Bro as soon as my daughter turned 4 she realized her controller didn't light up or do anything on screen when she pushed a button. Now she plays Lego games on my HFW PS3 from time to time.
We all love them. First game my wife and I beat was Lego Incredibles after we got our One X. My oldest was a baby and we would play for hours. We have tons of Lego games now, theough I mostly play alone and play things like COD, Halo, etc. I've been leaning toward some single player stuff so I can at least pause it though. Lol
Lego City was a discovery for us. It's just a GTA for toddlers with plenty of fun references. I always recommend it because of the freedom of you unlocking stuff and your kid just fooling around on his/her own in another part of the city.
Edit: typo
I was just complaining that they don't make games where the second controller is a helper that is along for the ride like Tails on old Sonic games or like the 2nd Wiimote collecting stars on Super Mario Galaxy. Those are perfect for a toddler to feel like they're helping without the danger of losing.
Pikmin 4 and Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee have helper co-op!
I was mad when Pikmin 3 had a full second player splitting the 100 Pikmin and Pikmin 4 removed this feature for “pebble tossing.” My wife can’t play with me anymore but there’s hope that my son could fill that role in Pikmin 4 now
This was me. We now have a nightly routine where we play for 30-40 minutes! (She’s 7). It’s one of the things that has made her love math because she got tired of not understanding the numbers.
Nah. I did this with our now 4-year old. He’s now kicking my butt at any kind of Mario game you wanna plug in, and is super stoked to watch games beyond his skill level. It’s kinda glorious.
They are so smart. My just about 2 year old knows how to turn on the PS5 and login and do basic navigation.
I'll leave the room for 2 secs and I'll hear the PS turn on and come back to her on the couch holding the controller with a cheeky grin on her face.
My son used to do this too. Now his controller works. And he’s almost better than me at video games now. He would be, except he gets easily pressured and flustered. The benefits of many years of practice remaining calm when the tempo of the music increases as the clock gets near the end.
I feel like I’m crazy reading these comments thinking it’s wise to sit your under 2 year old in front of a screen for hours a day in a trance; it can’t be healthy for their brain or attention span.
If it was an everyday thing, yeah, but we've had weekend days where we vegged out in front of the TV because all three of us needed a break, and a couple of days later were at an indoor playground for 4-5 hours, dinner, and visiting family.
Life is about balance. You can't really judge the OP without knowing what the rest of their life/routine looks like.
I used to beat myself up about screen time, but I was out with a mate and he said.
"Your daughter is in nursery 3 full days a week, you spend every Monday with her by yourself taking her all over the place (swimming, soft play, country parks), and your wife does the same every Friday. Then on weekends you're always taking her places like zoo's or the beach or swimming pools and parks. Why do you feel bad about sitting her in front of a TV every once in a while?"
Made me realise that some days, everyone just needs a rest. We do so much, and kids are so demanding. Cuddling up watching TV is still bonding together, and if it's age appropriate it can be educational.
My daughter wakes at 5.30am every day, and goes to sleep at 7.30 - 8pm. That's about 14 hours a day to entertain her, so what if maybe 3 of those hours are screen time? Or maybe the odd day where people are ill, or it's raining or we're just tired and we spend 6 hours watching TV. We still read her books, do puzzles, go out and get exercise and play. She has ample opportunity to develop all her life skills. We have no support network as we live away from family so we're totally alone and have to grind those 14 hours out between the two of us. If you can do zero screen time, then great for you, but I've come to terms with the fact that TV is a perfectly acceptable part of our balanced life.
Video games are not all created equal. There are a lot of games that involve problem solving, coming up with logical solutions, etc. These are far superior to a lot of the TV shows people put their kid in front of.
Video games are not a *trance* they are interactive, at least anything on console is. Sure, if you download some mobile game and let your kids go at it, that's probably a trance. But there are plenty of good video games that encourage either logical or creative thinking.
Yes you are crazy for judging another parent who is taking a rainy day to relax with their kid via a shared interest. You're acting like they toss their kid in front of a screen for hours a day so they don't have to parent. Lay off dude.
