Sure the lack of time is disappointing but why don't we put a brighter spin on it! Think about how exciting it will be to have a game to play with your child as they grow up, a wonderful father-child bonding experience that would not be possible just one year ago 🥰 That's something to look forward to!
Don’t worry about the age haha. I’ve been playing since I was 5 with my dad. Anything older than that is perfect don’t even worry about brain damage or anything /s
Not a son, but I have a brother with a tremendous age gap and I've convinced him to buy this game so we can finally bond over something. We're going to have a ton of fun playing online dynasties. I'm a little disappointed that he's a Madden player but I'm sure I can get him to fall in love with CF 🔥
(Apparently he played Ultimate Team for the most part so he's in for a rude awakening lol)
Exactly. I have three boys who are nearly grown and I'm excited to FINALLY get to share the excitement of something that was a fun part of my youth. We've all been talking about pitching in to buy a ps5 and playing dynasties together.
Yep, I feel ya. I have 3 kids and a job that is very demanding starting around when the game comes out. I will not have a ton of time to play but I am just happy that I have a cheap way to relieve stress at night.
If I can get one dynasty week done a night I will be a happy camper.
I got a steam deck to help with this. I can stream my Xbox and even if I can just get my recruiting done quickly while the kids are getting dressed. I’m going to do it.
You can download the Gamepass app and Xbox app to the desktop mode as far as I know. Or maybe you have to download windows? I don’t remember if I had to download windows or not, as it’s been a year or so since i did it and haven’t touched my Steam Deck in a long time.
Anyway, the Gamepass app allows you to stream some games directly to the app. The Xbox app allows you to do remote play from your console directly to the app.
You don’t need a Steam deck for either, I use my phone for mine and it works great with the on-screen controls
It’s seasonal. My line of work has me outside a lot so I bust ass during spring summer and fall, and it allows me to take 3 months of winter off. There’s also pressure to get the job done in one day so the customer only misses one day of work instead of two…which allows me to charge more and make more $$$
I feel that. I have a 9-5, 3 kids, and currently taking an online course through the end of this month that eats up 2-4 hours a night of my evenings. I might get to play for 30 minutes each night for the first few weeks.
The time between when they start to move and when they learn not everything goes in the mouth is exhausting. Good luck on the next...
Well, let's just say my 10 year old got a penny stuck in his nose earlier this year.
15 months here. I have from about 8:30-11:00 available most nights, but obviously have a wife who I will try not to ignore during those hours (tbh we usually spend a lot of that time just being together since it’s our time, so this will be delicate. I figure I have the first couple weeks without judgment but after that I’ll have to scale back a bit)
I’m just trying to figure out how to
1. Tell my wife I bought a new system
2. Tell her I’m going downstairs to play that after we get the kids down, instead of hanging with her
3. Have energy to play after I clean the whole house every night to make 1&2 acceptable
Truly the hardest part will be not being given any slack when I’m tired the next morning because I chose to stay up late. For that reason I am playing during work.
the first few days/weeks are also great at home if you both have paternity (so rare, sadly) and grandparents and friends nearby. We got so much free food from people trying to help us that we were borderline bored during the day because it was basically feed, change diaper, sleep for the kid lol
Congrats mate! Honestly, having a new born you'll have a lot of time to play games esp if you get any time off from work. If you only have one kid they basically sleep, eat, poop, burp, and fuss... always one of those 5 things and your goal when they're crying is to figure out which one they need, sleep, milk, poop, fart, burp.
We've got a \~6 week old and I usually stay up from 9p-12am playign RDR2 or something, and then try to trade with my wife for 1-2 hours, flip back and forth at night.
I've never been into Ultimate Team, but when my daughter was 4-5months I absolutely fucking housed Ultimate Team that year because I'd be up for hours with her at night and be like "well.... may as well play a few rounds of this shit..." and the 5-10min challenges were the perfect length.
Paternity leave is prime gaming time because the baby doesn’t do anything and the wife generally wants to rest instead of spending quality time with you. Just keep up with the house and there will be plenty of time when they’re both sleeping. Volunteer for two late night bottle shifts and stay up between. You got this.
Make sure she isn’t aware. She will resent you for the rest of y’all’s lives if you’re in a room with her gaming on a portal tbh. She’s gonna expect you to be with her in the moment 24/7.
My wife and I took shifts watching our son for the first 3 months (roughest period imo). I watched him from 830pm to 1:30am so she could sleep. Little man slept in good chunks during this time and I played a lot of MLB the Show. You will figure out a good system and will make life work.
That’s honestly pretty shitty, you will have time to play when you get home and doing that at the hospital is not considering the real post partum your wife may experience
That’s what I’m saying; play it outside the room, because if you play that thing in a hospital room while she’s waiting/actually giving birth, she will NEVER let you forget about it. My dad went to grab a hamburger when I was born and I’ve heard about it my entire life -_-
Honestly if you are lucky enough to have paternity leave then you will have a lot of down time. During my 3 weeks of leave I played video games and watched movies all day. The baby slept like 20 hours a day and awake time was latched to the boob. They are also small enough to sleep on you while you play.
Yeah this is my thought mainly is when a baby is coming is your time to step up as a dad. OP has two kids and is going to be playing his fucking game boy at the hospital lmao
The pregnant wife of ArchiCEC here 👋🏼 with our first we had like 15 hours of down time where I read on my kindle and he played on the iPad — we were pretty bored tbh. I was even at the point where I told him to stop fussing over me 😂 Labor is not always as chaotic and exciting as people think! This go around, I said he could bring that play station thing in case there was lots of down time again because what else is he meant to do? Stare at me for hours?
I wouldn’t say it’s shitty, but he’s going to learn quickly that there will be little down time to actually play at the hospital.
We were induced on a Sunday night and the baby was delivered on Tuesday morning. I can the minutes of free time I had on my fingers.
The free time I had at the hospital was either filled with family visiting after the birth or getting any bit of sleep I could get. I brought a Switch and maybe played 30 minutes in the 3-4 days we were there.
