Duders with kids, when do you play games?

As a guy with 3 of my own (ages 5, 2 and 1) it can become a task to play. I know I'm not alone, but was wondering when some of you play games, and has it changed the kind of game you play? For me personally it has. I play games I can put down quickly if I need to, mostly fighting games. I do tend to play longer games on my 3DS and PS Vita.

If I do invest time in something, it's for when they go to sleep. I also couldn't resist getting a DK2 and messing around with it.

So what about you?

I play whenever I want, nothing has really changed but I only have 1. Since bloodborne came out I've been playing about 4 hours a day. I'd say I actually play more now, but the types of games are the same. If it seems cool I but it and play it. Maybe it helps that I'm married and I have a room just for my PC and a TV with a few consoles hooked up to it. My current gen consoles are in the front room so sometimes during a bloodborne boss fight for instance it's very difficult to concentrate.

@maginnovision: I hear ya man. Thus summer I'm clearing out my basement and it'll be my main game room. It'll help immensely in the concentration aspect.

I only have one also and he's two years old. I tend to play after he goes to bed. Even so, I find my time for games has been cut back significantly, probably because I prefer games that tend to focus on story. Since they often are long games and/or rpg's, for example Dragon Age, Mass Effect, The Witcher, so I try to take bite sized pieces when I can. However since I also enjoy the social aspect of gaming and my wife and friends play too, I find that after my son goes to bed I'll get rounded up for a match of Heroes of the Storm or something (which I've started playing more of instead of Dota since the dumb simplicity of it is easier to grasp without the study I would do for Dota). Instead of getting a portable gaming device, I've started reading a lot more to compensate since it's easier for me to put a book down. Since I've had my son, I've managed to read the five A Song of Ice and Fire books, A few of the Wheel of Time books, and several others.

Just play when you're not working, not spending time with the kid, not sleeping, not eating, not drinking, not going to the toilet.

I have a 5 year old and two 3 year old (we were cursed with twins!)

I tend to play late at night, roughly from 10-11pm. I only get an hour gaming a day, if I am lucky, but I'm often too tired by then and pack it in after half an hour.

I find it helpful to have a game on the go on the PC as well as the PS4, so I can decamp to the PC if the wife wants to watch TV during my gaming hour.

At least games last longer now! A good open world game will take me about four months to complete nowadays.

I maybe get to play for a few hours once a week, after he goes to bed. Even then, I'd rather spend time with my wife so I game very little nowadays. My hope is that when he's 3 or 4 he'll be able to play some games with me. We're having another kid in a couple months though, so I won't be gaming much at all.

It's hard pal. I have two kids of my own, aged 3 and 1, and yeah, I don't get nearly the time I used to have. I tend to play almost exclusively on an evening after they are in be, usually from 7pm. Even then it's only an hour or two if I'm lucky because the other half will usually want to watch some dnd or netflix together. I will occasionally play something on the ds whilst they are still up, but rarely.

Father of a 2 year old, adding another in 3 weeks

I mainly game at night after he goes down. Its to the point where its very hard to play with him in the room as he wants the controller, long ago were the days when I could just give him a second controller and let him do his own thing. We are also moving next week so after that I'm going to bust out my old consoles and see how he handles the wii and NES games, just let him do whatever he wants.

Every now and again I'll get an itch to play a game for a few hours (whether I'm close to the ending and just want to beat it or I've had a bad day and want to unwind) so before even the kid goes to bed I'll just tell my wife that tonight is a gaming night and she is fine with that. If I did that every night she would be pissed but most nights of the week are just me and her watching netflix or cleaning. I've also been lucky to have a job that is really game friendly in that I can spend slow shifts pretty much the whole time playing games. I'll probably be switching jobs soon so that might increase how often I want to play games at home.

4 kids, play often at night when they go to bed!

Got a 2.5yo and a 1yo, and play after they go to bed (and sometimes during the day if I'm home and one is napping). They're in bed by 9 at the latest, so it leaves a couple hours. I guess it won't work out as well when they get older, but hopefully they'll want to play with me then :)

It hasn't changed the types of games I play. I still like long open-world games and RPGs. I just play one game for months on end. I also have no problem with picking up something way late. I played Skyrim for the first time last year for example. I've found that even with games that have a significant online component it's not a big issue---there were still people playing Demon's Souls online when I played it 3-4 years after it came out.

I have 2 kids. (8 and 4). I play games regularly after they go to bed 8-9pm. Depending on the night and whatever shows I want to watch with my wife, I usually play from 9pm to about Midnight. I find that I have plenty of time to play games and usually any game I'd like to.

I play all of my games no on my laptop which I put on a couch table so I can hang out in the living room with the wife while I play.

@vegetashonor: Having a place to play is nice.

Mostly when my toddler goes to bed. Sometimes I'll get a few hours in while he's awake but if I do I'll try to keep it somewhat age appropriate if he's in the same room.

As everyone has said, I play after they go to bed. I know some other folks who let their kids stay up late, and that's just insanity. Get them to bed by 8 and you have at least a few hours of gaming. (However that's why I don't watch a lot of tv. It's either watch a show/movie or game, rarely both.)

For you young parents I can say it's nice when they can start to play with you. My 5 and 8 year old boys and I make a great Awesomenauts team!

My wife has instituted a screen free Sunday policy at the house, which is just the worst. But we do get in a lot of board games that day.

I have two kids (ages 3 1/2 and 7). . . My issue is that my wife and I watch television together when the kids go to bed, so I have to squeeze in video game time any time I can. This is pretty much how i do it:

- If the games are kid friendly I will sometimes fire a game up when they are around the house (driving games and cartoony platformers).

- Each night I will also try to get in 30-40 minutes before my wife and I start our television viewing.

- Thursday night my wife goes to her knitting group, so that gives me about 2 hours of gaming.

- On weekends I will try to play a couple hours late at night (After Midnight on Friday and Saturday).

- My kids are starting to play more games with me (especially my son who is 3 1/2). That means I have been playing a TON of Lego games.

I have 3 Kids (8,6 and 1) and have pretty much an identical gaming strategy as skadave. I have a fair few unfinished games from the past few years but it's not too bad, I've just had to accept that gaming for more than a few hours at a time are a thing of the past.

My wife and I watch TV or films when we are in together in the evening but occasionally I find a game that she enjoys watching me play (currently this is Ori and the Blind Forest).

My older 2 kids love Minecraft and the Lego games so I spend some time at weekends playing with them.

Otherwise 11-12pm is my gaming timeslot, or handheld gaming until the early hours in bed (Not recommended if you are likely to be woken up by a baby in the night!)