#Parent #Gamedev

[monkey424]

I DEMAND TO BE GIVEN THE POST OF A MUSICIAN.

Cap'n D.. Hire that man!

Just another thought.. This game shouldn't just focus on one game developer but several. Maybe four. And we get to experience the routine things in their lives as well as their game creations. This way we can include developers from all walks of life and then everyone can relate to this project, not just those with a young family.

So, we're making a game are we?

Fo shizzle!

See? I'm up with the lingo. Not all dads are daggy!

[CaptainD]

I was thinking the same could have difficulty leves:

Singleton
Married
Married + 1 child
Married + 2 children
Married + 3 children

Maybe other combinations.

Clearly Married + 3 children would be impossible to complete.

Differences like - when you're single, you have pressure to spend time in your social life.  When you're married with kids you no longer have a social life.


Monkey, I totally shizzle your dizzle.  I think.  What does that mean?  Back in the day, sick meant you were ill.  Crucial man.  It's wicked, it's bad.  But don't we want it to be good?  Who knows anymore...  it's all in the hood, until the cat is out of the bag.  But if it was Schroeginger's cat in the bag, how do we know it was dead or alive before it walked out?  At any rate if you have a spade, can you dig it?

[NickyNyce]

This is a walk in the life of NickyNyce....

Come home from work mumbling about what I want to do with my game and how much I hate my job. My one year old is with me, crying for his first toy. "Where the hell is it?"   

Puzzle 1...Find the toy/ Puzzle 2...Fix the toy..Grrrr

Turn on the computer, sit down, get ready to produce something in my game....

Oh my goodness, THE DISHES! My wife wants the dishes done before she gets home...

Puzzle 3....Find a way to get the dishes done without actually doing them so I can make my game.

Sit back down and start thinking about making my game. The baby is crying again. He wants to eat...

Puzzle 4....Set something up(Invention with his toys)to feed him while I make my game.

Sit back down to make my game. The phone rings, it's the credit card company.

Puzzle 5....Convince them they have the wrong the number, and that the guy they are looking for is dead. (Dialog puzzle)

Sit back down to make my game. After another few (Wife) puzzles, I now have time to make my game. I sit down joyfully and start again to make my game. Seconds later I fall asleep with my head on the keyboard....Game over, Credits.

This would be the more realistic plan, at least mine anyway. But I'm up for anything.

[CaptainD]

That sounds painfully familiar... (subtract 1 year-old, add 4 year-old and 6-month old, factor in chronic lack of sleep. )

[NickyNyce]

I would imagine most of us can relate to this. Making a game is tough... very tough. I'de like to hear how everyone else that isn't under house arrest, makes their games.

[CaptainD]

I would imagine most of us can relate to this. Making a game is tough... very tough. I'de like to hear how everyone else that isn't under house arrest, makes their games.

Hey... I think you've just solved the puzzle of how some of our high-output AGS members manage it!!

[Lasca]

I would imagine most of us can relate to this. Making a game is tough... very tough. I'de like to hear how everyone else that isn't under house arrest, makes their games.

With a 2.5 year old and a 1 month old my solution is as simple as obvious: quit sleeping! Put your toddler on the shoulder, use the other hand to steer the mouse/tablet/keyboard and cut down your sleep to a maximum of 2 hours a night. It's great, I've got so much time suddenklaksddfgfd...... zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

But on a serious note, the setting/goal of the game could be to complete a MAGS! You have one month, and depending on diffuculty you have different obstacles (singelton - being hungover, married with 2 kids - trying to get your 2.5 year old in to overalls while she verbaly abusing you and your 1 month old is in her carriage all dressed, sweating and screaming, while your wife yells at you for always using bribery to get your oldest kid to do what you want). So you play the game on day at a time with different stages of development. Perhaps it's a very important mags with prizemoney which you need to support your family (Harharhar). So there's a sense of urgency in the game.

[CaptainD]

But on a serious note, the setting/goal of the game could be to complete a MAGS!

I LIKE IT!!!

