So, I’ve just recently found some friends who play World of Warcraft. You know, that time, money, and soul sucking MMORPG that somehow found that sweet spot of addictive and interesting that all other open world massively multiplayer games have been trying to duplicate for the past 5 years? I quit playing about three years back, when I didn’t have enough time to justify the $15 per month price tag that it comes with. With friends, though, it’s become interesting enough to me again, and I’ve found myself with some gaming time I’m willing to devote to the grinding, leveling, and just plain hanging out that the game entails. What has been even more fun was the recent Thanksgiving-themed questing that I’ve been able to do with buddies who I don’t see that often in real life.
Of course, since I’m a parent, my kids see me playing and want to play as well. I’ve let them build characters on my account so they could mess around in the low levels, see what it’s all about, and just goof off. That, of course, meant that I couldn’t play at the same time. That sounds a bit selfish, I know, but as any WoW geek will tell you, the call of the game is siren-esque: leveling up that character JUST. ONE. MORE. LEVEL! is darn near irresistible. In addition, my ten-year-old daughter really got into the game. It’s caught a hold of her imagination fairly well, and she’s really wanted to play a lot. Cries of “Dad, come see this cool quest!” have become the norm around my home as of late.
As she’s been working on finally learning her multiplication tables, I made a deal: learn through your sevens times tables and I’ll get you two weeks on World of Warcraft. This is a win/win, as the first two weeks of a new account are free, and she really needs to learn the times tables once and for all. But now comes a new dilemma. What happens when the two weeks end? Do I really cough up an extra $15 per month so my ten year old can play such an addictive game? What about all the hue and cry around letting young kids play games on the internet? What about safety concerns?
Let’s start with safety and addiction. I’ve decided that she can play the game only when I do. Meaning, we will quest together and share the game time. This really meets both of our needs, as I get to spend some quality time with my kiddo and get to see how she plays the game. I get to help her learn about who to talk to and how to navigate the WoW social chat scene while still getting to play the game myself. We both created new characters, and we’re having a BLAST running around Azeroth, blasting bad guys, finding rare items, and leveling up. It’s tons of fun. I also get to control, directly, the amount of time she spends in game. If I feel she’s becoming unhealthy in her wanting to play the game, I can help guide her to other activities and help her manage her time with her avatar. If this becomes something she wants to continue into her teen years, and go questing without me, I will put some time into setting up the Parental Controls for her account as well.
As far as the extra cash per month, I’ve decided that I’ll get her a WoW gift card for each new milestone that she earns, at least at first. That way, she can play a certain amount of time, and still remember that she has to work on real life school stuff to keep it flowing. I don’t know how well this will work, which is what parenting is all about: figuring it out as we go, hoping we do as much good and minimize as much harm as possible.
What do you think? How do you manage your children’s online time? Are you planning on allowing them to game? What about MMORPGs? Let us know in the comments below.
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