Games That Let You Become a Parent

So I've been thinking about this because of two articles, the first written by Stephen Totilo over at Kotaku, and the second by Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade. Both deal with the fact that 2010 seems to be starting a trend for games where you are a parent of some form. Recent examples include Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, and of course BioShock 2 and the soon-to-be-released Heavy Rain. One of the most interesting things Totilo mentioned is that video games are still struggling to depict romance effectively (look at the slightly adolescent romance elements of recent BioWare games), but can handle paternal love much more effectively.
 
But then I got thinking; how many games actually allow you to become a parent of your own volition, rather than forcing it upon you as a storyline point? There's no concept page on the site for becoming a parent, and off the top of my head, I can only think of three franchises that allow the player character to become a parent; the Fable series, the Harvest Moon series and the Sims series (Sims is a little weird because by being born they become PCs eventually). Can anyone think of anymore? 
 
Personally, I really enjoy games that portray parenthood. I'm 20, and I'm not a parent, but I can certainly imagine what it would be like, and I probably do want to have kids someday. I really fell in love with Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, partly because of the having a child element, and the quest in Fable II that involved your kid was one of the most emotionally resonant in the whole game. Maybe it's just me, but I think that's a really cool feature for a game to have. It really helps make a game that much more charming and memorable, and it's something I think more games should have. I still think it's effective when a game has a parent and a child as a key plot point.
 
Link to Kotaku article - The Daddening of Video Games: 
http://kotaku.com/5467695/the-daddening-of-video-games

I'm actually really interested in this.  The only game on your short list I've played is Fable II, and while I didn't think anything about that game was really emotionally resonant, the idea done well could be cool.  This makes me want to play Heavy Rain and Bioshock 2 all the more.  Thanks for the link. :)

Having children in games would be pretty cool, but not many games can do it. Imagine it in Call of Duty - it wouldn't work. Having kids can only be really done in some games, and those games simply don't have the same appeal as a big name shooter, for example. And it doesn't matter if the shooter delivers what it promises or not, it'll still sell better.

I feel like I've stepped into The Twilight Zone. Yesterday Jon Wood posted an article over at MMORPG.com about "it" and how "it" has changed with MMO's, which lead to an interesting discussion in the comments that touched on becoming a parent and games. Now I see today's Penny Arcade and Jerry's link to that Kotaku article and what he is talking about and it just feels weird. Anyway, I think it's a really interesting concept for what is being talked about here and I agree that if done right in a game or games it would be pretty awesome. Those 3 franchises that you mentioned are the only ones that readily come to my mind, but I am certain there are more out there. I too fell in love with Harvest Moon due to the parenting aspect of it, but my first one was Harvest Moon 64. My one criticism with games that let you become parents is they don't go far enough. It just feels like "hey you have a kid" and that's it.  For Harvest Moon I would love a game where you start off as a kid playing on your grandfathers farm. Maybe make it like the tutorial thing with the baby blocks and books at the beginning of Fallout 3. As you grow up grandfather ages and dies and you inherit the farm. Then it plays like regular Harvest Moon with you running the farm, wooing a local girl, and having a kid. However, you continue to age as your kid grows up and then maybe he leaves and has kids so you then get grandchildren. Anyway, the game ends with you dieing and your child, or grandchild taking over the farm like you took it over from your grandfather. Maybe A Wonderful Life did this. I dunno as I haven't played it, but I think it would be a pretty awesome and powerful way to end the game.

I have kids so ill pass being a parent in a game.

If you can't beat your kids, then are you really being a parent in the game?