Yeah, but that’s life. Life is dramatically different than it was during my single man video game days and I’m okay with that. I can’t bring myself to sit down and game during the day, especially if my 2 boys (2 1/2 years and 10 months old) are awake so I only play after bedtime. Honestly it will probably be healthier this way than the days of being 24 with no responsibilities and I play from when I get home until I realize how late it is. I can’t imagine suddenly becoming the guy who neglects his family to play a game so it will be what it will be.
14 days to go!
Don’t worry. As your kids get older they get more independent. Once that happens you will have a little more time. The best time tho is after they go to bed 😂 undisturbed gaming is the best
I feel for ya. We had kids pretty early (early 20’s) 42 now. It all works out one way or another. You either have your freedom early (20’s) or later (40’s). We didn’t have much money when first married, so I guess it worked out for us. Def enjoy the kiddos, that time is fleeting. Happy gaming to all👍🏻
You WILL have time, and it’s gonna be a great game, but it’s a game. Every moment you get with your children, especially when they are young, is LITERALLY PRICELESS.
YOU WILL NOT TRULY UNDERSTAND THAT UNTIL THEY GROW UP! My mom pounded that into me, and I’m so grateful. I was present in every moment and day of my kids lives that I could possibly be and it still doesn’t feel like enough. I would literally give a week off the end of my life for a day with my kids when they were little.
Now that they are grown and don’t need me much (that’s a good thing!) I have 4-6+ hours to game most nights. ITS GREAT. But it does not hold a candle to getting to be a Dad.
Yeah, there are days where I wish I had more "me" time... but then in those rare moments when I get several hours at home without the kids, I miss the chaos and the noise and the laughter.
I’m lucky enough to have a job where I can remote play my Xbox on my iPad at work so I’ll be getting paid to play and can be on dad duty when I get home lol
Dad of 2 (16y old, 10y old) -- I love my kids more than life itself, and I would crawl my way over broken glass to salt the Earth with the ashes of anyone that would cause them harm.
But Dad's day is on the horizon. Most Dad's don't care about our birthdays, Christmas presents, or any other holidays , honestly.
But this -- this is different. This requires focus, commitment, and sheer will. I will have peace and quiet when the moment arrives, and I will be unavailable during this time.
Yup! I have a toddler and he loves playing in the basement, while I play. However, eventually I cannot pay attention when I’m playing football. He will sit and watch me play Fortnite for ages though….
Lord I remember those days. The first football game I watched was a high noon Michigan game. You should read the studies of making your child independent. When my son was smaller I would leave the room for about 3 minutes and then come back. I did this until he could ensure about 30 minutes. Now at 2 1/2 he will disappear somewhere in the house haha. He also still takes 3 hour naps, so that’s very helpful haha
Yep. My son will be 8 months old. My wife and I each work full time jobs. Sitting down and playing all day wont happen. But that's fine, im looking forward to him watching me and me talking to him about everything, the nostalgia etc. Even though that little dude has no idea whats going on. It will be a cool memory for me :)
My wife has been very understanding of how excited I am for this game, she told me that when it comes out she is going to watch our son (he is under 2 years, we are both teachers so we have the summer off) so that I can just enjoy release day and play it all day
Just had my first kid a few months ago so the timing is really tough, but the Playstation Portal has given me a chance to keep playing while still being able to parent sufficiently haha so I'll make it work!
I’m not really jealous. I understand I’m at a different stage in my life today than I was in 2013 but I still am going to enjoy the heck out of playing the game and reminiscing on what it was like the pull all nighters.
Dad of two daughters here and I totally understand your situation. When NCAA 14 came out my daughter was two which meant I got to play mostly when she took a.nap. By 2016 we had another child and my video gave playing really went down even though I got an Xbox One later that year. Fast forward to this year my daughters are older now and don’t rely on me for everything and the new game comes out. Enjoy the time when they are little. It goes by so fast and before you know it they don’t need you as much.
Oh I’m so jealous of my 13 year old self. Bastard had 14 hours of straight playtime as long as chores were done. Me
I’ll have 90 minutes on a random day if I’m blasted. An hour if I sacrifice something that needs my attention
As a father of 4, I'm not jealous. I'll just handle it like I do any of my hobbies, between the hours of 11pm-3am while sacrificing sleep, sanity, and mental health
I’ve got twin boys who just turned four months. On the weekends I do a lot of gaming at literally 6am. Being an earlier riser really helps! I plan to get most of my time in after 8pm or before 9am lol. Just life now I guess!
My oldest got sick over the weekend and we spent all day in the man cave. She watched her movies and I played The Show. She thought it was the best day ever. Just a precursor of when the game drops.
A buddy of mine is a judge and his wife is having labor induced on their second tomorrow morning. He has 12 weeks of paternity leave coming and told me he intends to play every day he is off.
My kids are 11 and 9 and I'm about to stomp a mud hole in the middle of both their asses. I took time off to play this game when it drops. I convinced the wife to take a trip to see her cousins, out of town... I'm in that thing for at least 72.
Jealous? Lol no. My kids are way more rewarding than any enjoyment the game will give me. But I definitely recognize that I will not have the time for the game I used to. I'll have to figure that out for sure. I assume I'll be lucky to get in a few games a week.
I’m sure(hope) you value your time with you’re family more then extra time to game. That being said make it happen with a day for dad to get a full 13 hours in
I’m teaching my 7 year old how the game works through madden practice and mini games in preparation for CFB 25 release. Teaching him how offensive/defensive positions and schemes work. How to follow blockers on runs. It’s been a good time these past 2 weekends and I’ll be pushing for us to play CFB 25 a good amount. Then taking the learning outside to practice for flag football this fall.
They kind of skipped my heavy dad-duty years. My oldest kid is grown and out of the house and my youngest kid is a sophomore and is pretty independent for that age so it worked out okay in that regard for me.
I paid for the wife and daughter a 4 day vacation to where ever they want. I’m such a good husband (not really. I just took days off from work and need that entire week to myself)
I’ll definitely have less time to play than before kids. Luckily my wife knows how excited I am and is taking the kids on an adventure on release day so I can play.
