I’m in the midst of a quest, trying to get my Felhunter Minion and just about 33,000 experience points away from a faster mount. I’m anxious to get a Felhunter because my Succubus is really annoying and not all she’s cracked up to be. I’m still pleased with the Voidwalker though. He seem to have the best DPS and the highest hit points, so let’s face it, he’s a tank! I don’t think he’ll be good in PVP situations though. I’ll always appreciate the fast mount after travelling thousands of miles and several continents by a horse that can only increase my speed by 60%. I’m in the Barrens at the moment, standing in a shallow river and I’m guessing I won’t be finding a mailbox to collect the loot I made from selling at the auction house. I do love gold. If I collect enough gold, I can buy the things I need to cook food and sew up some sweet clothing. After all this work, I may head to Goldshire for a drink and good laugh. People watching has always been one of my favorite past times. I am in the World of Warcraft.

We all play. Well, except for the baby, but he likes to watch the cute little Gnome battle her way through a dungeon on occasion. When we first started playing, we heard some negativity. “Have fun rotting away in your basement.” was what one former friend said to my 11 year old. Then I started hearing from people who don’t play anymore because they couldn’t pull themselves away from it. They used words like “addiction” and “will power”. All of this, over a video game?

I think adults have a hard time watching their children get sucked right into a video game for hours on end. It doesn’t always look pretty. If you are watching from the sidelines, it can sort of look like nothing and a waste of time. Often times, kids get anxious, frustrated, and really angry during their gaming time. I’ve seen meltdowns in the worst way before I knew what was going on and what look for. That reminds me of a YouTube video that went around. A young teen had his WoW account removed by his mother and his older brother video taped his screaming and seemingly insane meltdown over it. I felt for that child then, because what his brother did was mean. Now I really feel for him, because if anyone messed with my account, after all the hard work I’ve put into learning the game, different strategies, and building up my character, I might be a little angry too. I haven’t even been playing that long.

WoW is practically a complete curriculum in a $20.00 box.

Here are a few things that really stand out to me:

• A story rich with lore and mythology that we see pop up in literature and film all the time. While there aren’t any hobbits there are TONS of mythological creatures from Gryphons and Dragons to Gnomes and Dwarves.
• The depth of the geography is amazing. There are countless maps for every each continent, and you can (if you wish) walk from one end of a continent to the other using the in game maps. The different areas exist in cohesion with the others.
• The soundtrack. Yes, I said the soundtrack. When you enter each new place, music will play. Usually softly, but just enough to set the tone for your new adventure. It’s not your typical video game music, it’s more like going to the symphony.
• It’s a mathematical journey. There is more math in this game than I ever learned in school. My eleven year old has come upstairs with hand drawn charts full of numbers and goals and how he is going to get there. In the auction house the kids use gold, silver, and copper, to purchase goods and can earn it by selling goods. Everything in this game is based on numbers. Everything. It’s not something you can get away from, even if you try.
• Strategy. Strategizing in a game is a way of strategizing for real life. Sort of like practice. After a good day of playing WoW, I often feel more organized and ready to tackle a large project in an orderly fashion. What a *great* side effect for me!

I started playing to feel more connected to the kids. They have been playing a lot of video games since we moved and I started to sort of miss them. So instead of trying to pull them away to do something else, I jumped into their current and went a long for the ride. We now have something that the entire family likes to do! That fact alone makes me incredibly happy. I didn’t expect to like this game as much as I do. In fact, I LOVE this game. I have more fun playing this game than any other video game. I now completely understand why it can be so hard to pull yourself away from it. I get it. I get why games are so important to our children. This game is more complex than any board game, table game, or card game I’ve ever played.

I have set personal principles for myself when I play. Like with anything else I do, I feel it’s important to set an example for my children. I feel that a few things are important when involved in video games.

• I feel that it is important to be able to quickly redirect my attention in an important situation.
• I feel that it’s important to get up, stretch, breathe, and grab a snack during a stressful time.
• I make sure I can step away at any time. My family is much more important to me than any video game, ever.
• I use words to let the people around me know when I need a minute or if something is important to me. I say, “I’d like to just finish up here, and you can have my full attention.”
• I don’t enter into dungeon raids or pvp battles if I am the only adult in the house.
• Video games are valuable learning tools for them (and us!) and I try to never undermine their hard work.

I’m sure there are more, but these are the conscious efforts I make. Do I expect everyone else to make the same choices? No. I just hope that they see that I think things through before jumping into a long gaming session. Now, I’m off to get my Felhunter and then it’s back to Booty Bay where I’ve been working on the side for the Goblins.

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