My esteemed colleague Dr Fae Heaselgrave and I have written an article in The Conversation discussing mothering and gaming.
Fae’s PhD research found that mothers struggle to find time to game, but that many enjoy gaming or say that it used to be an important part of their lives.
Mothers would, on the one hand, dismiss their gaming as nothing of consequence but, on the other, implied gaming is justified once other responsibilities have been attended to. This “time-filler” gaming profile is more common among female players – and especially those who live with children.
Guilt about the time spent gaming was associated with how a mother should and shouldn’t act.
Heaselgrave & Emery, 2021
But we think it’s a shame that games are seen as something to do when everything else has been done, as there are lots of great reasons to play games!
We know when gaming is shared with other household members, family cohesion is enhanced. There are also significant health benefits from playing games, including a reduction in stress and anxiety levels, conditions mothers are all too familiar with.
Heaselgrave & Emery, 2021
There are a lot of considerations in this area, such as the types of games accessible to parenting – can you pause it?! This is an area I’m keen to work with Fae on exploring more in the future.
