World of Warcraft....

[malta blue]

Can anyone tell me if this is appropriate for my 8 y/o daughter to be playing. Her dad lets her play at his house, and he said she is not allowed to play unless he is with her - plus he has all the parental controls set - but I am just curious if anyone has experience with this...

Thanks!

:hi:

[IndianaJones]

1. its a little nerdy for someone of that age. nt.

[malta blue]

3. I think my kid is going to be nerdy anyway...

but I don't know what you mean by that... :shrug:

[IndianaJones]

6. there are also satanic undertones....so nerdy and satanist. double whammy. nt.

[malta blue]

8. Satanist like she is going to hack up the dog

or what?

[IndianaJones]

11. demons...and gargyles. nt.

[Javaman]

30. Satan's accountant? nt

[BarenakedLady]

4. Hey now!

But it isn't nerdy for a 38 year old female though, right? ;)

[IndianaJones]

7. depends on the hours per week. and the race of your character. nt.

[BarenakedLady]

10. Which character?

Uh oh, that alone answers my own question doesn't it?

:rofl:

[IndianaJones]

12. yeah. geek. nt.

[Marrah_G]

41. Make that two!

[BarenakedLady]

2. All my kids play it.

They are 10, 7, and 5. They've been around this game since it was released 2 years ago or so. I may be biased, as I play too. There is violence, but it's not bloody.

You can go to http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/ to check it out.

[malta blue]

5. Thanks BNL.

Good to know my kid isn't the only "nerdy" one. :rofl:

[BarenakedLady]

9. Oh, I forgot

There is a language filter that you can activate that *%&^'s out any swear words that other players may type. There may be other parental controls that I haven't looked into because I'm a slacker mom. ;)

[Inchworm]

29. Gamer nerd!

Muahahaha!

:yoiks:

[BarenakedLady]

33. Maybe so, but

I am teh sexay

[Inchworm]

36. hmm.. Night Elf Druid?

wow! you are quite hawt! It looks like you have your ears laid back. Rawr!

:rofl:

[DarkTirade]

13. I'd be less worried about the game and more worried about the other players.

But that's just me.

[malta blue]

14. so what I am understanding is it is an online

multiple user game.

As I said in the OP, her dad is with her the entire time and has all the parental controls set.

Can others interact with her in the game? What is the concern? (I apologize for my ignorance, I know nothing of these multiple user things)

[DarkTirade]

16. I don't know the details of WoW in particular, but if her dad is with her I wouldn't be too worried.

[malta blue]

18. Thanks for the info! eom

[Clintonista2]

22. Basically how it works is

The POINT of the game is to interact with other players, to complete quests, and get your character stronger. If anybody is harassing your daughter online, it's possible to block them from interacting with her (you cant hear what they are saying).

[Orsino]

15. It's all violence.

Although I've never actually played it, it sounds inappropriate for pre-teens.

[IndianaJones]

19. c'mon...theres spells and walking too. nt.

[malta blue]

21. I was thinking that too but then again, she is almost a

black belt in Tae Kwon Do, so she is fully aware of the things people can do to each other. Her dad swears there is nothing worse in it than in a power rangers tv show.

[Clintonista2]

23. It is not visually violent

Here's a video of a "fight" in world of warcraft, as you can see, it's not blood-and-gore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PWXxRaI-ZM

[Orsino]

27. I would be concerned more with the premise...

...that everything except you and your buddies is there to be killed. Whether or not the presentation is gory. Adults can make the distinction between the online fantasy world and reality, but when you're in the single digits? I worry about what the game teaches little kids (beyond the commendable aspect of teamwork).

But again, I'm pontificating about a game I haven't actually played. Perhaps the value outweighs the risk.

[Javaman]

31. Nothing like making a very broad generality without knowing anything about it. nt

[Orsino]

35. How about when knowing something about it?

While tempering my opinion with an acknowledgment that I don't have direct experience? And not insisting that my opinion must be gospel?

Would it be okay if I had done that?

[Javaman]

37. Yes, it would, try that in the future and perhaps in the future you won't be targeted

for ignorance on a topic. :)

[Orsino]

38. Good thing that's what I did. n/t

[negativenihil]

17. At 8?!

Naw, send her outside/play with friends/etc - an 8 year old sohuld have far more fun things to do.