I'd been trying to think of a logical scenario / endgame situation which would allow for reasonable depth but not be overwhelmingly long.  I think this is it!

[monkey424]

I like this idea too. Perhaps rather than MAGS give the competition a different name so it's not exclusively AGS related. I think the game should feature 4 different game developers all with a different set of living conditions / domestic dramas (with less emphasis on the parenting theme). Suggest one of the characters still lives at home with Mum and Dad and as well as dealing with daily choirs and the like he is also being hassled to stop playing those silly games!

[CaptainD]

I like this idea too. Perhaps rather than MAGS give the competition a different name so it's not exclusively AGS related. I think the game should feature 4 different game developers all with a different set of living conditions / domestic dramas (with less emphasis on the parenting theme). Suggest one of the characters still lives at home with Mum and Dad and as well as dealing with daily choirs and the like he is also being hassled to stop playing those silly games!

Daily choirs?  Yes, singing practice can get in the way!

This is a good idea.  Perhaps we could have:

1/ Child still at home with parents (main pressures: Chores, Parental expectations)
2/ Young adult living alone (main pressures: Social Life, Dating)
3/ Married no children (main pressures: Keeping spouse happy, trying to have a social life)
4/ Married with children (main pressures: Children, Chores!!)


1 - also have to deal with school
2,3,4 - also have to deal with work and finances


Locations:
- School
- Workplace
- Home (split into different rooms?)
- Social scene?
- Dating scene?

[monkey424]

Daily choirs?  Yes, singing practice can get in the way!

  Alright. Well, I won't be in charge of spelling then!

I would imagine most of us can relate to this. Making a game is tough... very tough. I'de like to hear how everyone else that isn't under house arrest, makes their games.

Back to this point. Let's hear from other AGSers. What's your story / domestic situation and how does real life impact on your pursuits as an indy game developer?

The most tragic entries will be looked upon favourably.

Building onto Captain D's blue print, I suggest:

1. Teenager living with parents
2. Young adult living alone. Maybe with a cat.
3. Couple just recently engaged / living together
4. Married with children

If you identify with one of the above, then dont be shy..

POST HERE!

[miguel]

What about the guy that:
- should not be a virgin because he's almost 40, making amateur adventure games doesn't help him much;
- shares a house with younger people who mock him all time because he's a looser and he doesn't smoke dope;
- has a boring, tedious job for a boss who seems to have it all: blond milf-like wife, good car and a house with a swimming-pool, perfect kids and a dog. a perfect dog;

This guy is not a parent but the question is: doesn't he deserve a game about him?

[selmiak]

this opens up even more questions:
does he still have his testicles?
does the perfect dog still have his testicles?

[MiteWiseacreLives!]

Married one kid.
Busy management job, often requires extra hours.
Family wants more time, more help with things around the house (wife has now started a hobby farm..)
Game making usually is snuck in after dark, or if I have house to myself...
The ultimate adventure quest would be to discover the 'elixir of legend' that will make 4hrs of sleep equal to 8hrs or 3hrs feel like 6!
Then all things can be satisfied, happy wife, happy son, happy boss, happy goats and horses....

[monkey424]

does the perfect dog still have his testicles?

In fact the dog was neutered but let's not make a big song and dance about it. Keep it family friendly.

Some good ideas here. Let's keep 'em coming and flesh these character out a bit more.

Since the game concept seems to have morphed beyond its original intent, should we perhaps rename the thread? Or start a new one?

[Baron]

Ahhhhh, life. 

