I know everyone is like wow omg wholesome dad game with all white cast! yay! based!
But I am a father and playing the game makes me profoundly sad. I have real children near the same age and the game nails the mentality so perfectly I feel guilty playing it, like I am cheating on my real family. Maybe in 20 years I'll play through it to reminisce once they are gone. But I can't play it now for more than a couple minutes before feeling disgusting.
No one is realizing how seductive this is. Like porn tricks you into thinking you have endless women and thus defeating your drive to find a real one, Dad-games sap away your energy to have a real family.
I know in the hunter-gatherer sense all videogames are a waste of time and should be avoided, we're all addicts and none of this is healthy. I can't attack anyone for playing this game while I still waste time with other RPGs and shooters. But there's a reason this game came from a country where reclusive shutins are such a problem they have a completely collapsing birthrate.
As I'm playing it, I find myself constantly at odds with Hugh's attitude and mood. He just watched his whole team die and spends the whole game giggling and playing with a little girl like nothing happened. She's not helping him through trauma, she's just helping him fight.
As far as kids go, she's great. She doesn't nag, complain, or whine. She's always upbeat and optimistic. She's grateful and happy for everything she gets. She's helpful and doesn't get in the way. It's easy to find a little kid endearing when they're flawless.
I just feel like the game goes out of its way to ignore the situation on the Cradle. There are zero traces of the crew. No blood, no bodies, not even coffee cups or half eaten snacks laying around. I'm not saying the game needs to be Dead Space (Dad Space) but a few reminders of what's at stake wouldn't go amiss.
Dad Space lol