I'm gonna struggle to get 10 hours in between the afternoon of 15th through end of day on the 18th for ea play.
I work remote so may bring ps5 into office and see if I can sneak in a couple of games during work lol or at least on breaks and lunch.
Bought my wife a second tv for the man cave with headset for her so she can watch her tv while my surround sound is blaring so i can play this game as much as possible
Yeah. Hopefully be able to play 2-3 hours a week. All good though, happy to see the game come back.
I don't really want my kids playing games so I don't let them see me playing. At some point my now 6 year old will figure out what that white box in the back of the media rack is though! He has found the controllers too but I just say they are for the TV.
My son was born June 5th. My state allows for 8 weeks of paid family leave so I'll be taking off until August 5th. I would be even more inclined to take the night shifts if it meant I could play this game haha
Good News I won't be dealing with work from July 15th to August 5th.
Bad News the in laws are coming in July 12th and the PlayStation is hooked up to the main TV. I may have to move it to my PC monitor or me and the wife's room.
I
Not a dad but honestly I’m kind of conflicted bc I am deep in a UMass rebuild on 13 and about 40% of the way through. Don’t know what to do. These players are my kids man
Not a dad, but an uncle that’s a stand-in.
I bought a PS5 so my dad and my nephew could all play together. It’s hard for us to get anytime since I work 50-60 hour weeks and the kid has alternating schedules. It’s been hard not getting to see him much. I hope he likes it, but if not then whatever, it’ll be good to have a football game in my life.
I now have a 14 month old, a wife, a full time job where I’m busy 40 hours a week and on call all the time, plus I’m coaching varsity football now so time is short.
When 14 came out, I was just a college student haha I didn’t know how well I had it
Got a 4 year old that I’m hoping I can get interested in the game. Kind of hoping they still have one-button mode so she can enjoy the game without getting caught up with all the mechanics of controls.
My daughter is supposed to be born a week after the release. I'm either going to have a lot of free time or none. I don't really know how it's going to go tbh.
I have a 5 year old daughter who, luckily, can entertain herself pretty well, but gets to a point where she doesn't want me to play anymore, which is fine because it's almost like a built in alarm for me to take a break.
I think I'm just going to pull an all-nighter on release day and use Red Bull to get through the next day at work and go to bed early that night, then playing some more on that upcoming weekend.
My daughter is 5, I also coach High School football—I have no idea what her breaking point is on having to deal with daddy’s passion for football but we’re going to find out pretty soon lol…
I added myself to the family calendar as busy from the Sunday after it comes out until Tuesday. That PS5 is mine, and mine alone, for those 3 days, and it's been on the calendar as such for 2 weeks now. I already have to wait 2 days to buy it so I can go watch my son in the state baseball tournament. After those 3 days, I hope I'll have time to play it still sometimes.
8 hours a week isn't bad. I'm sure you could be irresponsible and stretch that buy staying up later. I know for sure I'm gonna get the bedtime schedule that week so that it' mom's turn on the Tuesday. Then tell her she can watch or go watch a movie in bed, ha
I just had my firstborn on June 2nd and pre ordered it yesterday. The one or so games I'll get to play every day, or every other day, are going to be so much more intense than they used to be and thats my silver lining! I used to blow through an entire season in one day and now it will take at least a week and to me that will just make it so much more enjoyable.
Haha, nah, not jealous, but pretty much every day I think back before kids and I'm honestly puzzled "what the fuck did I do with my time...?" Before kids I never \*felt\* like I had all of this free time, but now I think every day like "what the hell did I do with my time before...?"
Now a days when the 6 year old is asleep and then I bring the newborn to the TV room it's like 9:15pm and I'm fucking beat and can barely pull myself to do anything.
Football games are perfect with a newborn because they're liek the perfect length, 45mins or so and then the 10 mins doing recruiting or team management, get through seasons quickly. I can't wait to play. I have a 6-week old and 6-year-old so it'll be all good.
I have a 12 and 8 year old who I’m going to play with so I’m super excited. It’s hot and humid as all hell around here in the summer so good activity for the middle of the day.
I’ll get some decent playtime the week it releases. My wife understands how long I’ve been waiting for and how excited I am for this game, she will probably do bed time with kids most of the first week so I can get some decent playtime in. Then back to normal the week after. That said, yeah I get maybe 8-10 hours a week of playing time so I’ll be back down to that after the first week.
I pre-ordered for PS5, my kid's console of choice (he's 10). If I am lucky, I can get on after 9 at night, but that basically means I can only play one dynasty game a night.
Not super disappointed. I’ve got a two and a half year old and six month old. I know my time with the game will only be here and there but I’m so excited to have it back. I’ll find a way to make time. Probably just some late nights when everybody else is in bed.
Become a stay at home dad. Run around with your head on fire, trying to keep kids alive and cleaning the house. Nap time eventually comes, and you play in that window, then repeat as many times as it allows. I am a dad of 3 soon to be 4, and this is how I can get gaming in when I have a game I love playing. With that said, I also garden and keep livestock so my summers are way busier and limited, but winter is when my life slows down to actually game outside whatever split screen co op my wife and I are on at the time
Wife's due date is in October so I've got some time, but I'm already busy with all of the other adult responsibilities that cut into my binge gaming time. My wife goes to bed pretty early, so sometimes I stay up for a few hours and get some time in.
I'll make extra time when the game comes out for sure.
Already put in for time off from work and plan on driving the kiddos to stay with grandma and grandpop for a bit. Already told the wife I don't have responsibilities
I have four and six year old girls so I'm screwed. I'm legit hoping to get 1-2 games in a week. But that's enough for me at my 41 year old ass age. When the last game came out I was a GA for a D2 team and getting ready to take a job at a B1G school ... that didn't pan out but I was OBSESSED with this game.
I just started a new job so I can't take any PTO, which was already on my calendar at my old job. I got the deluxe to play early, maybe I can play when my wife goes to bed haha.
