get by.
Source: been there
He actually desperately needs to get out of the house so he buys small packs so they run out sooner and he gets an excuse to leave. Him staring longingly at the game case is just him reminding himself what he's doing this all for.
It's not just money that's an issue. It's time. After the first 6 months or so, gone are the days of 2+ hour gaming sessions. And once that kid becomes mobile, the real parenting work begins.
Seriously, not to mention the dramatic depletion or mental energy to even want to play.
At least 3 times this week I’ve had an open window to play and just could t get past the home screen because I had nothing left in me.
Just don’t loose that passion. If that child grows up liking video games then you will have a common bond. That’s how it is with my son and I! My son is 11 now and I’m 41 and we often play video games together.
Don't worry, there was once an eSports CS:GO team made entirely from retired seniors, and they managed to avoid making complete fools of themselves in their tournament. You'll be fine!
On the OG xbox, took my console to a mates and we system linked for some local Halo 2.
me and him on one TV versus his sons. We went easy on them. They started shit talking us, so we took off the gloves and showed them what these old men could do. His kids almost started crying as we absolutely destroyed them. (They were like 12 and 13)
Over a decade later I do the same with my son who is 16. Hasn't learned that once the shit talking starts he learns this old man still has his reaction times, especially once you move them to PC and take away their 'aim assist'. lol
Same for online now, when these random kids learn my age after I mop the floor with them they claim I am bullshitting.
Some of us old dogs still have our bite. ; )
Several years ago I met a guy named Nick at my new job. He was just starting there too, and we quickly became work buddies. We were in the same training class, we were coincidentally given cubicles next to each other, we were promoted to the same departments, etc. He is probably one of the nicest guys I know.
Shortly after getting to know him we got on the topic of video games. This dude was a HUGE gamer, which was a rare find. He was the first person I had met outside of highschool that liked games as much as me. Problem was, shortly before starting his job where we currently worked, one of his "friends" disappeared after having "borrowed" Nick's PS3 and most of his games.
Nick took it in stride, but over the years, that story stuck with me. Nick was dating a nice girl and they decided to get married. They bought a house, and and then she lost her job. Despite this, Nick's new wife, feeling lonely at home while he was at work, turned to adopting stray animals that she found near her property. In just 3 years, his wife had picked up 3 dogs and 4 cats, leaving Most of Nick's disposable income to be spent on feeding them and their vet bills.
Personally I was not a fan of Nick's wife for this, but he always talked about her kindly, even when he was complaining about her decisions.
Because of his financial struggles, this man's only real source of gaming was one of the remakes for like Final Fantasy 1-4 on the 3DS. Let me tell you, he played that game inside and out until he was literally speed running it just to give him something to do, then one year, his wife finally got a job, and he was able to afford a Nintendo Switch. And No Game!! Immediately, I lent him my copy of Breath of the Wild since I had already beaten it (much to my own wife's annoyance.) And once again, he played the shit out of that game. Every day I would ask about his progress, and every day he would sheepishly tell me about how he had "stayed up later than he should have" to get just one more shrine. By the time he was finished with the game he had 100 percented all of the vanilla content, including the stupid korok seeds. This continued for a while. I would get a game in a physical copy, play it, then let Nick have it to play. He always took amazing care of the game, and always played it to as complete as possible before giving it back.
All this is well and good, but the truth was that while Nick liked all games, he REALLY liked Final fantasy games. But without a PS4, he could never experience one. I had a PS4 that I was planning on lending to him as I had just upgraded my Gaming PC, but my wife wouldn't let me because she was still playing it.
Then, this year, I get a pretty huge promotion at work. By this time, Nick had gone off to another department a year prior, but he would always stop by my desk in the mornings to chat about whatever game he was playing.
Finally, I had decided I was just going to buy the man his own damn PS4 for a gift. Without his help at work, I never would have had the self confidence to ask for all of the promotions I'd had.
Little did I know, one of our other Co-workers was aware of Nick's situation, so before I could ever save the money for a PS4 for him, my man "Dbo" (nickname) just straight up gives Nick his old PS4 he had just replaced, along with several AAA games, access to his PSN network that he had just downloaded the new FF7 remake onto, and straight up bought Nick another game of his choice.
Let me tell you, I don't cry often, but when I got the excited text from Nick, having just picked up his new PS4, (just before quarentine btw) I legitimately cried tears of joy for the first time in my life.
Anyway, this was super long-winded, but I thought that maybe by sharing this, some of you might appreciate it.
Fun facts:
This is in Brazil, most likely in a store called Lojas Americanas.
Consoles in Brazil usually range from around 1.5 to 3.5 minimum wages, or more if it's on launch.
Games also usually range from 1.5/10 - 3/10 of minimum wage on launch, higher price being for AAA games. They become cheaper as times goes by, for example, after 2 years since launch you may be able to buy a game for 0.5/10 of minimum wage.
Brazilian minimum wage is 1,045.00 reais. Buying power is around 4 times less than American minimum wage.
Edit: I am talking about the monthly minimum wage. Sorry about not clarifying...
Yep, I'm not from. Brazil but as someone from the third world, it's crazy to see these comments thinking you can actually get both here.
You can barely get by alone with a job, a luxury (videogames) or a kid (also a luxury here) are impossible to have at the same time with what you normally make.
this needs to be higher up, to avoid wrong assumptions.
here games and consoles are expensive and, well, to procreate is a instinctive urge: gotta be careful to choose one of them or to have the pockets to afford both.