6:20 - Wake up and go wake up 6 year old for school.  Shave, get washed up, dress.
6:40 - Wake up child again, trying to avoid waking up 2 year old who sleeps on lower bunk (in darkened mine-field of toys and clutter)
6:50 - Fix breakfast for both kids because they are both up .  Then make your own lunch for work (perhaps remembering to feed yourself breakfast as well)
7:10 - Send six year old upstairs to get dressed, brush teeth, etc. for school.  Argue about the precise time.
7:12 - Negotiate with two year old about staying home with mom (still asleep) or getting dressed to walk his sister to the school bus. (stress first option, which is never the one he chooses)
7:17 - Fight with both kids about what they want to wear.
7:25 - Make sure six year old's lunch is in backpack and discover hidden notes that demand urgent action (pizza form, milk orders, trip form, etc.)
7:27 - Get kids into snowsuits without murdering anybody.
7:29 - Curse about lost mittens again: why aren't they in coat sleeves or coat pockets?!?!?
7:30 - Dash for bus, carrying 2 year old because he doesn't want to walk.  Temperature is -24 degrees centigrade without the wind chill.
7:31 - Bus is due at stop one block from home.  Bus is late, kids begin to whine.
7:34 - Tears begin to freeze
7:41 - Just as we start to walk back in frustration the bus finally shows up.  Driver excuses delay, but as daughter is first on bus, there is really no excuse. 
7:43 - Foist grumpy two year old on groggy and grumpy wife.
7:44 - Get into car to go to work
7:45 - Boost car battery using wife's car.
7:46 - Drive towards work.
7:48 - Return home to turn off wife's car, which is still running.
8:10 - Arrive at work and check e-mail.  Too many to read, so just select ones from people with names starting with A through G
8:30 - Work.  Work is ok, except it's so busy that there are few opportunities to eat or use the toilet.
3:40 - Leave work.
4:00 - Pick up son (wife picks up daughter).  Son goes with me to skating lesson, daughter with wife to gymnastics.  Apparently they eat dinner at 3:30.
5:00 - Skating lesson commences.  Boy has inevitable tantrum.  Dilemma: leave him to build character on the ice, or bend to peer pressure to do something....
5:30 - Skating lesson ends. 
5:40 - Arrive at play centre.  Play cars with two year old.  Cars is stultifying, but it's quality time with the boy.
6:40 - Wife and daughter arrive.  Be a family for twenty minutes.
7:00 - Wife goes to work.  I take kids home.
7:10 - Fight with daughter about her trivial five minute homework.
7:20 - Make her lunch for the next day while she finally starts.
7:25 - Fix snack for story time
7:30 - Story time
8:00 - Fight with two year old about pyjamas, and teeth brushing, and going pee before bed.
8:10 - Bedtime songs
8:20 - Sleep time.  Both kids still wide awake.  Daddy opens computer anyway on antique one-piece steel school-desk that I found abandoned on the roadside, but now resides next to the bunk beds in the nursery.  As long as kids stay in bed, I can catch up on forums and news.
9:00 - Argue with kids about merits of sleep.  Two year old wants cuddle.  DANGER: if you oblige for more than five minutes you will fall asleep too!
9:30 - Daddy goes downstairs whether or not kids are asleep yet.  If they are not, there will be tears.
9:35 - Daddy gorges on whatever leftover food there might be.
10:00 - Barring any higher priority task (work reports, snow shovelling, etc.), actually open AGS.
10:20 - Inevitably a child is awake and crying.
10:30 - Continue AGS or get distracted, since it's getting late.
11:30 - Wife comes home and complains about shelf that still hasn't been built.
12:00 - Bedtime.

This is only Monday.  It's still the same basic schedule the rest of the week, except the evening activities change!  For me there're meetings of my volunteer association, weekly grocery shopping obligations, cooking dinners every other week, working a brief evening shift (Wednesdays); for kids there are sports practices, swimming lessons, play groups.  On weekends there's hockey, church, house cleaning (church alternative ), errands, play dates, more skating, homework, visiting relations....  Honestly, if I had even a tenth of the time I had back in the day to devote to AGS, I'd be trout-smacking you folks with new releases every other week.

[CaptainD]

A typical day...

Drag self out of bed and go to work.  Perform often tiresome tasks, frequently interrupted by tiresome requests + often things that have nothing to do with me that end up being my problem.  Finally get home, often via the shop. household chores aplenty need doing - our 6 month old doesn't give my wife much rest atm!  After cooking, eating, washing up etc my 4 year-old wants my attention as she hasn't seen me all day.  Usually get the kids in bed by 9-ish, + occasional tantrums because she doesn't want to go to bed yet, + occasional night terrors (thankfully not very often not), + very occasional potty emergencies. 