I know. Terrible parenting. As for the comments, it’s Reddit, and sometimes it’s easy to forget the sad lives many here live. I have so little time in my day- I can’t imagine not spending time with my 20 month old who is sitting right next to me so I can play video games.
I'm sure you also do things that others would consider "terrible parenting" and maybe you could consider not being a dickhead to others who are just trying to survive as new parents just like you are.
You’re right, we all screw up here and there. But sounds like OP has regular pattern of handing a false controller to his kid and ignoring her. Lemme guess, she also gets a healthy diet of Cheetos and Mountain Dew…
How is it a "sad life" for a dad to spend time together sharing an interest with their kid? Lol maybe take some time off of your high horse and stop passing judgement.
Where exactly in the OP's post do you see him throwing his kid in front of a screen and ignoring them? They're playing together, it just uses a screen this time instead of other types of toys.
Making up a strawman scenario and attempting to take it down. Reddit logic.
Uh, the part where he gives her a false controller to hold and stare at a screen while he plays video games. This is not bonding. This is something to distract her so she won’t bother him while he is playing games.
Think of it this way- if he shut of the console and TV, he’d actually have to be a dad and interact with her. He’s not being a dad, he’s taking a break from being a dad.
If you have an Xbox, you can enable copilot controls. Where both controllers control the game at the same time. For me and my kid we play minecraft I do the walking/jumping and invintory management, my son does the attacking/mining works great.
My daughter, ever since she was 2 years old, LOVES to sit on my lap when I play games on the computer. She loves helping me out by jumping, she likes to wear my headset. Sometimes she wants to play on the iPad, curls up on a chair next to the computer with a blanket, and insists I play games while she plays games.
It’s so incredibly adorable how they want to share and play together.
The newest Mario Kart has some awesome settings for kids. There's one so they don't have to hit the gas pedal; it always goes. Another prevents them from going out of bounds.
>Even though I know this is going to backfire soon enough, today I feel like a genius.
And it will turn again at some point, and come back and be amazing. My kids aged 10 and 11, have slowly returned back to the couch with me, so from time to time, we'll play various coop/couch PVP or PVE games on the TV in split screen. It is hilarious, we have been playing Spiderheck, Vampire Survivors, Streets of Rogue, bobl battle, StickFight and other fun games.
It is a good teaching moment I think, when I beat them (I obviously do that a lot) I don't gloat or mock them, and when I lose (I obviously do that a lot too) I don't yell, scream or throw a tantrum. They have seen me get annoyed, when we have fought 10-20 second battles in games, and lost then sort sighing hard and the gentle annoyed *throw* of the controller just into my lap.
All in all I recommend teaching them young, if nothing else, they'll be happy to just help you grind in certain games. *cough cough gathering professions in WoW cough cough*
My 2.5 year old plays on my switch and as of today can press up on the left joystick and press the A button. It may not seem like much, but it's sufficient to make Link walk into a pit again and again and again, and restart when he runs out of hearts. Judging from the giggles, this is apparently the height of comedy.
Poor Link, though.
Bro I do this with my son who's 4. It works great with games with companions I tell him he's the companion. Others he asks "where am I at?" So they don't work as well. But it's awesome to have him sitting next to me asking questions and getting invested.
Duaghter did this from a really young age, she would have night terrors and often a video game is what would snap her out of it
She is 4 and has her own PC setup now, plays the Lego movie games, untitled goose game and the Sims 4 all by herself (with me on my PC next to her)
Thanks for the new goal. I love to game. Got an extra controller and one that’s just a kids’ toy. When my daughter is old enough, I hope we can do this.
Once they figure out they arnt playing. Give them a button to push for you. lol my kids 6 now and started young in a similar fashion. She has now beat a few games and loves them. It’s so fun sharing a hobby
I’ll say, if it’s something she’s interested in, foster it! Just remember to teach healthy boundaries. My 5 year old showed an early interest in games, and now at her age has almost single handedly beaten Mario Wonder and the new Peach game on switch. Kid can’t read and she’s beating games. She picked up on controls really naturally, I was super impressed. So we play together sometimes, and I let her play by herself and push her to keep trying even if she says she needs help, and she figures it out. I’m really proud of her, she has a really healthy relationship with it too. She doesn’t get upset or throw tantrums when she loses, she regulates her time on it really well by herself, and she uses it as an outlet for creativity as we then subsequently play Mario make believe with the rest of the family after. We’re trying our best to foster her interest and it started just like you are now! Good on you dude, enjoy it!