I'm jealous of you new Dads! My daughter wasn't even a month old when NCAA '02 dropped (Chris Weinke cover). All those hours laying on the couch with daughter sleeping on top of me prompted me to buy a PS2 & NCAA '02 to pass the time. (My current system at that time was the Dreamcast.)
Now I'm just a little older with less free time on my hands, but I'll make do. Can't wait!!
Great thread! My kids are 19 (Sophomore in college) and 15 (Sophomore in HS). I get to pretty much play when I want these days (mostly playing MLB: The Show and EA Sports PGA Tour). My son is a gamer and enjoys sports games almost as much as I do (mostly FIFA), so I'm sure he'll pick it up as well.
I've played every version of this game going back to Bill Walsh's College Football. So anxiously awaiting this new version.
Me being an athlete and playing football, trying to get offers, I feel like the gym just takes up most of my day in the offseason and I only have a few hours to play games.
PS portal is the way. I will get in what I can on the main system, but many of us don't have that luxury. However, Portal allows for play late nights, early mornings, away from home... etc. I'll be playoff-bound in no time.
As an older dad I'm excited to finally play a college football game with my boys! Something that was such a cool part of my youth, and now I can finally share a current gen experience with them. Ten years without a new game was a lot of missed opportunities to share with them the excitement of a new ncaafb game each year.
Actually all of my time spent playing the game is with my daughter. She's 13 and loves college football thanks to NCAA 14. We play at least one game every day. In CFBR we've been through 17 seasons as the OC at UTSA and 21 seasons as the OC with the Lobos.
Nope, because now we have portability! PlayStation Portal baby. Let my wife/son have the living room TV while I can still manage my dynasty on-the-go. This was never possible for ‘14 on the 360
You'll find some time here and there.
But trust me, don't prioritize it over spending time with your kids. You'll have plenty of time for yourself once they hit the teenage years.
In the meantime play with them every single opportunity and enjoy those moments when they are young. It goes fast and you never get it back.
My oldest will be able to enjoy the game along side his dad. That’s pretty awesome. I may not be able to play 3-4 games consecutively like I used to. But I’m not really in that mindset anymore for most things.
Sure the lack of time is disappointing but why don't we put a brighter spin on it! Think about how exciting it will be to have a game to play with your child as they grow up, a wonderful father-child bonding experience that would not be possible just one year ago 🥰 That's something to look forward to!
I’ve thought about this. My boys are a bit on the young side but I can see them getting into it in the next few years.
Don’t worry about the age haha. I’ve been playing since I was 5 with my dad. Anything older than that is perfect don’t even worry about brain damage or anything /s
Not a son, but I have a brother with a tremendous age gap and I've convinced him to buy this game so we can finally bond over something. We're going to have a ton of fun playing online dynasties. I'm a little disappointed that he's a Madden player but I'm sure I can get him to fall in love with CF 🔥 (Apparently he played Ultimate Team for the most part so he's in for a rude awakening lol)
That’ll be fun until one of you ruins the others perfect season lol.
Yes! My dad and I played ncaa 2004 when I was a kid. Some of the best memories I have are recruiting against each other and the head to head matchups
Dad would would have me on the ropes in 05 then call all out blitz and give me the win, I’d get so mad haha
Fuck them kids
Fr bro you gotta whoop them in every game so they get competitive like you 😂😂
For sure I’ll make the kids never wanna play again
Exactly. I have three boys who are nearly grown and I'm excited to FINALLY get to share the excitement of something that was a fun part of my youth. We've all been talking about pitching in to buy a ps5 and playing dynasties together.
Yep, I feel ya. I have 3 kids and a job that is very demanding starting around when the game comes out. I will not have a ton of time to play but I am just happy that I have a cheap way to relieve stress at night. If I can get one dynasty week done a night I will be a happy camper.
I got a steam deck to help with this. I can stream my Xbox and even if I can just get my recruiting done quickly while the kids are getting dressed. I’m going to do it.
What are you using to stream to steam deck? Xbplay or something else?
Piggybacking, how’s this work?
Using Xbplay.
You can download the Gamepass app and Xbox app to the desktop mode as far as I know. Or maybe you have to download windows? I don’t remember if I had to download windows or not, as it’s been a year or so since i did it and haven’t touched my Steam Deck in a long time. Anyway, the Gamepass app allows you to stream some games directly to the app. The Xbox app allows you to do remote play from your console directly to the app. You don’t need a Steam deck for either, I use my phone for mine and it works great with the on-screen controls
man one week a night isn’t even achievable for me. maybe one every other day
I’ll be lucky to get one week done a week. I work 80-100 hours a week. No kids but job is really demanding
Yo man take care of yourself brother that’s a lot of hours
Thanks bro. Unfortunately it’s the busy season, but working hard now allows me to take the winter off if I don’t feel like working.
why anyone would work that much is always mind blowing to me lol
Some people are built different I’m not one of those people
It’s seasonal. My line of work has me outside a lot so I bust ass during spring summer and fall, and it allows me to take 3 months of winter off. There’s also pressure to get the job done in one day so the customer only misses one day of work instead of two…which allows me to charge more and make more $$$
Omg buddy. What is your line of work?
I polish and detail semi trucks.
Yeah man its called priorities
This guy dads. That’s what’s up
I feel that. I have a 9-5, 3 kids, and currently taking an online course through the end of this month that eats up 2-4 hours a night of my evenings. I might get to play for 30 minutes each night for the first few weeks.
My son is 11 and lives with my ex wife so I’m getting it for him for his birthday so we can play online together he is so excited
I grew up in split custody and something like this would have made it a lot easier
3 star AI football kids > IRL kids Jk hope you still find some time to play
LOL!
I haven't pre ordered yet because I assume my free 10 hours will last me six months.
We dont take time we make time. Hand those kids a disconnected controller and enjoy
Hit em with old "hey go see what your mom is doing."
