Sep
Playing The Game Wizard101
Posted in Fun Stuff | No Comments »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 hear those messages all day lengthy from the Television, 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 online games like like Legos or Club Penguin. He had heard about Wizard101 from his cousin, too as all of the Television commercials for it.
Now, I’m coming from 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 much 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’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 comprehend the finer strategies of combat (like burning down 1 opponent totally when fighting numerous poor guys). Following going through all from the free content, we really subscribed, using the understanding that he is performing 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 really feel to it.
The quests are easy to comprehend, and really contribute to the overall storyline. The optional built-in quest helper is nice, pointing the method to assist him find things that might be tough to locate.
Parental controls are awesome. Parents can limit what chat they are able to say or read, but still permit chat through a fixed list of statements. They can also control the buddies and groups that the child can join.
The combat is easy sufficient to become simple for a 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’re “defeated” in a duel.
The Bad
It can be addictive. Like many RPGs, there’s a progression that constantly 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 instance, particular monsters have an attack spell where they turn around, bend over, and pass gas at you.
With 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 good parental moderation, I can permit him to play, but I set limits about 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 a few days and spend 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!