How do you work PC gaming around family?

[beasty6]

Hey guys.

So at the title states really, I used to have a gaming rig about 4 years ago, ended up on it too much and caused some issues, anyway, 4 years later I'm back, however without a rig.

So the issue was I was on the PC a lot and used a headset so it caused me to kind of ignore my surroundings, caused a breakup and all sorts.

Anyway we sorted that out, and I want to return to PC gaming but at a level which is fair with the family.
So people with family's, how do you work it around them? Certain times? Days? Agreed times? Or just when ever you can?
My eldest daughter is 6 and she's starting to enjoy gaming, Minecraft, Sims, etc so would like to show her the world of PC gaming instead of the pants PS4 we have sigh

So yeh how do you guys do it without getting in the dog house as well as being respectful about

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Wait until the kids are in bed (mine had zero interest in gaming) and your other half is watching TV shows you hate.

Limit yourself to a 2-3 hour session twice a week and have 5 nights where you talk, watch TV you both like and do couples stuff.

 

[Thekwango]

as above really - game when the other half is watching whatever dross floats her boat on tv but always ensure you have a few nights set aside for a movie night or something similar to keep the peace

 

[Uther]

Wish I had the time to game, not done it for several months now, and can't see that changing any time soon.

 

[Ayahuasca]

The thing is if you have a tendency to get pulled in by gaming and are one of those who are like "It's just an another hour, going to bed at 2am is fine I can still get 5-6 hours sleep" then you'll always struggle to find a balance. If my addiction to gaming had almost caused a breakup, I'd be doing all I could to stay away from it entirely.

 

[Martynt74]

Just replace "PC Gaming" with "Any Hobby" and you'll get far more response.

As above though, i think it would be selfish for a family to deprive you of something you enjoy, providing it's not excessive. I don't tend to play many games, but i'll do bits of woodwork and go running/paddle boarding. My wife accepts that and a few hours a week to yourself is important and i'll try and plan it around quiet times.

I'm sure she's be annoyed if i was going for huge 6 hour runs every Saturday and Sunday but that would be hugely selfish of me!

 

[MookJong]

Get a wife who has to work away sometimes.

 

[Relentless81]

I wait until the kids are in bed, most nights thats by 8pm and the Mrs goes to bed at 9pm, my PC is in the main bedroom and one of my kids is just 4 months old so currently I have to be out by 9pm so I get one hour. As anyone who games will know, one hour feels like 5 minutes and is quite frustrating as itys not enough time but at least it works.

She gets the TV to herself for an hour to watch whatever horrendous trash she's currently in to.

I'm hoping when the baby is a bit older and goes in his own room she'll start going to bed later and I'll get more time to game. I havent bothered buying games like RDR2 as I just dont have the time to invest in them and I've loads of games that I either havent touched yet or I'm slowly progressing through. I've been playing one game for nearly a year and as I type I cant even remember what its called!

 

[Yaayuh!]

Just replace "PC Gaming" with "Any Hobby" and you'll get far more response.

I was just going to say the same thing.

I don't have kids and I only get about 4-6 hours a week. You have to work it in like any other hobby, but I'm sure having kids makes that hard. How about trying to set up a schedule with the other half to take it in turns to manage the kids so you can each do your own thing for a little while?

P.S."a lot" isn't a word

 

[chroniclard]

I game when kids/wife are in bed or at the weekend I play with my boy. He's 12 now so we play stuff like borderlands, state of decay, fortnite(though I hate it), apex legends.

Wife does a fair bit of client lunches/drinks so will often get an evening free a week, which is nice. Also if everyone is out and all my "chores" are done I will also game.

 

[beasty6]

Cheers guys

Yeh I'm thinking maybe few nights a week for couple of hours why she watches her netflix stuff.

I was going to get a gaming laptop instead and sit on the sofa and game but can't help but think I just won't be happy with it.

I used to be on my PC every day, however had a massive wake up call after we had a situation and know the limit and when is the right time etc

I think her fear is that it will grab me and she would loose my attention, however been playing company of heroes 2 on her laptop now and again for a hour or two now and again, and she hasn't had a problem with it.
So hopefully I can show or prove so to speak that I will keep my word and go from there, I also think NO headset aloud as that can make you come across as ignorant but inf just can't hear!

 

[LiE]

I see it as just another form of entertainment, so I usually just see how I feel in the evening. When my son is in bed and I've done my chores, I'll see if the mood takes me. Sometimes I'll play games for an hour, sometimes I'll sit down to watch some TV. I don't do big sessions unless my wife is working late or out. This week she is out for a friends party all evening, so once my son is in bed I have some time.

I find I get on better with casual games that I can just jump into. You don't want a game that has a complex story to follow or mechanics that you may forget when you don't play for 2-3 days. This is why CoD is good for a quick blast or an ARPG. Jump in and start killing stuff.

 

[beasty6]

I see it as just another form of entertainment, so I usually just see how I feel in the evening. When my son is in bed and I've done my chores, I'll see if the mood takes me. Sometimes I'll play games for an hour, sometimes I'll sit down to watch some TV. I don't do big sessions unless my wife is working late or out. This week she is out for a friends party all evening, so once my son is in bed I have some time.

I find I get on better with casual games that I can just jump into. You don't want a game that has a complex story to follow or mechanics that you may forget when you don't play for 2-3 days. This is why CoD is good for a quick blast or an ARPG. Jump in and start killing stuff.

This is ext how I feel at the moment, like last night I couldn't be botherd setting the laptop up so jumped on to bf5 on the PS4 for a bit.

I don't plan on playing big games really, stuff I can just save whenever then come off.
I used to play ARK which was a problem obviously as you can't just logout where ever you are.

I plan on playing RTS, FPS and s few games like Witcher that I can just save and leave etc

 

[Roar87]

I like how men need to have a limit for their hobbies (adult men supposedly), but women can sit and watch reality TV and soaps while being on their phone all night and that's okay

 

[SixTwoSix]

Wait until the kids are in bed (mine had zero interest in gaming) and your other half is watching TV shows you hate.

Missus watches all the same things as me, no soaps or love island or reality crap thank god. Makes it difficult to get time for gaming though.

I generally play a few nights a week for an hour as she settles our 3 year old son and there is one night per week where I just play from when our son goes to bed to whatever time i'm done, be it 10pm or 3am. Works well for her as she gets a chilled night for herself to do as little or as much as she wants.

Odd thing though, i enjoy gaming much more now with limited time than I ever did with all day/night/weekend to play. I think with the extra time you end up gaming for the sake of it, when your time is limited, you make sure you're playing something you're really into.

 

[ivrytwr3]

I like how men need to have a limit for their hobbies (adult men supposedly), but women can sit and watch reality TV and soaps while being on their phone all night and that's okay

They own the vay jay jay.

 

[Kelt]

I like how men need to have a limit for their hobbies (adult men supposedly), but women can sit and watch reality TV and soaps while being on their phone all night and that's okay

Nailed it.

 

[Kelt]

They own the vay jay jay.

Because of this.

 

[LiE]

I think the key thing to remember is if you sit in your man cave every evening with your headset on, your relationship is going to take a hit. Even if your wife is content watching soaps all evening on her phone, both of you should be spending time together consistently.

 

[Blue160]

I stopped gaming completely while the kids were under 5. Now they’re a bit older I’ve built another PC but finding time to actually use it is quite difficult. I usually manage to grab an hour or two a couple of evenings a week when the kids are in bed and my wife is at the gym. The kids like to play Lego Harry Potter on it at the weekend so it’s not entirely wasted!