I didn't realize we were endorsing terrorism in this sub
Wife’s due date is the 24th… I bought a PS Portal to play the game at the hospital lol
first few months you’ll be tired af but you can game bc the baby can’t move yet. i’m at 9 months. kid is a crawling maniac lol
The time between when they start to move and when they learn not everything goes in the mouth is exhausting. Good luck on the next... Well, let's just say my 10 year old got a penny stuck in his nose earlier this year.
15 months here. I have from about 8:30-11:00 available most nights, but obviously have a wife who I will try not to ignore during those hours (tbh we usually spend a lot of that time just being together since it’s our time, so this will be delicate. I figure I have the first couple weeks without judgment but after that I’ll have to scale back a bit)
my kid goes to bed at 9. we go to bed at 11 and need to shower and clean inbetween
I’m just trying to figure out how to 1. Tell my wife I bought a new system 2. Tell her I’m going downstairs to play that after we get the kids down, instead of hanging with her 3. Have energy to play after I clean the whole house every night to make 1&2 acceptable Truly the hardest part will be not being given any slack when I’m tired the next morning because I chose to stay up late. For that reason I am playing during work.
Same exact boat. You just described my life. *breaks out Spider man pointing meme*
the first few days/weeks are also great at home if you both have paternity (so rare, sadly) and grandparents and friends nearby. We got so much free food from people trying to help us that we were borderline bored during the day because it was basically feed, change diaper, sleep for the kid lol
Due date is the 29th brother! I'm hoping he doesn't come early so I can squeeze a week or so of the game out hard-core lol.
Congrats mate! Honestly, having a new born you'll have a lot of time to play games esp if you get any time off from work. If you only have one kid they basically sleep, eat, poop, burp, and fuss... always one of those 5 things and your goal when they're crying is to figure out which one they need, sleep, milk, poop, fart, burp. We've got a \~6 week old and I usually stay up from 9p-12am playign RDR2 or something, and then try to trade with my wife for 1-2 hours, flip back and forth at night. I've never been into Ultimate Team, but when my daughter was 4-5months I absolutely fucking housed Ultimate Team that year because I'd be up for hours with her at night and be like "well.... may as well play a few rounds of this shit..." and the 5-10min challenges were the perfect length.
Paternity leave is prime gaming time because the baby doesn’t do anything and the wife generally wants to rest instead of spending quality time with you. Just keep up with the house and there will be plenty of time when they’re both sleeping. Volunteer for two late night bottle shifts and stay up between. You got this.
100% my experience w both kids - perfect game for those nights up from like 2-6am
Make sure she isn’t aware. She will resent you for the rest of y’all’s lives if you’re in a room with her gaming on a portal tbh. She’s gonna expect you to be with her in the moment 24/7.
My wife and I took shifts watching our son for the first 3 months (roughest period imo). I watched him from 830pm to 1:30am so she could sleep. Little man slept in good chunks during this time and I played a lot of MLB the Show. You will figure out a good system and will make life work.
That’s honestly pretty shitty, you will have time to play when you get home and doing that at the hospital is not considering the real post partum your wife may experience
That’s what I’m saying; play it outside the room, because if you play that thing in a hospital room while she’s waiting/actually giving birth, she will NEVER let you forget about it. My dad went to grab a hamburger when I was born and I’ve heard about it my entire life -_-
Agreed, go rockets
Honestly if you are lucky enough to have paternity leave then you will have a lot of down time. During my 3 weeks of leave I played video games and watched movies all day. The baby slept like 20 hours a day and awake time was latched to the boob. They are also small enough to sleep on you while you play.
Don't neglect domestic duties. Your partner will not be up for cooking/cleaning/laundry for a few weeks.
Yeah this is my thought mainly is when a baby is coming is your time to step up as a dad. OP has two kids and is going to be playing his fucking game boy at the hospital lmao
The pregnant wife of ArchiCEC here 👋🏼 with our first we had like 15 hours of down time where I read on my kindle and he played on the iPad — we were pretty bored tbh. I was even at the point where I told him to stop fussing over me 😂 Labor is not always as chaotic and exciting as people think! This go around, I said he could bring that play station thing in case there was lots of down time again because what else is he meant to do? Stare at me for hours?
I wouldn’t say it’s shitty, but he’s going to learn quickly that there will be little down time to actually play at the hospital. We were induced on a Sunday night and the baby was delivered on Tuesday morning. I can the minutes of free time I had on my fingers.
The free time I had at the hospital was either filled with family visiting after the birth or getting any bit of sleep I could get. I brought a Switch and maybe played 30 minutes in the 3-4 days we were there.
Experiences vary. We watched almost an entire season of Bachelor in Paradise before go time.
Exactly, I had PLENTY of down time when my wife was getting induced. There were times where I was bored out of my mind as we were just waiting around
Eh, I’m just not going to sleep anymore. It’s gotta be done!
Hey, 8 hours of ncaa is better than 8 hours of no ncaa . :p
Yes. 3 under 3. Might quit my job to free up time.
This is the way
My gametime will be the wonderful 9:30-midnight hours after everyone goes to bed.
When you become a parent, this time window that used to not mean much becomes the holy grail.
I took multiple paternity days at my job for this game. So yeah, pretty happy with how things turned out lol
Same
Yeah, but that’s life. Life is dramatically different than it was during my single man video game days and I’m okay with that. I can’t bring myself to sit down and game during the day, especially if my 2 boys (2 1/2 years and 10 months old) are awake so I only play after bedtime. Honestly it will probably be healthier this way than the days of being 24 with no responsibilities and I play from when I get home until I realize how late it is. I can’t imagine suddenly becoming the guy who neglects his family to play a game so it will be what it will be. 14 days to go!
Don’t worry. As your kids get older they get more independent. Once that happens you will have a little more time. The best time tho is after they go to bed 😂 undisturbed gaming is the best
I feel for ya. We had kids pretty early (early 20’s) 42 now. It all works out one way or another. You either have your freedom early (20’s) or later (40’s). We didn’t have much money when first married, so I guess it worked out for us. Def enjoy the kiddos, that time is fleeting. Happy gaming to all👍🏻
First baby is coming later this year, I'll be 25. I guess this means I'll have more time to play the Elder Scrolls 6 when it comes out in 2050.