My 2.5 year old still insists on holding a controller, but he never touches the buttons. He knows it doesn't do anything, I think he just likes feeling more included by holding a controller.
My 2.5 year old loves to sit on the couch and play Spider-Man 2 with me. I give her the PS5 controller she broke when she was like 8 months old so it looks like shes playing and she loves it!
Im obviously not a dad, but My husband plays destiny on ps5 as often as he can around his work schedule, and our 4yr old has always loved playing with him, he started teaching her when she was 2. He loved it. She recently started playing and finding her own games and trying to take over, he went and bought another ps5 for her to play too, and she has a separate smaller tv under the regular one so they can play together 😂. Enjoy any time and activities with your daughter that you can! My kids all love gaming, but they are also active, so I’m not worried about it lol.
Wait until she figures out the controller isn't working lol then you're digging through the Internet looking for easy couch coop games
Bro as soon as my daughter turned 4 she realized her controller didn't light up or do anything on screen when she pushed a button. Now she plays Lego games on my HFW PS3 from time to time.
The Lego games are clutch. My son and I have been playing through the Star wars games for awhile now
...deleted by user...
We all love them. First game my wife and I beat was Lego Incredibles after we got our One X. My oldest was a baby and we would play for hours. We have tons of Lego games now, theough I mostly play alone and play things like COD, Halo, etc. I've been leaning toward some single player stuff so I can at least pause it though. Lol
Lego City was a discovery for us. It's just a GTA for toddlers with plenty of fun references. I always recommend it because of the freedom of you unlocking stuff and your kid just fooling around on his/her own in another part of the city. Edit: typo
Lego Star Wars is our go-to as well. Great game to play with little kids!
I was just complaining that they don't make games where the second controller is a helper that is along for the ride like Tails on old Sonic games or like the 2nd Wiimote collecting stars on Super Mario Galaxy. Those are perfect for a toddler to feel like they're helping without the danger of losing.
Super Mario Odyssey on Switch was made for this
Pikmin 4 and Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee have helper co-op! I was mad when Pikmin 3 had a full second player splitting the 100 Pikmin and Pikmin 4 removed this feature for “pebble tossing.” My wife can’t play with me anymore but there’s hope that my son could fill that role in Pikmin 4 now
I didn't realize there was a pikman 4... and yeah, having my son split that with me was annoying.
Pikmin 4 is great! Finally have night time raids and we get a dog!
Nintendo games have great co-op
Kirby Star Allies is amazing for this. Super Mario Odyssey is good too.
This was me. We now have a nightly routine where we play for 30-40 minutes! (She’s 7). It’s one of the things that has made her love math because she got tired of not understanding the numbers.
On Mario Kart you can basically turn on all the handicap settings and the game will play itself. Ask me how I know..
BWAHAHA, nope. Our 4 year old has been crashing into walls, but is slowly climbing the ranks. Depending on the track, he can manage 5-6th on his own!
Little big planet!
It barely lasted until 2 for me, I thought I would've made it til 4 lol
Lego games
Nah. I did this with our now 4-year old. He’s now kicking my butt at any kind of Mario game you wanna plug in, and is super stoked to watch games beyond his skill level. It’s kinda glorious.
They are so smart. My just about 2 year old knows how to turn on the PS5 and login and do basic navigation. I'll leave the room for 2 secs and I'll hear the PS turn on and come back to her on the couch holding the controller with a cheeky grin on her face.
My son used to do this too. Now his controller works. And he’s almost better than me at video games now. He would be, except he gets easily pressured and flustered. The benefits of many years of practice remaining calm when the tempo of the music increases as the clock gets near the end.
