Kids That Play Wizard101
As a parent, I watch my kids get bombarded with advertisements for this toy, that video game, or the new style of clothing. My kids listen to those messages all day long in the Television, and I get to listen to them from my kids.
My seven-year-old son likes to sit about the pc next to me in my office, and play small online games like like Legos or Club Penguin. He had heard about Wizard101 from his cousin, too as all the Television commercials for it.
Now, I’m coming in the perspective of a recovering Globe 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 existence was consumed by the game. I created a clean break once 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 created me a bit nervous.
So, I decided to check it out. Following all, it is 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 methods of combat (like burning down one opponent completely when fighting numerous bad guys). Following going through all from the free content, we actually subscribed, with the understanding that he is performing certain 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 actually contribute to the overall storyline. The optional built-in quest helper is good, pointing the way to assist him find points that might 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 enough to be basic for any seven-year-old, but has enough subtleties to be enjoyed by a more seasoned gamer. And the violence is cartoony. Opponents aren’t killed, they are “defeated” in a duel.
The Bad
It can be addictive. Like numerous RPGs, there’s 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 always keeps green grass about the other side from the fence.
Some crude humor. For example, certain monsters have an attack spell where they turn around, bend over, and pass gas at you.
Using the lessons discovered from losing part of my existence into the fantasy globe of online 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 quantity of time he plays. If I listen to 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 a few days and spend more time building Legos.
Using the proper guidance, it can be a fun, entertaining, challenging game. And if you have two computers, questing with each other can be very fun!