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Rob Fermier
Father to Xavier, 6, and Xander, 3
(Programmer, Ensemble Studios)
As far as my actual game development goes, Ensemble has always been a very kid-friendly developer, so I'm not sure a lot has changed directly there. One thing that irks me as a game developer is when I see a complex puzzle section where a specific new skill has to be mastered in a totally blocking fashion, and mastering that skill requires reading or other skills that don't match the age of the other skills in the game. That will just stop my boys cold, and they will quickly lose interest. Now a game that is generally about puzzle solving (Eets, Mario v Donkey Kong, etc.) can get away with this since they can master the new skills gradually.
Also, educational games where failure is more amusing than success (like making a silly noise, crazy animation, etc.) frustrate me, just because that seems like a poorly thought out decision. Fortunately, a lot of educational games get this right, as well.
Games that support simultaneous, two-player co-op, where the second player cannot negatively impact the first no matter how badly they play, are great for siblings.
Some games are definitely timeless. Xavier picked up Super Mario 64 at age 3 and was beating the first boss. He had that castle memorized!
Harmonix' music games were a tremendous resource to my wife and I when our oldest child was just a baby. He would resist sleep by any means possible, but he would happily snuggle down and watch us play Frequency until he zoned out and eventually fell asleep. Normally saying your game puts people to sleep isn't a compliment, but in this case it certainly was! Nothing else would keep him so absorbed.
As father-game-developer, I'm not as worried about my boys playing my games as others are. System Shock and System Shock 2 are something that I hope when they are older they can enjoy and appreciate. I'm more concerned that they won't work on modern hardware by the time they are old enough to play though.
Currently Playing
Right now we're playing Spider-Man 3 together (mostly in the sense of me playing and the boys in rapt attention). Some games we actually played through together: Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Lego Star Wars 2. Having so many games support co-op these days is a fantastic thing.
Erik Doescher
Father to Katharine, 4, Lukas, 1, and another boy on the way
(Lead Designer, Artist, Gearbox Software)
I turn off the console when my daughter is around, but there have been times where she has caught the tail end of a game session.
It is interesting to see it through her eyes, because she quickly breaks down the game to its simplest elements - who is the bad guy, who is the good guy, what do they want, where are they going, etc. Answering those kinds of questions can be quite refreshing.
Once she saw me playing Shadow of the Colossus, and I was having difficulty finding the colossus. She went off and came back five minutes later with a hand drawn map (rolled up, of course) that pointed to the monster. I have that one on my wall.
As for work hours; thank God for VPN. I get to keep normal hours, and once the kids and wife are asleep the latest build is ready for me to work on.
Currently Playing
Cinderella’s Ballroom and Barbie Online. Woohoo!
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Chris Oltyan
Father to Taryn Elisabeth Oltyan, 7 months
(Production Coordinator, 1st Playable Productions)
There is definitely a push to be able to create something that my daughter can play, but I picked a company that would provide me with that opportunity before she arrived. The larger impact it had on my outlook on games is the awareness level of what is out there for kids and the types of toys available.
The abundance of "Give to child so child will be quiet" toys was somewhat startling to me. I was hoping to find more "Fun activity to do with your child" toys. This has pushed my wife and my own skills as a game designer as we learn what is fun and interactive for a 6 month old. I think our industry is missing out on the segment of gamers who want something they can play with their children.
Currently Playing
Right now our favorite game is "Make a tower of blocks, and then grab one, and watch it fall!" Great fun, did well on cell phones too. "Stick your finger in baby's mouth while she makes silly noises" is also a big winner for all ages. And "Making Fart Noises".
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Jason Della Rocca
Father of Gabriel, 4, Eva, 2 (pictured)
(Executive Director, IGDA)
Since I don't design games, it doesn't affect me from that perspective. Rather, it does allow me to better appreciate approaches to design, and the language of interactivity. Interactivity and procedural thinking is a new form a literacy that is being embedded in our youth, and I can see directly how this is affecting my son Gabriel (Eva is still a bit too young, though she does like the grab the game pad away from us).
Also, I am frustrated by the lack of fun games for young children to play (beyond the usual Math Blaster and Dora games). I'm encouraged by Ben Sawyer's new "First Game" initiative to create engaging games for parents to play with their young children to a) just have fun, but b) "teach" them the language of games and interactivity.
Currently Playing
We actually don't play many video games (given the lack of choice), but we have enjoyed Viva Pinata and games based on movies like Cars and Open Season. We spend much more time playing board games like Reiner Knizia's excellent Samurai, but with simplified rules), card games (like Magic, but again, with simplified rules) and lots of freeform play involving sofa pillows, kitchen pots and running around the house.
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