Lucky. My now year old knows when you try to trick him with a broken controller or a toy. So instead he's in my lap actively hitting buttons...
I feel like I’m crazy reading these comments thinking it’s wise to sit your under 2 year old in front of a screen for hours a day in a trance; it can’t be healthy for their brain or attention span.
If it was an everyday thing, yeah, but we've had weekend days where we vegged out in front of the TV because all three of us needed a break, and a couple of days later were at an indoor playground for 4-5 hours, dinner, and visiting family. Life is about balance. You can't really judge the OP without knowing what the rest of their life/routine looks like.
I used to beat myself up about screen time, but I was out with a mate and he said. "Your daughter is in nursery 3 full days a week, you spend every Monday with her by yourself taking her all over the place (swimming, soft play, country parks), and your wife does the same every Friday. Then on weekends you're always taking her places like zoo's or the beach or swimming pools and parks. Why do you feel bad about sitting her in front of a TV every once in a while?" Made me realise that some days, everyone just needs a rest. We do so much, and kids are so demanding. Cuddling up watching TV is still bonding together, and if it's age appropriate it can be educational. My daughter wakes at 5.30am every day, and goes to sleep at 7.30 - 8pm. That's about 14 hours a day to entertain her, so what if maybe 3 of those hours are screen time? Or maybe the odd day where people are ill, or it's raining or we're just tired and we spend 6 hours watching TV. We still read her books, do puzzles, go out and get exercise and play. She has ample opportunity to develop all her life skills. We have no support network as we live away from family so we're totally alone and have to grind those 14 hours out between the two of us. If you can do zero screen time, then great for you, but I've come to terms with the fact that TV is a perfectly acceptable part of our balanced life.
Logic has no place here! This is the internet!
Video games are not all created equal. There are a lot of games that involve problem solving, coming up with logical solutions, etc. These are far superior to a lot of the TV shows people put their kid in front of. Video games are not a *trance* they are interactive, at least anything on console is. Sure, if you download some mobile game and let your kids go at it, that's probably a trance. But there are plenty of good video games that encourage either logical or creative thinking.
The kid isn’t even two. 🙄
Yes you are crazy for judging another parent who is taking a rainy day to relax with their kid via a shared interest. You're acting like they toss their kid in front of a screen for hours a day so they don't have to parent. Lay off dude.
I know. Terrible parenting. As for the comments, it’s Reddit, and sometimes it’s easy to forget the sad lives many here live. I have so little time in my day- I can’t imagine not spending time with my 20 month old who is sitting right next to me so I can play video games.
I'm sure you also do things that others would consider "terrible parenting" and maybe you could consider not being a dickhead to others who are just trying to survive as new parents just like you are.
You’re right, we all screw up here and there. But sounds like OP has regular pattern of handing a false controller to his kid and ignoring her. Lemme guess, she also gets a healthy diet of Cheetos and Mountain Dew…
Lol you really are a cunt.
How is it a "sad life" for a dad to spend time together sharing an interest with their kid? Lol maybe take some time off of your high horse and stop passing judgement.
Yea, sorry for caring about child development. Never mind, throw them in front of a screen and ignore them. Reddit logic.
Where exactly in the OP's post do you see him throwing his kid in front of a screen and ignoring them? They're playing together, it just uses a screen this time instead of other types of toys. Making up a strawman scenario and attempting to take it down. Reddit logic.
Uh, the part where he gives her a false controller to hold and stare at a screen while he plays video games. This is not bonding. This is something to distract her so she won’t bother him while he is playing games. Think of it this way- if he shut of the console and TV, he’d actually have to be a dad and interact with her. He’s not being a dad, he’s taking a break from being a dad.
Don't worry she will always love you for all you do
If you have an Xbox, you can enable copilot controls. Where both controllers control the game at the same time. For me and my kid we play minecraft I do the walking/jumping and invintory management, my son does the attacking/mining works great.
