Game-making / Parenting Ethics?...

[MiteWiseacreLives!]

Just want to shoot this out there,
One day while playing an adventure game, my 9yr old son joined me and then stated, "I want to make a game like this."
I said you know what I think we can.. there used to be this program called Adventure Game Maker my brother and I started to use like 7yrs ago..
Found a new version, blah, blah, blah.
Simple concept, we just get some wax crayons, draw the back grounds, objects and characters etc. and scan them in, then Dad starts scripting and so-on. We brainstorm plot ideas / puzzles together, I try to get him to come up with majority of the stuff (which leads to a wacky story & goofy fun little puzzles).

Now the dilemma, making an adventure game takes time and effort and kids don't always have huge staying power.. He is getting harder and harder to get excited about the process, having trouble encouraging him to draw the needed rooms, objects etc.
We sit down together and colour, I help him lay things out and colour in bigger areas, try to make it fun.. Sometimes I get tired of waiting for the artist to feel inspired, so I draw some inventory items in a childish way for ex.

Should I resort to bribery, a dollar per picture? or a draw with me for a bit then you can choose what we do next? am I going to suck all the fun and life out of this game? Draw a bunch of crayon art myself, finish the game, post it and then let the Forum rip me to shreds? just wait until he's interested and start up again?

Your thoughts?
BTW, when completed I won't try to say this game was entirely done by a nine-year-old, it's a "Father/Son" project...

[tamatic]

Medium and big games take tons of time. Even small ones can. It is demanding even for adults.

I think if the kid is not interested anymore you should leave him alone about it for a while.
Enthusiasm or bribery will only get you so far.

It might be worth considering making the game much smaller. And when its done it might inspire him to make another or expand.

Name it "Chapter One" or whatever: so there is this lead.

Thats all I can think of. I am childless so don't take my word for it. :p

[Eric]

Maybe he'd be inspired by playing another game with art by a nine-year-old?

[selmiak]

^^^^ or the one with the ponycorns

on topic: If he is not interested anymore, just let it be, if YOU want to make an adventure game make you own game. Maybe he even sees you doing it and wants to help... which is a dilemma then

[MiteWiseacreLives!]

We are still plugging along.. got a couple more rooms from him, now I have a tonne of scripting etc. to do, he pops in and checks it out here and there.
I sorta think it's good for a young guy to see that he can do something cool and not just daydream about it.. I usually pick up the slack in the work that goes into our projects, he enjoys the planning and final outcomes... he also comes up with massive ideas (like any kid) that I'm trying to pull off, because I like the challenge (learning the engine is fun).
I'm thinking I won't prod too hard and hope the progress I make will lure him back in from time to time.. I was seriously considering buying his art of him, it just seems so wrong 

[Ponch]

Glad to hear progress is still being made. But I second the suggestion to keep it small. Kids aren't exactly capable of long-term planning when they're little. Making a small game would be quite an accomplishment by itself and the pride in seeing what he accomplished might be enough to spur him on to bigger games when he's a little older. 

Good luck with the project. I hope you two make it across the finish line.

[Stupot]

I like the idea that you could pay him a couple of dollars to do the backgrounds.  I wouldn't call it bribery.  With any luck, when you show him the end product and play it together, he will be made-up to see his work in a finished game, and will enjoy the fact that he earned a few bucks along the way.