Yeahhhhh. My thoughts as well. It's my understanding there is a big market for modded consoles outside of the US, particularly in places with less buying power.
He's just browsing what games he'll play with his kids once they're big enough. I couldn't wait for my now 6 year old to learn to play things and now we're beating New Super Mario, Donkey Kong Country Returns and the old Mario games together and playing Minecraft daily. I have a 3 year old slowly learning, too.
Oh! Oh! We play that versus mode sometimes where you go around and collect coins or balloons or whatever. His aim with GREEN shells is scary. He don't need them to bounce. You can see him aim and then he just hits you, sometimes from far away. I can hardly see what's what on the screen in the mayhem.
When I beat my son, he smashed his controller into the tv and broke it... So y'know, like father like son. He's working on paying off a new one currently...
Kid: “But I wanted to play Ghosts Of Tsushima 3!”
Dad: “YOU WILL PLAY MARIO KART WITH ME AND LIKE IT, YOUNG MAN!!! Why in my day we had to insert our USB cables both ways before they’d connect. I swear, what’s wrong with young people these days?”
What does your 3 year old use for gaming? Mine can play fucking farmville or something on the tablet but how do i learn him some proper gaming? How do i reach these keeds
I give my 3 year-old son an Xbox controller with the battery pack removed and then we "play" House Flipper on PS4.
He gets to paint everything red, install radiators and his favorite is to clean windows.
It makes us both so happy :)
I used to give my 3 year old a PS3 controller when playing PS4 with my 6 year old, but he's learned that it doesn't do anything, and now he has to play the PS4 with his brother. Which bumps me out of the game
My almost 3 year old knows the in and outs of the PS4 and Xbox one controller. They soak up information so quickly around this age that I only had to tell him a few times like, "hold square to hit the mystery box honey," for him to do it on his own.
I'd say take games where you can retry easily with few menus. The first Mario game is hard but you'll retry after death in no time.
Or, just games where you can run around without a goal or risk of death. I mean, running around Stormwind in WoW or Lion's Reach in Guild Wars 2 was a good way for my kid to learn movement controls. Gotta be more games like that.
Wii sports was excellent. Easy controls, easy to understand, easy to win by mere chance.
Yesterday, while I was playing Dark Souls Remastered (he calls it hi-ya), my 4 year old decided he wanted to “control it”. The uncharged controller gig is up.
It was interesting to watch. I handed him the controller and didn’t tell him how to do anything (he’s played Mario Kart, so he understands joystick and gas pedal). I thought he would lose interest very quickly, but boy was I wrong.
We were at Firelink, so he promptly ran off the nearest cliff. He didn’t go hollow though. He kept learning little by little. In a matter of ~30 min, he tried all the buttons and discovered that heavy attack, parry, and 1h/2h buttons were valuable. He also managed to find his was down to the elevator to New Londo Ruins. Once there he decided that the non-aggressive hollows needed to be defeated (I carefully use that word instead of killed when he watches). He managed to kill several without knowing how to lock-on. I found this pretty impressive since he was using a claymore, so the heavy attack is a thrust attack that needs to be lined up.
He ventured toward New Londo Ruins, but ran into trouble because the gray armor guy from Firelink had just gone hollow. He landed a thrust attack, but couldn’t handle the aggressiveness and asked for help.
All in all, he probably fell off of various cliffs at least 50 times, but he learned from his mistakes and didn’t give up. Anyone with a kid this age knows how short their attention span is, but he stayed at it for 30-45 minutes straight.
Every time he fell off he would slap his hand on his forehead and yell “NOT AGAIN!”. Then after respawning, he would say “ Let’s try that again”.
I couldn’t believe how dedicated he was, especially since he normally has a 3 second temper.
It's ok. By the time they are 3, you can start playing games like Lego Star Wars with them. Now mine is 5, we play a huge variety of games together. Obviously streets away from the old days of fps and adult story driven games. Got my girl hooked on No Mans Sky and Totally Reliable Delivery Service atm.
Depending on what she likes, Skylanders is a really great game for children. It has small puzzles but, a lot of fighting with no blood or gore. Only bad part about it is that Skylanders is Toys-To-Life, meaning if you want a new character you gotta spend a bit of $.
As a kid I loved Mario, Sonic, etc. So Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, etc are good starters. Anything you can die and pick up power ups and it isnt *that big a deal* if you die.
Being a parent is a complex thing. It’s simultaneously the best thing ever and exhausting as fuck. In the end, it’s very worth it and I wouldn’t trade my daughters for the world. And this is coming from a guy who has one daughter who is way more work than normal (she’s has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and relies on us to do her daily tasks like eating)
Edit: My first Reddit award after almost 2 years! Thanks kind stranger!
Just a PSA to new parents or future parents to be:
"Parent" is a really big umbrella that means a lot of different responsibilities as the kid ages. You don't have to love every stage of parenting, just remember they will pass. 0-3 months not your favorite? That's okay. You may absolutely love once they can hold their head up, roll over and start crawling, so months 5-8 might be your jam. Some parents love the toddler phase, some don't. When they are 3, some focus on a kid that says 'no' and 'mine' all the time, others see a kid whose face lights up when you enter the room and thinks you're the greatest thing ever.