Somewhere between 9-10pm I get to #gamedev!  Yay!  But (assuming she's not occupied with our 6 month-old refusing to sleep etc), I also need to try to spend some quality time with my wife.  Usually end up trying to do both, do neither even remotely successfully, and feel guilty about both.  By the time I genuinely do have some time to gamedev, I'm normally completely exhausted and go to bed.

On weekends it's almost more difficult to get time due to family and taking care of other responsibilities. 

Baron's pattern looks pretty similar to mine, although with less slow in UK and I usually don't like getting out of bed quite as early!   And both his kids are a couple of years older than mine.  And as I live in an apartment it's all one level, no going downstairs!

(Please think about this before you ask my why I haven't released many games yet! )

Now come on people... HOW could this make a fun game?!?!??!

[monkey424]

Thanks for sharing Baron / Cap'n

Here's my typical day..

5:30 - Alarm goes off. Don't feel like morning jog. Continue sleeping.
6:00 - Hit snooze
6:10 - Get up! Get ready! Breakfast!
6:40 - Kiss Sleeping Beauty and leave house.
6:42 - Return to collect wallet.
6:50 - Run to catch train.
7:30 - Train malfunctions just before my stop. Typical!
7:39 - Train miraculously springs back to life.
7:40 - Get off train and continue on foot.
7:45 - Buy overpriced coffee and slam down while power walking to tram stop.
7:55 - Hop on tram.
8:05 - At office. Work!
12:00 - Lunch break.
12:30 - Back to work!
4:40 - Leave office. Begin tedious commute home.
6:00 - At home. Ignore everyone and head upstairs to get changed.

I'm actually a bit reluctant to talk about my home life at the moment. It's a bit of a circus right now with various guests overstaying their welcome (including an annoying 4 year old boy) as well as a rowdy family of possums living in our roof! That reminds me, I've got to do something about those possums..

The private moments I can enjoy just with my little family make me happy. AGS otherwise fills in the gaps and serves as a sort of escapism, at least for now.

[miguel]

The dog had his testicles removed, all 3 of them. The dog was a freak, okay? But a lovely dog, but a freaky dog.

Spoiler

My day is slightly different from yours because I work at night. I am a porn theatre janitor and I do the late shifts. So I'll start my schedule at some time different:

6pm:   I wake up and turn on the TV while still in bed, zapp channels for some minutes,
              for some reason my enormous penis is always very excited when I pass by the History Channel, it makes me very uncomfortable to have
              such a huge erection when strange guys are talking about pyramids and ancient aliens;
6.18pm The only wise solution is to go straight to the shower and think of Daisy from the Dukes of Hazard.
6.30pm I will probably be checking emails and the AGS forums by now while having some muesli cereals, stupidly I'll accept collaborating in making games
       I don't have time for.
6.45pm I'm having coffee at a place next to work. 3 expressos, full cup, no sugar but sweetener;
7pm:   My shift starts. It takes me 20 minutes to dress my super protective clothes and my darth vader mask. It imitates darth's breathing. It was fun for
       5 minutes but now it just scares the hell of my co-workers and general clients. Yes, even Marty-The-Depraved-Fuck.
7.30pm I'm at the top of row 1, sit 1, with a vacuum cleaner buzzing in my head already. There's no other living being around.
       There's no boss. I've never talked to a superior in my life. I know some guys that I replace and briefly talk and that's it.
       The money is transferred every last day of the month and it never failed.
9.13pm Sometimes I feel I could just leave this place, have a coffee and go for a walk that nothing would happen. I mean, there's nobody. It's a Tuesday
       night and the place is empty. A very enthusiastic lady is having a hard time coping with a team of dudes, she makes a lot of noise. I stare emotionless.
11pm   This movie has better attendance, I counted 4 guys.

:INTERRUPTION:

[close]

[abstauber]

That sounds like the life of Roger Wilco - just better