Post by Zeli on Mar 27, 2008 20:52:30 GMT -5
Parents Need to Understand Today's MMORPGs
Rather Than Hate Them
Rather Than Hate Them
In today's day and age, the Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) is the hottest trend in computer entertainment and they are only getting more interactive. Parents don't understand the extent of these games and instead of getting involved; they trash the whole idea and say that they ruining a child's life. As a gaming parent, I'm here to dismiss that myth.
By Kat @ [www.digitaldiva73.com]
I'm a 32 year old military wife and mother of a 4, 5 & 6 year old. I play computer games, but not just single player games, I am an MMORPG fanatic. I got involved with the MMORPG (Massively Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game) community through my husband, even though I had played the pen & paper before, it was my husband who introduced me to Everquest, literally the first graphically enhanced online role playing game (RPG). I wasn't as bad as some of the other wives when Everquest was released because I had gamed RPGs with my husband since we were 19 and I knew that all relationships needed to give and receive, so instead of throwing a fit about his "addiction", I joined him. It wasn't until Dark Age of Camelot that I really became a serious MMORPG fan, and at the time, I had given birth to my first child. As time drew on and I had 2 more children, my balancing act between parenthood and gaming fanatic became almost a second nature. I learned to organize and compromise my time. Then one day, my 5 year old wanted to play and as he began to fascinate himself with the online surroundings, I knew my parenthood teachings did not stop in game, there was a lot of guidance I had to give to him online as much as I gave to him offline, guidance and advice that most parent who didn't game would never have known.
There was a recording I heard the other day with a kid on headset ready to group up with his guild mates in an MMORPG when his mother walked in and told him to get off the computer. There was a tremendous fuss and then the father intervened starting more of an argument. If you haven't heard it yet, you can hear it at: [karacry.ytmnd.com] I could literally picture the entire scenario in my mind since I am a parent myself, but as I listened to the parents voice their concerns, I became a little agitated with the reasoning behind their argument.
Son: Mom, please I want to finish this soooo bad.
Mom: You do not understand how much this computer is running the family!
Son: It's not the computer, it's your reaction!
Dad: You're crying about a game!
Son: No, please I want to finish this pleeeeeeeease!
Dad: Don't you get it at all? All you're doing is damaging yourself.
Son: I just got the group together, pleeeeeeeeeeeease!
Dad: I'm sick of this game
There is a lot more to this conversation, but this is why I think parents need to know what MMORPGs are and to GAME a bit with their children or watch a while. Computer games DO NOT ruin children's lives; in fact WIRED Magazine had an article about MMORPGs and how they are actually enhancing children's awareness in certain areas:
* Problem Solving
* Teamwork
* Critical Thinking
* Patience
* Hand-Eye Coordination
* Communication when vocals cannot be attributed
When I showed a