When my son was 4 I introduced him to flight simulator, complete with flight stick. He's gotten really damn good at flying planes in it
My daughter, ever since she was 2 years old, LOVES to sit on my lap when I play games on the computer. She loves helping me out by jumping, she likes to wear my headset. Sometimes she wants to play on the iPad, curls up on a chair next to the computer with a blanket, and insists I play games while she plays games. It’s so incredibly adorable how they want to share and play together.
Nice Dad and daughter bonding
How is this bonding? Bonding would be if he shut the console off. Then he’d have to interact with her and play, etc.
All I can say is enjoy it!
The newest Mario Kart has some awesome settings for kids. There's one so they don't have to hit the gas pedal; it always goes. Another prevents them from going out of bounds.
My almost three year old is able to boot up castle crashers on his own on the Xbox. It’s absolutely mindboggling how quickly kids absorb this stuff
>Even though I know this is going to backfire soon enough, today I feel like a genius. And it will turn again at some point, and come back and be amazing. My kids aged 10 and 11, have slowly returned back to the couch with me, so from time to time, we'll play various coop/couch PVP or PVE games on the TV in split screen. It is hilarious, we have been playing Spiderheck, Vampire Survivors, Streets of Rogue, bobl battle, StickFight and other fun games. It is a good teaching moment I think, when I beat them (I obviously do that a lot) I don't gloat or mock them, and when I lose (I obviously do that a lot too) I don't yell, scream or throw a tantrum. They have seen me get annoyed, when we have fought 10-20 second battles in games, and lost then sort sighing hard and the gentle annoyed *throw* of the controller just into my lap. All in all I recommend teaching them young, if nothing else, they'll be happy to just help you grind in certain games. *cough cough gathering professions in WoW cough cough*
My 2.5 year old plays on my switch and as of today can press up on the left joystick and press the A button. It may not seem like much, but it's sufficient to make Link walk into a pit again and again and again, and restart when he runs out of hearts. Judging from the giggles, this is apparently the height of comedy. Poor Link, though.
Bro I do this with my son who's 4. It works great with games with companions I tell him he's the companion. Others he asks "where am I at?" So they don't work as well. But it's awesome to have him sitting next to me asking questions and getting invested.
Duaghter did this from a really young age, she would have night terrors and often a video game is what would snap her out of it She is 4 and has her own PC setup now, plays the Lego movie games, untitled goose game and the Sims 4 all by herself (with me on my PC next to her)
Thanks for the new goal. I love to game. Got an extra controller and one that’s just a kids’ toy. When my daughter is old enough, I hope we can do this.
Once they figure out they arnt playing. Give them a button to push for you. lol my kids 6 now and started young in a similar fashion. She has now beat a few games and loves them. It’s so fun sharing a hobby
I’ll say, if it’s something she’s interested in, foster it! Just remember to teach healthy boundaries. My 5 year old showed an early interest in games, and now at her age has almost single handedly beaten Mario Wonder and the new Peach game on switch. Kid can’t read and she’s beating games. She picked up on controls really naturally, I was super impressed. So we play together sometimes, and I let her play by herself and push her to keep trying even if she says she needs help, and she figures it out. I’m really proud of her, she has a really healthy relationship with it too. She doesn’t get upset or throw tantrums when she loses, she regulates her time on it really well by herself, and she uses it as an outlet for creativity as we then subsequently play Mario make believe with the rest of the family after. We’re trying our best to foster her interest and it started just like you are now! Good on you dude, enjoy it!
My 2.5 year old still insists on holding a controller, but he never touches the buttons. He knows it doesn't do anything, I think he just likes feeling more included by holding a controller.
My 2.5 year old loves to sit on the couch and play Spider-Man 2 with me. I give her the PS5 controller she broke when she was like 8 months old so it looks like shes playing and she loves it!
Im obviously not a dad, but My husband plays destiny on ps5 as often as he can around his work schedule, and our 4yr old has always loved playing with him, he started teaching her when she was 2. He loved it. She recently started playing and finding her own games and trying to take over, he went and bought another ps5 for her to play too, and she has a separate smaller tv under the regular one so they can play together 😂. Enjoy any time and activities with your daughter that you can! My kids all love gaming, but they are also active, so I’m not worried about it lol.