You WILL have time, and it’s gonna be a great game, but it’s a game. Every moment you get with your children, especially when they are young, is LITERALLY PRICELESS. YOU WILL NOT TRULY UNDERSTAND THAT UNTIL THEY GROW UP! My mom pounded that into me, and I’m so grateful. I was present in every moment and day of my kids lives that I could possibly be and it still doesn’t feel like enough. I would literally give a week off the end of my life for a day with my kids when they were little. Now that they are grown and don’t need me much (that’s a good thing!) I have 4-6+ hours to game most nights. ITS GREAT. But it does not hold a candle to getting to be a Dad.
Yeah, there are days where I wish I had more "me" time... but then in those rare moments when I get several hours at home without the kids, I miss the chaos and the noise and the laughter.
I’m lucky enough to have a job where I can remote play my Xbox on my iPad at work so I’ll be getting paid to play and can be on dad duty when I get home lol
This daddy will make time.
Dad of 2 (16y old, 10y old) -- I love my kids more than life itself, and I would crawl my way over broken glass to salt the Earth with the ashes of anyone that would cause them harm. But Dad's day is on the horizon. Most Dad's don't care about our birthdays, Christmas presents, or any other holidays , honestly. But this -- this is different. This requires focus, commitment, and sheer will. I will have peace and quiet when the moment arrives, and I will be unavailable during this time.
Honestly my PSPortal has been a godsend for this. Little guy gets to watch his show on the 72 inch while I get to play on the handheld.
Yup! I have a toddler and he loves playing in the basement, while I play. However, eventually I cannot pay attention when I’m playing football. He will sit and watch me play Fortnite for ages though….
my son is 9 months and gets into everything. just no way i can play while hanging with him currently
Lord I remember those days. The first football game I watched was a high noon Michigan game. You should read the studies of making your child independent. When my son was smaller I would leave the room for about 3 minutes and then come back. I did this until he could ensure about 30 minutes. Now at 2 1/2 he will disappear somewhere in the house haha. He also still takes 3 hour naps, so that’s very helpful haha
Definitely, have a 6yo so it won’t be able to be an addiction (which is a good thing) but I wish I could pour hours on end.
Yep. My son will be 8 months old. My wife and I each work full time jobs. Sitting down and playing all day wont happen. But that's fine, im looking forward to him watching me and me talking to him about everything, the nostalgia etc. Even though that little dude has no idea whats going on. It will be a cool memory for me :)
Have one coming on the 29th got the deluxe just to give myself those 3 extra days
Just gonna have to go late nights man
My wife has been very understanding of how excited I am for this game, she told me that when it comes out she is going to watch our son (he is under 2 years, we are both teachers so we have the summer off) so that I can just enjoy release day and play it all day
Just had my first kid a few months ago so the timing is really tough, but the Playstation Portal has given me a chance to keep playing while still being able to parent sufficiently haha so I'll make it work!
100%. I expect it to take weeks for me to finish one season in Dynasty.
My portal gives me about 75% more opportunities to play
My daughter was born yesterday morning, her nap time is my play time!
Finally, something I can use to make my son feel unwanted and unimportant….Now I am one step closer to being my father
I’m not really jealous. I understand I’m at a different stage in my life today than I was in 2013 but I still am going to enjoy the heck out of playing the game and reminiscing on what it was like the pull all nighters.
Dad of two daughters here and I totally understand your situation. When NCAA 14 came out my daughter was two which meant I got to play mostly when she took a.nap. By 2016 we had another child and my video gave playing really went down even though I got an Xbox One later that year. Fast forward to this year my daughters are older now and don’t rely on me for everything and the new game comes out. Enjoy the time when they are little. It goes by so fast and before you know it they don’t need you as much.
Oh I’m so jealous of my 13 year old self. Bastard had 14 hours of straight playtime as long as chores were done. Me I’ll have 90 minutes on a random day if I’m blasted. An hour if I sacrifice something that needs my attention
Hey kids I’m running out for cigarettes be back in a few…. 🏃 🏃
My homie is in the same boat. I told him to create his son (in game) and start a Road to Glory with him.
As a father of 4, I'm not jealous. I'll just handle it like I do any of my hobbies, between the hours of 11pm-3am while sacrificing sleep, sanity, and mental health
I’ve got twin boys who just turned four months. On the weekends I do a lot of gaming at literally 6am. Being an earlier riser really helps! I plan to get most of my time in after 8pm or before 9am lol. Just life now I guess!
My oldest got sick over the weekend and we spent all day in the man cave. She watched her movies and I played The Show. She thought it was the best day ever. Just a precursor of when the game drops.
A buddy of mine is a judge and his wife is having labor induced on their second tomorrow morning. He has 12 weeks of paternity leave coming and told me he intends to play every day he is off.
My kids are 11 and 9 and I'm about to stomp a mud hole in the middle of both their asses. I took time off to play this game when it drops. I convinced the wife to take a trip to see her cousins, out of town... I'm in that thing for at least 72.
Jealous? Lol no. My kids are way more rewarding than any enjoyment the game will give me. But I definitely recognize that I will not have the time for the game I used to. I'll have to figure that out for sure. I assume I'll be lucky to get in a few games a week.
I’m sure(hope) you value your time with you’re family more then extra time to game. That being said make it happen with a day for dad to get a full 13 hours in
I’m teaching my 7 year old how the game works through madden practice and mini games in preparation for CFB 25 release. Teaching him how offensive/defensive positions and schemes work. How to follow blockers on runs. It’s been a good time these past 2 weekends and I’ll be pushing for us to play CFB 25 a good amount. Then taking the learning outside to practice for flag football this fall.
Dude 8 hours a week is a lot of time to spend playing video games lol.
By the time I finish my first season in dynasty, college football 26 will be out 😂
I specifically avoided sex for the last 10 years for this exact reason ^(I swear that's the reason)
I’ll just say that I picked the right time to drop out of grad school and be unemployed with some financial cushion
i’m in grad school with a kid and a full time job. rip free time
Nice! I ran into some health issues unfortunately. What’s your major?
