Kids That Play 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 about the computer next to me in my office, and play small on the internet games like like Legos or Club Penguin. He had heard about Wizard101 from his cousin, too 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 inside a high-end raiding guild, and WoW became like a second job for me. And I loved it. Until I realized how much of my life was consumed by the game. I made a clean break as soon as I understood the impact that it was having about 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 is free, and no software program required.
We played together…the two of us, side-by-side. We quested and adventured together, and I helped him understand the finer methods of combat (like burning down one opponent completely when fighting numerous bad guys). After going through all from the free content, we really subscribed, with the understanding that he is performing particular chores each and every week to earn it.
Here’s what I’ve discovered concerning the video game:
The Great
The graphics are fun. Great and cartoony. Bright, colorful. The music adds a great really feel to it.
The quests are simple to understand, and really contribute towards the overall storyline. The optional built-in quest helper is nice, pointing the method to help him discover points that may be tough to locate.
Parental controls are awesome. Parents can limit what chat they are able to say or read, but still allow chat through a fixed list of statements. They are able to also control the friends and groups that the child can join.
The combat is simple sufficient to become basic for any seven-year-old, but has sufficient subtleties to become enjoyed by a more seasoned gamer. And the violence is cartoony. Opponents are not killed, they are “defeated” inside a duel.
The Bad
It could be addictive. Like numerous RPGs, there is a progression that continuously offers a player a brand new spell, a brand new piece of gear, access to a brand new area…something that usually keeps green grass about the other side from 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 on the internet games, I’ve cautiously allowed my son to continue playing. With great parental moderation, I can allow him to play, but I set limits about the amount of time he plays. If I hear him talking excitedly concerning the video game, that’s fine. If that’s all he talks about, it is time for him to take a break for several days and invest more time building Legos.
With the proper guidance, it could be a enjoyable, entertaining, challenging game. And for those who have two computers, questing together could be quite enjoyable!
Posted: September 4th, 2010 under Computers.
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