How are you going to introduce your kids to gaming, if at all?

[Christian Walker]

My son loves it when the guys come over to game. He plays with the dice, makes scary monster noises, and tries to pilfer chips. He will eventually get a chance to play if he wants, but for now he likes to sit on my lap as I DM.

 

[Gnarlo]

My son loves it when the guys come over to game. He plays with the dice, makes scary monster noises, and tries to pilfer chips. He will eventually get a chance to play if he wants, but for now he likes to sit on my lap as I DM.

I got to start borrowing my little nephew over as a visual aid. Seeing your picture, the first thing that popped into my head was :

 

[Silverglass]

My stepson (10) has just recently expressed an interest so I bought the D&D boardgame on Saturday and we played the first adventure. We all enjoyed it and are looking forward to playing the next adventure.

 

[Silver Moon]

I can trace many of my social and academic problems back to gaming, and I don't want them to have those problems.

That's where the responsible parental supervision comes in. We were going to play a session of the kid's game with them last night, and then my oldest remembered a homework assingment due today, so no game.

One great way to get kids into this is a game known as "Fuzzy Heroes". I started mine out with it. This game system introduces kids to all of the basic concepts of minitures gaming using their own stuffed animals as the figures and their own rooms as the battlemats. Bad guys (hard non-fuzzy toys) are put to sleep rather than killed.

The family game is fun, we just make modifications to keep it age appropriate. Of course, you're not a true family gaming unit until Piratecat makes one of the younger children cry.

 

[JoeBlank]

I've heard that before, from many parents - almost everyone I work with has kids, and I'm older than average in starting, I'm sure. But though there may be no "good" time there is definitely a "bad" one - and now would qualify.

Good call, Altalazar, as long as you don't fall into the trap of continuing to put it off until the perfect time, which will never come. If you know you are going to stick to it and make time then it can work.

I got married the summer before I started law school. The wife and I agreed no kids until I was out of law school, had a job, and we had a house.

School, job, house, and now 3 kids later and we are glad we stuck to the plan.

More on topic to the questions asked: My boys are ages 5, 3, and 18 months. The oldest enjoyed the Scourge of Worlds dvd, so he gets the idea of making choices and seeing the consequences. He is familiar with dice, and likes Yahtzee. I recommend this for math too, as we play on parent-child teams, and I make him total the dice.

I have been tempted by the DnD Adventure Game, altho I think it is still a bit early for that. I may go ahead and pick it up anyway, as it lists for only $10.

Curious to hear about others suggestions for starting ages for games such as the Pokemone Jr. Adventure Game, or any others recommended.

 

[Nightchilde-2]

My 8 year old has been interested since she was like 4. I've started taking her to the games, and I taught her how to play the mini game (and she beat me, I might add). So, I'll probably show her how to play soon.

 

[Desdichado]

I had my first when I was 24 and not even in grad school yet. Jessica was born when I was in my MBA program, and my last two were born after I was finally working professionally.

I know this isn't the point of the thread and none of my business to boot, but I'm clearly not a fan of waiting to have kids. For one thing, who wants to be sitting around wanting to retire, but still have kids in college, or even high school?

Anyway, my oldest is now about seven and a half. I've never played anything even vaguely RPGlike other than just tossing dice around with him. He's also never expressed much interest. I keep meaning to run something scaled down to his level, maybe something Star Wars so he can identify easily with the setting and the characters. Just to see how he takes to it.

But it's up to him; I don't have any problem with him either being or not being involved with the hobby. He's got his own things he's interested in already. I don't want to cram my hobby down his throat on top of that.

Then again, maybe I'm somewhat over-sensitive. I tried to cram roleplaying games down my wife's throat and it turned out badly. Now she doesn't want to have anything to do with them.

 

[Praeco]

I intend to read my children Call of Cthulhu adventures as bedtime stories. That should get the ol' imagination rolling.

 

[diaglo]

if you play with them, they will enjoy it more.

i don't have any kids. but i have a boatload of nieces, nephews, and godchildren.

whenever i'm around them they all want to play with uncle D. any game any time.

i picked this habit up from my parents, uncles, aunts, and grandparents.

i remember playing poker with my grandfather when i was 3. i was roleplaying even then. i was a card shark and he was my latest victim.

 

[Nine Hands]

I was thinking the same thing. How do you keep the kids from choking on the dice?

Something is only a choking hazard when the child puts the item in thier mouth. My 3 year old does not do that, so the point is moot. When she was younger we bought her those big foam dice when we went to GenCon.