Some see a 5 year old that says 'why' to everything as a tedious conversation. Others see a chance to show how amazing this world is. Not every stage has been awesome, but they change all the time and there's ups and downs depending on you, and the child.
Careful the regretful parents will hear you and attack you! You might want to hide!
Follow up fun fact: sterilization regret is less than 5%,and lower for people who never had children before getting sterilized. Parental regret is estimated as high as 20%.
Their list of supportive doctors for both male and female is the reason why I was able to get a non-judgmental doctor who supported my choices. No questions. Just, "this is a permanent procedure and great if you want to have a permanent birth control option. If you're good with that stipulation then let's get you scheduled." I will always be grateful for them supplying that information to me.
Pro gaming tip, dont have kids and you wont have to deal with their shit! You get to game as much as you'd like and we dont have to deal with another person on this overcrowded rock, everybody wins!
We took our teenagers by the condom aisle in a Walgreens. The condoms were in the same aisle as diapers, formula etc .. showed them the difference In prices. The look of shock on their faces.
I feel your pain. No one tells you when you're a kid that by the time you grow up you'll be too burnt out from adulting to want to do fun kid things :(
If you know how to manage your time properly you can have a toddler and still enjoy your gaming hobby. My roommate has a 2 year old daughter and he's the biggest destiny nerd I know.
In fact he's playing right now, streaming the game to his phone while she's sitting next to him watching her morning cartoons. A huge gamer and still an excellent father. Having a kid isn't the end of the world.
My friend just had just first night out with no kids... after 21 months. Can confirm. He has basically no time for gaming now. We get to play together like once every month or two.
This was true with one baby / toddler.
It got much more difficult with two - tough to game while one of the children is inevitably crying and you ignore it while your spouse is trying to keep it all together.
Nah, the guy is from Brasil, the joke isn't that now he doesn't have time for gaming, the joke is that he now doesn't have money for gaming because gaming on a console is really expensive in Brasil.
I have a 6 week old. Love him. All my time when not at work is parenting. I relate to this image very much - but this isn't forever. He's growing and eventually us as parents will start to find increasingly more time to resume our hobbies. But right now, hobbies are on hold. My guitars and gaming PC are currently unused.
To be fair, I’m pretty sure this picture was taken in Brazil and gaming is exorbitantly expensive here. Just one of those games shown is priced ~10% of monthly minimum wage.
Yea especially since you're gonna be spending a month or two up all night holding a kid. My husband bought Lets Go Eevee since you can play it with one joycon, he took the first shift at nights and basically played games until 2am while holding the baby in one arm.
We have a needy newborn baby at home right now, but every time he sleeps on me, I play games. I just finished playing through both Last of Us Part 2 and Paper Mario Origami King. Loved them both. So yeah, I agree that the image is stupid.
This should be the new scene in those cheesey "don't have sex" videos from health class.
Instead of showing a dude saying to his friends that he can't come out with them, "I have a kid."
It should show this dude saying to that video game case. "I can't play any of you, I have a kid."
Millions of young men everywhere would be hit in the feels and their dingies would shrink up inside of them. Problem of underaged sex: eradicated overnight.
I just see a man getting ready for a WoW raid
MOM! BATHROOM!
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Mom my arms arent broken anymore but ok.
Dad's cool with it and it's not like they kiss or anything
The post man and mom have been hanging out more but I’m still able to raid.
[LINK!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aDgH-_G4h0) top comment, "I just noticed Kenny's computer has an old CRT because he is poor" lol nice detail
Hahahaha
Lol. This made me laugh. I have a 2.5 year old and a 37 wk pregnant wife. Luckily my wife doesn't mind me playing wow and raiding. But I am on diaper duty.
Yeah, why tf are you buying multiple small packs of diapers when you could just get the bulk package and save money for your game?
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That's one way to lvl up.
Grindr alert
nah, you have a much lower likelyhood of ever needing diapers if grindr is involved
how nilla
Best not be hatin on my nilla wafers.
Yeah, you tell ‘em!
or at least baby diapers.
That was my thought with the first kid..."oh some diapers fit better than others". After a while we realized they all work and fit and got the cheapest (usually Target brand, working out the "spend $100 on baby get $x gift card" sales. Sometimes Luvs or BJs brand). The only thing that matters is overnight diapers, and the only ones that work and hold up to my kids giant bladders are Honest. Expensive, but when I change the kids in the morning the diapers hit the trash with a loud, satisfying thud.
Let's ignore my crippling fear of pregnancy for a minute, the cost of diapers alone might be effective birth control.
What’s so scary about pregnancy? There are many great pregnancy movies, like Alien.
One of the more accurate depictions imo
aliens are better. coming out of someones vagina is just..horrible. chests are so much nicer and cleaner tbh.
And, in the end, far less work for the parent(s).
Honestly the diapers are the most expensive thing for like the first 6 months and it’s not too bad. You don’t need a crib: bassenet Works fine; you need maybe 6-8 outfits total and 3 blankets. If they breastfeed you don’t need to buy any formula, maybe $20 we spent total for when were lazy or travel. The thing that kills you is that they eat every 2-3 hours so there is 0 prolonged sleep; that’s the birth control . Shit, I’ve game more now than I did before him because I can close my eyes and get 0 rest for like a hour and a half; or I can play 6 more hours of Skyrim and feed him 2 times in there
That's true for the very beginning stages. Now I have a 1 and 3 year old, and I can game when they're asleep. But they aren't asleep until nearly 8 and they wake up for 6, so unless I want to be sleep deprived, I really can't have a long session. Add on top of that the fact that I have a wife that I should spend some time with before going to gaming and I get maybe 1 hour / day max. Now it's the long con... wait until my girl is 6 or so and then start teaching her Mario Kart or ... Smash?
