September 1, 2010
Playing The Game Wizard101
As a parent, I watch my children get bombarded with advertisements for this toy, that video game, or the new style of clothing. My children hear those messages all day lengthy from the Tv, and I get to hear them from my kids.
My seven-year-old son likes to sit on the computer next to me in my office, and play little online games like like Legos or Club Penguin. He had heard about Wizard101 from his cousin, as well as all of the Tv commercials for it.
Now, I’m coming from the perspective of a recovering World of Warcraft addict. I was an officer in a high-end raiding guild, and WoW became like a second job for me. And I loved it. Until I realized how a lot of my life was consumed by the game. I made a clean break as soon as I understood the impact that it was having on the rest of my life.
It was from this perspective that I was confronted with my son wanting to play an on-line role playing game. Needless to say, it made me a bit nervous.
So, I decided to check it out. After all, it’s free, and no software program required.
We played together…the two of us, side-by-side. We quested and adventured with each other, and I helped him understand the finer strategies of combat (like burning down 1 opponent totally when fighting numerous poor guys). After going through all of the free content, we actually subscribed, using the understanding that he is doing particular chores each and every week to earn it.
Here’s what I’ve discovered about the video game:
The Good
The graphics are fun. Good and cartoony. Bright, colorful. The music adds a good feel to it.
The quests are simple to understand, and actually contribute towards the overall storyline. The optional built-in quest helper is nice, pointing the way to assist him discover things that may be tough to locate.
Parental controls are awesome. Parents can limit what chat they can say or read, but still allow chat through a fixed list of statements. They can also control the buddies and groups that the child can join.
The combat is simple sufficient to become simple for a seven-year-old, but has sufficient subtleties to become enjoyed by a much more seasoned gamer. And also the violence is cartoony. Opponents are not killed, they’re “defeated” in a duel.
The Bad
It can be addictive. Like many RPGs, there’s a progression that constantly provides a player a new spell, a new piece of gear, access to a new area…something that always keeps green grass on the other side of the fence.
Some crude humor. For example, particular monsters have an attack spell where they turn around, bend over, and pass gas at you.
With the lessons discovered from losing component of my life into the fantasy world of online games, I’ve cautiously allowed my son to continue playing. With good parental moderation, I can allow him to play, but I set limits on the quantity of time he plays. If I hear him talking excitedly about the video game, that’s fine. If that’s all he talks about, it’s time for him to take a break for several days and spend much more time building Legos.
With the proper guidance, it can be a fun, entertaining, challenging game. And for those who have two computers, questing with each other can be very fun!