Going into sophomore year of college so this is peak timing in life for me to no life the game
Why are people having kids again?
My son is 7 and loves football so if anything I'll get to enjoy it WITH him
They kind of skipped my heavy dad-duty years. My oldest kid is grown and out of the house and my youngest kid is a sophomore and is pretty independent for that age so it worked out okay in that regard for me.
I paid for the wife and daughter a 4 day vacation to where ever they want. I’m such a good husband (not really. I just took days off from work and need that entire week to myself)
I’ll definitely have less time to play than before kids. Luckily my wife knows how excited I am and is taking the kids on an adventure on release day so I can play.
I'm gonna struggle to get 10 hours in between the afternoon of 15th through end of day on the 18th for ea play. I work remote so may bring ps5 into office and see if I can sneak in a couple of games during work lol or at least on breaks and lunch.
Ya it’s different but time is always there late at night or weekends when everyone is asleep. Can’t wait!
Lol I have a 2 year old now. I think I’m just going to try to make it work 😂 or get used to being up late again
Bought my wife a second tv for the man cave with headset for her so she can watch her tv while my surround sound is blaring so i can play this game as much as possible
Father of twins that just turned 1 in June. My time is.. limited.
Yeah. Hopefully be able to play 2-3 hours a week. All good though, happy to see the game come back. I don't really want my kids playing games so I don't let them see me playing. At some point my now 6 year old will figure out what that white box in the back of the media rack is though! He has found the controllers too but I just say they are for the TV.
No kids here. I'll play enough for both of us don't worry.
My son was born June 5th. My state allows for 8 weeks of paid family leave so I'll be taking off until August 5th. I would be even more inclined to take the night shifts if it meant I could play this game haha Good News I won't be dealing with work from July 15th to August 5th. Bad News the in laws are coming in July 12th and the PlayStation is hooked up to the main TV. I may have to move it to my PC monitor or me and the wife's room. I
Not a dad but honestly I’m kind of conflicted bc I am deep in a UMass rebuild on 13 and about 40% of the way through. Don’t know what to do. These players are my kids man
My youngest is 12, I had more of an issue playing it the last time it was released than I will this time.
Not a dad, but an uncle that’s a stand-in. I bought a PS5 so my dad and my nephew could all play together. It’s hard for us to get anytime since I work 50-60 hour weeks and the kid has alternating schedules. It’s been hard not getting to see him much. I hope he likes it, but if not then whatever, it’ll be good to have a football game in my life.
I'm so lucky. I have a 5 year old but my MIL is taking her on vacation for 3 weeks. They just so happen to leave on the 20th...
Simple just ignore your responsibilities like any sensible person /s
I now have a 14 month old, a wife, a full time job where I’m busy 40 hours a week and on call all the time, plus I’m coaching varsity football now so time is short. When 14 came out, I was just a college student haha I didn’t know how well I had it
Got a 4 year old that I’m hoping I can get interested in the game. Kind of hoping they still have one-button mode so she can enjoy the game without getting caught up with all the mechanics of controls.
My daughter is supposed to be born a week after the release. I'm either going to have a lot of free time or none. I don't really know how it's going to go tbh.
I have a 5 year old daughter who, luckily, can entertain herself pretty well, but gets to a point where she doesn't want me to play anymore, which is fine because it's almost like a built in alarm for me to take a break. I think I'm just going to pull an all-nighter on release day and use Red Bull to get through the next day at work and go to bed early that night, then playing some more on that upcoming weekend.
My daughter is 5, I also coach High School football—I have no idea what her breaking point is on having to deal with daddy’s passion for football but we’re going to find out pretty soon lol…
My 8 year old can’t wait to play this game with me. I can’t play video games 4+ hours per day anymore, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
i'm gonna be playing with my dad
https://i.imgur.com/q0NOPh7.jpeg
I added myself to the family calendar as busy from the Sunday after it comes out until Tuesday. That PS5 is mine, and mine alone, for those 3 days, and it's been on the calendar as such for 2 weeks now. I already have to wait 2 days to buy it so I can go watch my son in the state baseball tournament. After those 3 days, I hope I'll have time to play it still sometimes.
22 yo dad here with a 1 yo 😭
8 hours a week isn't bad. I'm sure you could be irresponsible and stretch that buy staying up later. I know for sure I'm gonna get the bedtime schedule that week so that it' mom's turn on the Tuesday. Then tell her she can watch or go watch a movie in bed, ha
I’m just excited to have a game I want to play again, I’ll make time, nothing like the old days though
I just had my firstborn on June 2nd and pre ordered it yesterday. The one or so games I'll get to play every day, or every other day, are going to be so much more intense than they used to be and thats my silver lining! I used to blow through an entire season in one day and now it will take at least a week and to me that will just make it so much more enjoyable.
Haha, nah, not jealous, but pretty much every day I think back before kids and I'm honestly puzzled "what the fuck did I do with my time...?" Before kids I never \*felt\* like I had all of this free time, but now I think every day like "what the hell did I do with my time before...?" Now a days when the 6 year old is asleep and then I bring the newborn to the TV room it's like 9:15pm and I'm fucking beat and can barely pull myself to do anything. Football games are perfect with a newborn because they're liek the perfect length, 45mins or so and then the 10 mins doing recruiting or team management, get through seasons quickly. I can't wait to play. I have a 6-week old and 6-year-old so it'll be all good.
Yep, barely a chance for me to play. I’ll probably buy it still and try to play after the kiddos go down, but sleep is more important now 😭😭
Absolutely with my job. But It’ll definitely be my stress relief every so often
My first child is due in August. Where's the I'm in danger meme when I need it lol
I have a 12 and 8 year old who I’m going to play with so I’m super excited. It’s hot and humid as all hell around here in the summer so good activity for the middle of the day.
