‘I can connect with my kids’: The mums who take time out to game

“Even when I’m playing a competitive multiplayer game that doesn’t seem to have a story, really, we the players are making the story of that game. I love experiencing bizarre situations and video games are perfect for really drawing you into those. I suppose they separate you from the banality of life a bit.”

Video gaming, which includes digital games such as those on mobiles, consoles, streaming and PC, is a US$196.8 billion industry with more than 3.198 billion players globally according to the 2022 Newzoo Global Games Market Report.

While research into gaming is extensive, research into specific categories of players, particularly parents who game, is under-researched says Dr Fae Heaselgrave, lecturer and researcher in communication and media at the University of South Australia.

“Industry data focuses on gender rather than parents. We know, for example, there are almost 50 per cent of women in Australia who play video games but how many of these are mothers is currently unknown,” she says.

To help fill the gap, Heaselgrave and her colleague, game designer and game design lecturer at the University of South Australia, Dr Susannah Emery, are researching parents who game as part of the Play and Pause study.

In Heaselgrave’s previous research, she found mums play for a variety of reasons, such as to fill time in between appointments or domestic chores, but also as a means of escaping from the everyday pressures of parenting.

“For some mothers, video gaming helps them connect with family and friends, and particularly to feel closer with children. But my research also found gaming is a nostalgic experience for mothers who may have once played more action-oriented games and for more intensive periods of time before having children,” she says.

That’s the case for both Ryan and mum of two, Felicity Peters.

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“I have been gaming for as long as I can remember. As a child I would get to use my dad’s old Atari system on the occasional weekend. From there I started playing computer games until me and my brother got our first PlayStation for Christmas one year,” Peters says.

But now, as an adult and a parent, Peters finds that gaming allows many advantages not provided by other hobbies or activities.

“As a mum I love gaming because it is another outlet where I can connect with my kids. It’s great to be able to share the same interests and be involved in their hobbies and interests.”

Carlie Birt, mum of two, agrees.

“As my children enjoy games it means we can do these games together which is fun for everyone. It also means I can discuss games with them,” she says.

For Acquarola and her kids, Amber, 6, and Jackson, 10, video games are played together in the living room.

Along with traditional family activities like board games, it’s a way to bond and be competitive with each other.

Gaming is also her favourite way to unwind, a time just for her to chill out and not focus on her adult responsibilities.

“Don’t like to play as much as I want to – I work full time and have two kids, but I do try to sneak it in every now and then,” she said.

With Carla Jaeger

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