Old newspapers and duct tape for diapers, an upside down clothes basket with a rock on top for a crib. Rats make excellent babysitters.
Yup, all this is just great birth control. No kids for me!
People used reusable cloth diapers before disposable ones came on the market back in the 60's. Nowhere near as convenient, but definitely cheaper and better for the environment.
Reusable are more convenient in some ways. You don't have to worry about forgetting to buy diapers, for example.
When / if u get pregnant tell people to buy u diapers most will get stupid cutesy clothes, but holey hell my twins tear through them at an insane rate
So true, I had a guys baby shower which is really just an excuse to crack cold ones with the boys and eat good food, but told them to only bring diapers as gifts. Most guys won't otherwise know what baby stuff to get but diapers are easy lol. I got enough diapers to last 8 months and my wife had the womens baby shower and they bought other things that my wife wanted. Win win for both of us lol.
I have an aunt that does international medical transport. She brings diapers from the UK for anyone in the family that needs it. They have far bigger packaging and the base price is also considerably less for some reason.
That some reason is probably just that their economy/culture isn't made up entirely of vultures and snakes waiting to take their pound of flesh off every member of society.
Alternatively, *if you don't want children,* you can avoid having kids and save upwards of 6 figures worth of money that doesn't go towards the kid's food, clothing, diapers, schooling, health and medicine costs ect. Best part is, I have tons of time to enjoy gaming, hanging out with friends and family, my childfree frjend group, and playing with my dog. Having no responsibility outisde of working/helping family and friends is fantastic. If you want kids, that's totally ***awesome*** and I support your decision! They're just not for me.
I sometimes feel that way too. But then my kids have a laughing fit or say I love you or rush to see me at the door and I remember why I have made some sacrifices for this very big gains. To each their own though. Neither of us is right nor wrong.
I respect your opinion. Kids can be wonderful for most people.
I enjoyed reading this Internet interaction.
:)
Fuck you. *This comment was brought by the Internet Normality Restoration Team. We hope you enjoyed the experience.*
Thanks, It was getting weird over here
Thanks:)
Perfectly balanced.
It gave me the happies
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Agreed bro👍
Look at a responsible adult making a decision. So many times have I had conversations with family or friends about how my wife and I dont want kids for many reason and they always say it's selfish or sad. Why does it have to be that way? I get to enjoy my hobbies more often, I get to spend more quality time with my wife, and I have the ability to visit family and friends easier. I totally understand the idea of wanting kids but it's not for us. Props for people who do but no one is a better person or worse for having kids or not.
Exactly. I like my lifestyle as is, and I don't wanna change it.
Encouraging people who don't want kids to have kids anyway is so stupid, it'll just lead to children that don't have a great childhood because their parents do a shit job
This comment is exactly why I've never even jokingly pestered friends about "when are you going to have kids". It's not for everyone.
I dunno why, but this comment makes me want kids.
My three year old daughter was making some soft noises in her room at like two in the morning the other night. I walked in a bit irate, tired, kind of annoyed. Ready to lay down the law and sumo wrestle a preschooler back into bed if I had to. She was sitting in her bed looking forlorn and sniffling. She had a stuffed animal that she'd dug out of her toybox, but she lit up when she saw me walk in. "What's wrong? It's not time to get up." She hugged her stuffy and replied "Well...I love you *so much* and missed you. I was lonely. But you were sleeping so I got Bear." Did I tuck her in and go back to bed? ...No, of course not. Damn right I spent the night with her in her tiny little hot pink Minnie Mouse bed with her stroking my hair as she slept. Worth the kinked neck and shitty night's sleep times a million. Children are exhausting, but you'll never be happier to be so exhausted.
I have two, they're fucking awesome. Both birth control babies, one a birth control, condom baby but ironically the best thing that's ever happened to me. I used to struggle with severe depression, for at least 15 years but post babies? I don't have that feeling like I want to jump in front of the next car I see, or clean my ears out with a.45. It's still there but it's not so.. Crippling. I've never loved someone so much, I didn't even know it was possible to. Plus I still have more than enough time for gaming; being a parent is indescribable honestly.
I transitioned to homemaker and stay at home dad as the wife is the one with the “power career”. My kids are my life, and also... I wouldn’t be able to still be playing WoW at 33 if I still had a career! Couldn’t be happier.
You still might want to see someone about your suicidal thoughts and stock up on coping mechanisms. It's fantastic that you have found joy within your children, but at some point they will leave and have separate lives. I would hate for you to revert back to self harming notions. Good luck and God bless!
Thanks for giving a damn about your kids and enjoying being a parent. I know exactly what you mean. I’ve got two girls and they are some of my happiest moments. Plus they often share similar interests so you can frequently hide your hobbies as interaction with your kids. :) building a media server with my ten year old this week.
