Mothering: The Game – Examining the Intersection of Parenting and Games

Regina McMenomy, Ph.D. is writing a book called Mothering: The Game. It looks at what happens when a lifelong gamer becomes a mother and examines all of the newfound challenges and triumphs through the lens of gaming.

I had the pleasure of talking with Regina today while recording an episode of Gaming with the Moms and we spent some time talking about her book and some of the challenges involved in writing a book while being a mother for a very active toddler.

Her reasoning for writing the book is simple. She was reflecting over the last few years about her child and the work involved in being a mom and realized that the more she thought about it the more she compared her experiences to her time playing games.

Now. This might sound alien to non-gamers, but this has merit. Every day parents are tasked with completing tasks (some of them challenging, some of them mundane) that help our children grow and flourish. These tasks are not unlike the quests we take on in RPGs or the levels we have to complete in platforming games. The framework might be different, but they are challenges nonetheless. In a way, thinking about those challenges as quests in a game might even be able to help some overwhelmed parents break their day down into more manageable segments.

She read aa passage that talked about her struggles with energy when her child would wake up early. She compared her lack of energy with having an empty mana bar desperate for recharging. I empathized with that feeling while she read. It reminded me of all of my groggy mornings after dealing with cranky children. I had never thought about that lack of energy like a mana bar before, but even that thought gave me some ideas of how to manage that early morning exhaustion better or at least a way to have a better attitude about it.

Regina has published a sample chapter from the book entitled Achievement Unlocked: Daily Quests. I encourage everyone to give it a read and see if the book resonates with you.

Mothering: The Game is being supported on a site called Inkshare. This is a form of crowdfunding that helps people get their books published. It is, essentially, a pre-order system. You can pay upfront for the book and if the goal is not reached then the company will refund you. The book itself costs $10 at the base level or $20 for a signed copy of the softcover book.

In fact, Mothering: The Game is involved in a contest with the Nerdist between now and July 15th! Lets all go in there and help Regina win! It will go a long way towards making sure her book is published!