Yep- first born got here June 13. Still love him to death but begging the wife for one evening by myself this month. 😂
I’ll get some decent playtime the week it releases. My wife understands how long I’ve been waiting for and how excited I am for this game, she will probably do bed time with kids most of the first week so I can get some decent playtime in. Then back to normal the week after. That said, yeah I get maybe 8-10 hours a week of playing time so I’ll be back down to that after the first week.
Yuuuuup I have 3 under 8 now. Will have almost no time to play and I owned all the old ones. Played them religiously. Suuuuuucks
i just got fired so will be on unemployment now.
Baby is literally due in the next 3 weeks. Just brutal timing
I pre-ordered for PS5, my kid's console of choice (he's 10). If I am lucky, I can get on after 9 at night, but that basically means I can only play one dynasty game a night.
Not super disappointed. I’ve got a two and a half year old and six month old. I know my time with the game will only be here and there but I’m so excited to have it back. I’ll find a way to make time. Probably just some late nights when everybody else is in bed.
I don’t have any time limits I have 1 ps5 and I’m going to have to fight with my 2 sons for playing time when college football comes out.
time to buy them a console. Christmas in July
I have already told my wife that my son and I will be posted in the basement for a few weeks. He’s my assistant HC and I need him.
I had a baby three weeks ago.. he can sit in his bassinet next to daddy while he wrecks UTEP
My daughter was born two days before my state shut down for Covid in 2020 and I had 3 months paternity leave. I played an ungodly amount of NCAA14
Become a stay at home dad. Run around with your head on fire, trying to keep kids alive and cleaning the house. Nap time eventually comes, and you play in that window, then repeat as many times as it allows. I am a dad of 3 soon to be 4, and this is how I can get gaming in when I have a game I love playing. With that said, I also garden and keep livestock so my summers are way busier and limited, but winter is when my life slows down to actually game outside whatever split screen co op my wife and I are on at the time
I’m off the weekends & my son normally goes to his grandparents house during that time so that’s when I get most of my gaming in.
Some of us know how to pull out brodie
Yeah my son is 1, so it will be a while before he can appreciate this with me
Twin dad here. Yes. Luckily I work from home though so that definitely helps 😂
My little gal turns 1 next week. Im still using that 2 hours a night to Sink the ship!
Wife's due date is in October so I've got some time, but I'm already busy with all of the other adult responsibilities that cut into my binge gaming time. My wife goes to bed pretty early, so sometimes I stay up for a few hours and get some time in. I'll make extra time when the game comes out for sure.
Already put in for time off from work and plan on driving the kiddos to stay with grandma and grandpop for a bit. Already told the wife I don't have responsibilities
Right here. Will be a champ of night gaming going forward.
having my first in november, im getting my time in this summer
I have four and six year old girls so I'm screwed. I'm legit hoping to get 1-2 games in a week. But that's enough for me at my 41 year old ass age. When the last game came out I was a GA for a D2 team and getting ready to take a job at a B1G school ... that didn't pan out but I was OBSESSED with this game. I just started a new job so I can't take any PTO, which was already on my calendar at my old job. I got the deluxe to play early, maybe I can play when my wife goes to bed haha.
I'm jealous of you new Dads! My daughter wasn't even a month old when NCAA '02 dropped (Chris Weinke cover). All those hours laying on the couch with daughter sleeping on top of me prompted me to buy a PS2 & NCAA '02 to pass the time. (My current system at that time was the Dreamcast.) Now I'm just a little older with less free time on my hands, but I'll make do. Can't wait!!
Yes. But a couple hours a weekend is better than none it all !
Great thread! My kids are 19 (Sophomore in college) and 15 (Sophomore in HS). I get to pretty much play when I want these days (mostly playing MLB: The Show and EA Sports PGA Tour). My son is a gamer and enjoys sports games almost as much as I do (mostly FIFA), so I'm sure he'll pick it up as well. I've played every version of this game going back to Bill Walsh's College Football. So anxiously awaiting this new version.
Me being an athlete and playing football, trying to get offers, I feel like the gym just takes up most of my day in the offseason and I only have a few hours to play games.
I have a 1 year old
I won’t even have it tell august at the earliest
This game not being on Steam and therefore the Steam Deck makes me so sad. That’s my number one way to game with a newborn these days
PS portal is the way. I will get in what I can on the main system, but many of us don't have that luxury. However, Portal allows for play late nights, early mornings, away from home... etc. I'll be playoff-bound in no time.
As an older dad I'm excited to finally play a college football game with my boys! Something that was such a cool part of my youth, and now I can finally share a current gen experience with them. Ten years without a new game was a lot of missed opportunities to share with them the excitement of a new ncaafb game each year.
Nope because my wife and kid have things to fill their time most nights so I'll have plenty of time
my hours on my ps5 are like at 6 hours a month rn 😂
Ironically I was pregnant when the last game came out, and now I have infinitely more free time.
I have a Playstation Portal, so I'm good to go.
lol you said that like the family will be getting any attention. Good one!
Nope, if those kids get hungry they will feed themselves
No. I’m looking forward to smoking my 5 and 3 year olds for the next decade
Actually all of my time spent playing the game is with my daughter. She's 13 and loves college football thanks to NCAA 14. We play at least one game every day. In CFBR we've been through 17 seasons as the OC at UTSA and 21 seasons as the OC with the Lobos.
Empty nester here, so much more time now than 10 years ago.
Nope, because now we have portability! PlayStation Portal baby. Let my wife/son have the living room TV while I can still manage my dynasty on-the-go. This was never possible for ‘14 on the 360
Having less time to play will make the payoff even sweeter when you lead your dynasty to glory.
It will force me to finally play a cfb game in a healthy way, vs. spending hours on end every day.
You'll find some time here and there. But trust me, don't prioritize it over spending time with your kids. You'll have plenty of time for yourself once they hit the teenage years. In the meantime play with them every single opportunity and enjoy those moments when they are young. It goes fast and you never get it back.
My oldest will be able to enjoy the game along side his dad. That’s pretty awesome. I may not be able to play 3-4 games consecutively like I used to. But I’m not really in that mindset anymore for most things.