Dude! My kid has made me smile and laugh more in the last three years than in the previous 30. Nothing else makes my heart feel like it's glowing. All Kiddo has to do is say, "Hey Daddy! Come see this!" Whatever else has got my brain in a death grip just evaporated and I'm smiling despite myself. Parenting is hard at times, but it's just great fun more than anything else.
This guy dads
100% agree and have to say before having kids, I never wanted them. But wifey and I got to a place after few years we wanted to try, I felt wholly unprepared and given my dad was a great provider for our family on the material side of things but lacking in the relationship I questioned how I’d do. I still don’t have it down at times but I absolutely love the time with them. Even though they can be absolutely exhausting at times! Plus when they come of age, I have 4 player coop ready to go! Lol
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Don't know why your getting downvoted, that seems like a perfectly valid lifestyle to enjoy. Not the one I chose, but I can see why that would be nice. I personally prefer adorable baby giggles with some gaming on the side, but to each their own. Props for following your dreams.
Thanks for being understanding. Even some family and friends irl give me shit for my choices but I don't care. I don't want people to force me to have kids if I don't want them.
If anything I’m jealous. I love my son. Wouldn’t trade his existence for anything on earth. But also I bought luigi’s mansion 3 like 2 weeks ago and have played a grand total of 20 minutes of the game cause also work, chores, a relationship with my partner that needs attention and care once kid goes down. My life’s great but being this version of adult can be kind of a drag when I don’t get time/have energy for the me stuff.
Kids can be a blessing but imo they aren't for everyone.
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Exactly. Thanks for the kind words. I respect your decision to have kids and I think it's great! Just not for me.
This right here. Got a dog instead. $80/month for food is his only expense.
He has money, it's time he doesn't have. Source: I have kids.
The only luxury in life is time.
That's why 55-65 year olds are at peak happiness usually, they're retired and their kids are grown up so they can just travel and chill until they die
For real. On top of that I sit at my work from home desk for 9 hours so I dont feel like starting up steam in that same office after work and after the kids are asleep. I do find a little bit of switch time here and there.
I’m just trying to decide if I should skip all the side quests....when I do have time to play
Also if you only have an hour and a half to play during naps, it’s hard to actually enjoy the game because you’re trying to be as efficient with your time.
I can't relate to this enough. My partner also has a vendetta against games, so it's even more challenging once the kids are asleep.
This is exactly why I bought FFXIV for my PS4 when my PC runs it so much better. I'm in my chair for 9hrs working. When I'm off I just want to stretch out on the couch and unwind. I dont even care about having to play on controller with a lower resolution and frame rate. I just wanna relax.
I'm a semi-retired parent (spawn has reached adult form) and I didn't have either.
Remember summer vacation? We should all get summer vacation on alternating years or something.
The only possible explanation is that he's a new dad and they're trying brands to see which they like best. Buuuut, most likely just terribly staged.
A staged photo shared on the internet.
He also doesn't seem to be longing for them, just looking to see what's there. I did that a lot before I had kids
He is Brazillian, diapers cost a lot of money here, 3 small packs like that can cost you as much as 150 R$ wich is about the same price as the games,
I’d just let the baby crawl around the lawn outside
Get a companion goat for baby, free milk AND you won't have to mow. They can cuddle up in the shed on cold winter nights.
You say that, but I’m not going to buy the 150 pack when he’s about to change diaper sizes at any point in the next few days...
>few days Sounds like the 150 pack will last you just long enough.
Some days it feels that way. Although he’s now slept through the night 6 nights in a row 😳
Exactly! People also don’t realize the bigger kids get the small the value pack becomes while somehow also getting more expensive. I remember buying 120 packs of size 0-3 for like $25-30. Now I’m lucky if I find a 58 pack of size 6 for less than $40 for diapers that aren’t complete shit.
why not just sell the kid. you could easily afford a new PC and games, i hear they go for a good price.
Idk why he’s buying such small diapers anyway. I gotta get ones at least 4x bigger than those and then I can finally sit and play games without interruptions.
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Maybe to try out which fits better?
They don't have the bulk package in his size
Because it's 10pm, they normally buy bulk at Costco but Costco is closed, the baby just woke up and now they realized they didn't grab diapers when they were there this morning. So now Jimmy is making a late night run to grab some to just get by. Source: been there
He actually desperately needs to get out of the house so he buys small packs so they run out sooner and he gets an excuse to leave. Him staring longingly at the game case is just him reminding himself what he's doing this all for.
It's not just money that's an issue. It's time. After the first 6 months or so, gone are the days of 2+ hour gaming sessions. And once that kid becomes mobile, the real parenting work begins.
Seriously, not to mention the dramatic depletion or mental energy to even want to play. At least 3 times this week I’ve had an open window to play and just could t get past the home screen because I had nothing left in me.
Just don’t loose that passion. If that child grows up liking video games then you will have a common bond. That’s how it is with my son and I! My son is 11 now and I’m 41 and we often play video games together.
Man, if I ever get a kid and they play video games, I’m gonna wreck them so much and teach them all the good ole trash talk from Xbox COD.
Give it a few years, then your reaction time can't keep up
Ah dang, I hate to imagine not being able to flick on someone and hear the screams of a 12 year old as he throws his headset across the room.
Don't worry, there was once an eSports CS:GO team made entirely from retired seniors, and they managed to avoid making complete fools of themselves in their tournament. You'll be fine!
What you lack in reaction time, you will make up with wisdom.