(fyi - i am a wow junkie.)

[malta blue]

20. That's funny!

She does get outside and play - she is not one of those kids that spends hours in front of a computer/videogame/tv.

I think she likes it because Daddy does it too.

[masshole]

24. the biggest issue is the chat

Even with the filters turned on general chat can get a little out of hand.
I have a 10 year old in my guild. I restrict language and topics in guild chat, but have no control over what is said in general chat. Often this 10 year old will ask me or one of the other older players "what does _____ mean" after she has read the chat. It can be difficult.

If dad is with her while she plays she should be fine.

[Mutley]

25. I don't think it's a problem

Just have all the parental controls set, and make sure she understands she should never give out her personal information to anyone online. It's not an overly bloody game or anything.

It is fun and highly addictive, though. :P

[malta blue]

26. Thanks for the info.

I think she will be okay since her dad is with her at all times while she is playing, and he set the controls.

He even got the new patch and would not let her get on a different server last night since the regular one was down. She is only allowed to use one server.

[Inchworm]

28. It's fine- so long as it isnt ALL she does

I think games like this are better than TV. It is interactive TV. Hand eye coordination and math and some social skills. Reading, typing, computer usage.. etc...

Anything over done is over done. I saw someone mention "satanic" upthread. WoW is no more satanic than church on Sunday. Good vs Evil perhaps, but not satanic.

I guess it depends a lot on the child and parents though. I saw a boy who was left to play a MMORPG alone many hours a day from when he was 5 til when he was 15ish. It was a babysitter. Bad parenting. I've also seen grown-ups so obsessed over their "recent game" that if they find out you know the game that is all they speak of. Obsession.

It's ultimately up to you and her dad.

:hi:

[malta blue]

32. Cool - well she does not play it at my house, so

we have eliminated 1/2 the time there anyway. AND she is usually running around to Tae Kwon Do, Brownies and stuff like that too. Although, she made me dizzy with all her WoW talk in the car the other day when I picked her up at her dad's house. Mr MB gave her a free pass to talk to him about it all she wants - he figured at least that way someone in our house will know what she is doing too.

Thanks
:hi:

[Inchworm]

34. Its so true

You get so excited that you try to share your "adventures" with other people. Sometimes you do this even though the other people have no clue what you are talking about.

Just wait for the conversations if she ever does the battlegrounds. It is PvP (player vs player) and it really gets your adrenylin going. Man I miss it sometimes hehe

Heres a link to their site if you want to read up on it. There are ways to pull up her character too I think. That way you are part of it if you want to be :P

http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/index.xml

:hi:

[Evoman]

39. Every body is concerned about the violence/language angle.

What I would be concerned about is the gambling angle. I've been around to many people who have become addicted to the game in an unhealthy way. I've even heard of one psychologist saying it was like a gambling addiction because of the structure of rewards in the game. Obviously, like gambling, many people (maybe even most) don't get carried away. But some do. And teaching you kids to gamble may not be in a parents best interest.

I'm a gamer, so I'm the last person to take another to task for gaming. But just thought I'd give you a heads up.

[Marrah_G]

40. No

I wouldn't let her near it unless he is reading every conversation.

I've been an online gamer for alot of years and I am also female. Think of your daughter hanging out with a thousand guys aged 15-25 with the language and topics that go with it. The guys can get VERY graphic and the thought of another player being a female in real life often leads to uncontrolable flirting (many times both akward and inappropriate. Unless she tells each person she speaks to that she is 8 they will, by default, treat her as someone their own age.

My sons have played (they are young teens) but not without me watching over a shoulder and talking to their "guildleaders" to make sure it was a family friendly/child friendly, casual sort of guild. I would not allow them to join my own guild or alternate guild simply because I knew how the other players spoke and I wasn't comfortable making them change because of my kids.

I would not allow an 8 year old, especially a girl, to play. Perhaps your ex could find a single player RPG to play or another type of game they could play against each other. I have to say that I think your ex is being irresponsible and perhaps blinded by his own gaming.

I am sure some pissed off 15-25 year old gamers are gonna bitch now but I am simply telling you the truth and they know it.