Indirect Escapism and the Parent as an “Indirect Player”: A Family-Level Perspective on Games

Parents often turn to children's digital gameplay not only as entertainment for the child, but also as a way to manage their own needs. This position paper explores how children's engagement with games can function as a form of indirect escapism for parents, offering moments of quiet, uninterrupted time to recover from stress, complete household tasks, or decompress emotionally. When used intentionally and with clear boundaries, this practice may support family well-being by providing short breaks without compromising the child’s safety or engagement. However, over-reliance on games to regulate household stress can create new challenges, particularly when it leads to negative emotion or changes patterns in parenting. Reflecting upon our previous work that explored how children's engagement with games is mediated by parents and drawing from research on escapism, we suggest viewing this dynamic as part of a broader, family-level coping system. We call for further exploration of how parents manage children's engagement with games, and how game design might better support both children’s and parental well-being.