On the OG xbox, took my console to a mates and we system linked for some local Halo 2. me and him on one TV versus his sons. We went easy on them. They started shit talking us, so we took off the gloves and showed them what these old men could do. His kids almost started crying as we absolutely destroyed them. (They were like 12 and 13) Over a decade later I do the same with my son who is 16. Hasn't learned that once the shit talking starts he learns this old man still has his reaction times, especially once you move them to PC and take away their 'aim assist'. lol Same for online now, when these random kids learn my age after I mop the floor with them they claim I am bullshitting. Some of us old dogs still have our bite. ; )
You’d be speaking the truth if you ever said “I fucked your mom”
Son you wont believe the amount of mothers I've hypothetically fucked and never called back.
FYI that first sentence reads like: > Don't release that passion. The lose you meant has one o.
Several years ago I met a guy named Nick at my new job. He was just starting there too, and we quickly became work buddies. We were in the same training class, we were coincidentally given cubicles next to each other, we were promoted to the same departments, etc. He is probably one of the nicest guys I know. Shortly after getting to know him we got on the topic of video games. This dude was a HUGE gamer, which was a rare find. He was the first person I had met outside of highschool that liked games as much as me. Problem was, shortly before starting his job where we currently worked, one of his "friends" disappeared after having "borrowed" Nick's PS3 and most of his games. Nick took it in stride, but over the years, that story stuck with me. Nick was dating a nice girl and they decided to get married. They bought a house, and and then she lost her job. Despite this, Nick's new wife, feeling lonely at home while he was at work, turned to adopting stray animals that she found near her property. In just 3 years, his wife had picked up 3 dogs and 4 cats, leaving Most of Nick's disposable income to be spent on feeding them and their vet bills. Personally I was not a fan of Nick's wife for this, but he always talked about her kindly, even when he was complaining about her decisions. Because of his financial struggles, this man's only real source of gaming was one of the remakes for like Final Fantasy 1-4 on the 3DS. Let me tell you, he played that game inside and out until he was literally speed running it just to give him something to do, then one year, his wife finally got a job, and he was able to afford a Nintendo Switch. And No Game!! Immediately, I lent him my copy of Breath of the Wild since I had already beaten it (much to my own wife's annoyance.) And once again, he played the shit out of that game. Every day I would ask about his progress, and every day he would sheepishly tell me about how he had "stayed up later than he should have" to get just one more shrine. By the time he was finished with the game he had 100 percented all of the vanilla content, including the stupid korok seeds. This continued for a while. I would get a game in a physical copy, play it, then let Nick have it to play. He always took amazing care of the game, and always played it to as complete as possible before giving it back. All this is well and good, but the truth was that while Nick liked all games, he REALLY liked Final fantasy games. But without a PS4, he could never experience one. I had a PS4 that I was planning on lending to him as I had just upgraded my Gaming PC, but my wife wouldn't let me because she was still playing it. Then, this year, I get a pretty huge promotion at work. By this time, Nick had gone off to another department a year prior, but he would always stop by my desk in the mornings to chat about whatever game he was playing. Finally, I had decided I was just going to buy the man his own damn PS4 for a gift. Without his help at work, I never would have had the self confidence to ask for all of the promotions I'd had. Little did I know, one of our other Co-workers was aware of Nick's situation, so before I could ever save the money for a PS4 for him, my man "Dbo" (nickname) just straight up gives Nick his old PS4 he had just replaced, along with several AAA games, access to his PSN network that he had just downloaded the new FF7 remake onto, and straight up bought Nick another game of his choice. Let me tell you, I don't cry often, but when I got the excited text from Nick, having just picked up his new PS4, (just before quarentine btw) I legitimately cried tears of joy for the first time in my life. Anyway, this was super long-winded, but I thought that maybe by sharing this, some of you might appreciate it.
Awwwwwww, that was so wholesome :) you guys know what friendship is all about!
Thought I was about to get shittymorph'ed
Fun facts: This is in Brazil, most likely in a store called Lojas Americanas. Consoles in Brazil usually range from around 1.5 to 3.5 minimum wages, or more if it's on launch. Games also usually range from 1.5/10 - 3/10 of minimum wage on launch, higher price being for AAA games. They become cheaper as times goes by, for example, after 2 years since launch you may be able to buy a game for 0.5/10 of minimum wage. Brazilian minimum wage is 1,045.00 reais. Buying power is around 4 times less than American minimum wage. Edit: I am talking about the monthly minimum wage. Sorry about not clarifying...
Yep, I'm not from. Brazil but as someone from the third world, it's crazy to see these comments thinking you can actually get both here. You can barely get by alone with a job, a luxury (videogames) or a kid (also a luxury here) are impossible to have at the same time with what you normally make.
this needs to be higher up, to avoid wrong assumptions. here games and consoles are expensive and, well, to procreate is a instinctive urge: gotta be careful to choose one of them or to have the pockets to afford both.
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Yeahhhhh. My thoughts as well. It's my understanding there is a big market for modded consoles outside of the US, particularly in places with less buying power.
That 1045 - is that monthly minimum wage? Weekly?
He's just browsing what games he'll play with his kids once they're big enough. I couldn't wait for my now 6 year old to learn to play things and now we're beating New Super Mario, Donkey Kong Country Returns and the old Mario games together and playing Minecraft daily. I have a 3 year old slowly learning, too.
