What You Can Learn About Adoption from Video Games

Although video games give hours of fun and exciting entertainment, there are also a few things that we can learn about adoption from different games. While most adopt-and-raise-a-baby games don’t cover everything there is to know about this process in real life, new players can still enjoy them for the fun experiences they do offer. If you’d like to learn more, here are three things that you can learn about adoption from some of our favorite video games.

Adoptees Are Just Like Everyone Else

There are some people that wonder, “If you’re adopted, do you get treated differently than your other family members or siblings?” The answer, of course, should always be no. Adoptive parents never make a distinction between their adopted children and their biological children.
Games that handle this well include The Sims, My Time at Portia, and Stardew Valley — just to name a few. In these virtual baby adoption games, when your child is adopted they are treated just like every member of your family. These games are very adoption-friendly, and there are also no language differences between “adopted child” and “biological child” when you play these games and adopt a virtual baby.

Infant Adoption isn’t the Only Way to Build a Family

Working with a private domestic infant adoption agency is one of the best ways to build your family. But that’s not the only option available to families who are hoping to build the home of their dreams.
In The Sims, not only can you adopt an infant, but you also have the option of adopting a toddler or an older child — similar to a real-life adoption from foster care. Unfortunately, however, you won’t be able to adopt a teenager in this adopt-a-virtual baby game. If you choose to adopt a child in The Sims 4, you’ll be shown a pool of selectable children to build your virtual family. After that, they become a permanent member of your family, and you’ll interact with them the same way you would with any other child.
In The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you can adopt an older child with the necessary expansion pack, the Hearthfire DLC. The Skyrim adoptable kids that you can choose from are all older, so if you’re looking to adopt an infant, you might have to try a different game. Other than that, adopting a kid in Skyrim is a great way to build your virtual family.

You Should Always Be on the Same Page with Your Partner

Some life‐simulation games — like Stardew Valley— are all about the relationships we build. In games like Stardew where you have the option to create a family, same‐sex couples can choose to build their families through adoption. But, if you’re like many players who want to take their time enjoying this heartwarming game and seeing what it has to offer, you might not want to jump into raising a family as soon as the option becomes available in this adopt-a-virtual-kid game.
In Stardew Valley, your chosen spouse will ask you if you’re ready to start a family once you’ve met all of the necessary requirements, including building a bigger home. And just like in real life, you have the option of saying no and waiting until you’re ready. When you are ready, the option will always be available to you.
One of the most important takeaways from these adopt-a-virtual-baby online games is that if you’re considering adoption, you always want to be communicating effectively with your partner, and that adoption will always be an option when you’re ready — so you should never have to feel like you’re rushing into a decision.

Learn More About Adoption Today

While these games do a good job of covering some aspects of the adoption world, they don’t exactly have enough information to cover everything that adoptive parents, birth parents and adoptees go through. For that, we recommend talking to an adoption professional who can give you plenty of information to get started.