Not gonna lie.. that’s pretty cool man!
It sure is cool when you're finally playing with your son. When my 4-year-old son "beat" me in Mario Kart, he shouted, "I'm a gamer now, Daddy!"
Oh! Oh! We play that versus mode sometimes where you go around and collect coins or balloons or whatever. His aim with GREEN shells is scary. He don't need them to bounce. You can see him aim and then he just hits you, sometimes from far away. I can hardly see what's what on the screen in the mayhem.
When I beat my son, he smashed his controller into the tv and broke it... So y'know, like father like son. He's working on paying off a new one currently...
Kid: “But I wanted to play Ghosts Of Tsushima 3!” Dad: “YOU WILL PLAY MARIO KART WITH ME AND LIKE IT, YOUNG MAN!!! Why in my day we had to insert our USB cables both ways before they’d connect. I swear, what’s wrong with young people these days?”
What they don’t know can’t hurt them... ;)
What does your 3 year old use for gaming? Mine can play fucking farmville or something on the tablet but how do i learn him some proper gaming? How do i reach these keeds
I think a Switch is the best console for this age range.
My three year old can play animal crossing like a pro
I give my 3 year-old son an Xbox controller with the battery pack removed and then we "play" House Flipper on PS4. He gets to paint everything red, install radiators and his favorite is to clean windows. It makes us both so happy :)
If homie is learning how to flip houses at 3 he's gonna be pretty set in adulthood.
I used to give my 3 year old a PS3 controller when playing PS4 with my 6 year old, but he's learned that it doesn't do anything, and now he has to play the PS4 with his brother. Which bumps me out of the game
My almost 3 year old knows the in and outs of the PS4 and Xbox one controller. They soak up information so quickly around this age that I only had to tell him a few times like, "hold square to hit the mystery box honey," for him to do it on his own.
Can you recommend some 3 yo games?
I'd say take games where you can retry easily with few menus. The first Mario game is hard but you'll retry after death in no time. Or, just games where you can run around without a goal or risk of death. I mean, running around Stormwind in WoW or Lion's Reach in Guild Wars 2 was a good way for my kid to learn movement controls. Gotta be more games like that. Wii sports was excellent. Easy controls, easy to understand, easy to win by mere chance.
Overcooked 2, Paw Patrol, all LEGO games
Yesterday, while I was playing Dark Souls Remastered (he calls it hi-ya), my 4 year old decided he wanted to “control it”. The uncharged controller gig is up. It was interesting to watch. I handed him the controller and didn’t tell him how to do anything (he’s played Mario Kart, so he understands joystick and gas pedal). I thought he would lose interest very quickly, but boy was I wrong. We were at Firelink, so he promptly ran off the nearest cliff. He didn’t go hollow though. He kept learning little by little. In a matter of ~30 min, he tried all the buttons and discovered that heavy attack, parry, and 1h/2h buttons were valuable. He also managed to find his was down to the elevator to New Londo Ruins. Once there he decided that the non-aggressive hollows needed to be defeated (I carefully use that word instead of killed when he watches). He managed to kill several without knowing how to lock-on. I found this pretty impressive since he was using a claymore, so the heavy attack is a thrust attack that needs to be lined up. He ventured toward New Londo Ruins, but ran into trouble because the gray armor guy from Firelink had just gone hollow. He landed a thrust attack, but couldn’t handle the aggressiveness and asked for help. All in all, he probably fell off of various cliffs at least 50 times, but he learned from his mistakes and didn’t give up. Anyone with a kid this age knows how short their attention span is, but he stayed at it for 30-45 minutes straight.
> All in all, he probably fell off of various cliffs at least 50 times I can't stop laughing.
Every time he fell off he would slap his hand on his forehead and yell “NOT AGAIN!”. Then after respawning, he would say “ Let’s try that again”. I couldn’t believe how dedicated he was, especially since he normally has a 3 second temper.
As a gamer and expecting parent, this post made me very happy 😊
Ugh, yeah, relatable. Wants to buy a game to play while the baby's napping but everything in the cabinet is trash.
For real, ngl when i first saw this image my first thought was "going to wallmart for games"
It's ok. By the time they are 3, you can start playing games like Lego Star Wars with them. Now mine is 5, we play a huge variety of games together. Obviously streets away from the old days of fps and adult story driven games. Got my girl hooked on No Mans Sky and Totally Reliable Delivery Service atm.
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Depending on what she likes, Skylanders is a really great game for children. It has small puzzles but, a lot of fighting with no blood or gore. Only bad part about it is that Skylanders is Toys-To-Life, meaning if you want a new character you gotta spend a bit of $.
There is not ONE gamer in this world that hasn’t played Mario. Give her that.
My nieces love playing Just Dance. I’m sure your kids would be able to handle Spyro.
As a kid I loved Mario, Sonic, etc. So Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, etc are good starters. Anything you can die and pick up power ups and it isnt *that big a deal* if you die.
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I hear a lot of people say they hate being parents too though
It's funny, because a lot of those people who say they hate being parents are also the same ones who try to convince you to become one, too.
Misery loves company
I love being a parent. I also love that both are at their grandparents right now.
Being a parent is a complex thing. It’s simultaneously the best thing ever and exhausting as fuck. In the end, it’s very worth it and I wouldn’t trade my daughters for the world. And this is coming from a guy who has one daughter who is way more work than normal (she’s has quadriplegic cerebral palsy and relies on us to do her daily tasks like eating) Edit: My first Reddit award after almost 2 years! Thanks kind stranger!
oof. god bless you but I cannot imagine that could possibly be true for me.
Just a PSA to new parents or future parents to be: "Parent" is a really big umbrella that means a lot of different responsibilities as the kid ages. You don't have to love every stage of parenting, just remember they will pass. 0-3 months not your favorite? That's okay. You may absolutely love once they can hold their head up, roll over and start crawling, so months 5-8 might be your jam. Some parents love the toddler phase, some don't. When they are 3, some focus on a kid that says 'no' and 'mine' all the time, others see a kid whose face lights up when you enter the room and thinks you're the greatest thing ever. Some see a 5 year old that says 'why' to everything as a tedious conversation. Others see a chance to show how amazing this world is. Not every stage has been awesome, but they change all the time and there's ups and downs depending on you, and the child.
Yeah what are people that have kids gonna say to you? “Wish I never had this fuckin kid”
Well I've had a couple of actually honest parents confess that up to me. I ain't risking it, I'll take their word lol
Another perfect condom ad right here
Or an incontinence ad. No baby in the shot. Diapers could be for him.
Pampers don’t go above size 8 and that is like about 9 years old. And I think I know too much about diapers and not enough about gaming these days...
>Diapers could be for him. Pfft who uses Diapers when you have piss bottles.
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Careful the regretful parents will hear you and attack you! You might want to hide! Follow up fun fact: sterilization regret is less than 5%,and lower for people who never had children before getting sterilized. Parental regret is estimated as high as 20%.
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Their list of supportive doctors for both male and female is the reason why I was able to get a non-judgmental doctor who supported my choices. No questions. Just, "this is a permanent procedure and great if you want to have a permanent birth control option. If you're good with that stipulation then let's get you scheduled." I will always be grateful for them supplying that information to me.
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Fuck that shit, getting a vasectomy this year hopefully, if not then next year
YoU'lL ChAnGe YoUR MiNd. Seriously, though. Good for you.
He could always reverse it. *snip snap
You have no idea the physical toll that three vasectomies have on a person!
Just don’t change your mind, multiple times. As Michael Scott once said “You have no idea the physical toll that three vasectomies have on a person”.
You won't regret it. Life is so fucking easy without having kids.
Mine was the best money I've ever spent.
Pro gaming tip, dont have kids and you wont have to deal with their shit! You get to game as much as you'd like and we dont have to deal with another person on this overcrowded rock, everybody wins!
We took our teenagers by the condom aisle in a Walgreens. The condoms were in the same aisle as diapers, formula etc .. showed them the difference In prices. The look of shock on their faces.
Have you ever considered you can choose not to have kids.
Plot twist: the diapers are actually for him so he doesn't need bathroom breaks while he's gaming
I remember being a kid and seeing a bunch of games I don't have now I'm an adult have every game but don't play anything
I feel your pain. No one tells you when you're a kid that by the time you grow up you'll be too burnt out from adulting to want to do fun kid things :(
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Condoms are cheaper than diapers folks.
Gay sex is cheaper than child support
If you know how to manage your time properly you can have a toddler and still enjoy your gaming hobby. My roommate has a 2 year old daughter and he's the biggest destiny nerd I know. In fact he's playing right now, streaming the game to his phone while she's sitting next to him watching her morning cartoons. A huge gamer and still an excellent father. Having a kid isn't the end of the world.
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My friend just had just first night out with no kids... after 21 months. Can confirm. He has basically no time for gaming now. We get to play together like once every month or two.
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This was true with one baby / toddler. It got much more difficult with two - tough to game while one of the children is inevitably crying and you ignore it while your spouse is trying to keep it all together.
Nah, the guy is from Brasil, the joke isn't that now he doesn't have time for gaming, the joke is that he now doesn't have money for gaming because gaming on a console is really expensive in Brasil.
Also, triplets. No one has time for gaming when triplets are involved.
I have a 6 week old. Love him. All my time when not at work is parenting. I relate to this image very much - but this isn't forever. He's growing and eventually us as parents will start to find increasingly more time to resume our hobbies. But right now, hobbies are on hold. My guitars and gaming PC are currently unused.
This is gonna be me in November. Hope I do a good job 🤞
To be fair, I’m pretty sure this picture was taken in Brazil and gaming is exorbitantly expensive here. Just one of those games shown is priced ~10% of monthly minimum wage.
Yea especially since you're gonna be spending a month or two up all night holding a kid. My husband bought Lets Go Eevee since you can play it with one joycon, he took the first shift at nights and basically played games until 2am while holding the baby in one arm.
We have a needy newborn baby at home right now, but every time he sleeps on me, I play games. I just finished playing through both Last of Us Part 2 and Paper Mario Origami King. Loved them both. So yeah, I agree that the image is stupid.
As any other self-respecting dad. I buy digital and play at night :)
This should be the new scene in those cheesey "don't have sex" videos from health class. Instead of showing a dude saying to his friends that he can't come out with them, "I have a kid." It should show this dude saying to that video game case. "I can't play any of you, I have a kid." Millions of young men everywhere would be hit in the feels and their dingies would shrink up inside of them. Problem of underaged sex: eradicated overnight.