World of Warcraft - Please explain

[elsiegee40]

As a fairly typical middle aged female, I haven't played this.

 

However, I need to know some things about it.

 

1. I believe it is age restricted. Is this 'tick a box' to confirm you're over 18, give your date of birth or what?

 

2. The content is unsuitable for young people; I assume it is violent or is there more?

 

3. When playing it are you playing against others online? Is there any social netorking within the site? Can players contact each other outside the immediate context of the game-play?

 

Thanks for your help

[bladedanny]

World of warcraft is a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) as a player you play against two types of players, the first NPC (non player character) these are controlled by the computer and the other type are real human beings sat at a computer somewhere in the world.

 

As far as I know there is no age restriction although under a certain age you need parental consent (correct me if i'm wrong).

 

There is violance in the game but no where near as much as most games today.

 

Players can chat and talk to each other as well as join groups called guilds. You have the option of ignoring people and the game also includes a swear filter.

 

Hope that answers your questions, I'm sure many people on here can give you a detailed description.

[elsiegee40]

World of warcraft is a MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role playing game) as a player you play against two types of players, the first NPC (non player character) these are controlled by the computer and the other type are real human beings sat at a computer somewhere in the world.

 

As far as I know there is no age restriction although under a certain age you need parental consent (correct me if i'm wrong).

 

There is violance in the game but no where near as much as most games today.

 

Players can chat and talk to each other as well as join groups called guilds. You have the option of ignoring people and the game also includes a swear filter.

 

Hope that answers your questions, I'm sure many people on here can give you a detailed description.

 

Thanks for that. +rep

 

It's the chatting bit that concerns me most.

[siuko]

What concerns you about it?

 

People are able to easily chat with any other player on the same faction as them so it is quite open.

[elsiegee40]

What concerns you about it?

 

People are able to easily chat with any other player on the same faction as them so it is quite open.

 

 

i work in a primary school - can't say more.

[siuko]

I would generally say that due to the open nature of wow and the ability for everyone to chat to everyone else it wouldnt be suitable for primary school children.

[Mako]

WoW is PEGI 12+. You will more-than-likely need to check a box to confirm you are 13 years or older upon account creation, or to confirm you are a guardian on behalf of a minor.

 

It's also a pay2play game. You'll most likely need to submit credit card details at some point, unless you're running a trial - at which point you'll probably be asked at the end of the trial.

 

It's a fully submersive world with an integrated combat system, and system-wide chat and messaging features. As far as I'm aware, the combat is not visceral. I'm not aware of any amounts of blood or gore, but I've not played it myself. You can fight both players and monsters/creatures.

 

There may even be a voice-chat system, I'm not entirely sure.

 

Given the complexity of the game, I would agree with the above post and say it's not suitable for primary children.

 

It's more of a plague than a game, though, in my opinion.

[siuko]

Very good post Mako!!

 

There may even be a voice-chat system, I'm not entirely sure.

 

Yes there is voice chat if you enable it

[elsiegee40]

Thanks guys (+rep)

[DrCheese]

The combat is pretty much just "PG" nothing overly violent, it's more like cartoon violence.

However, It's the community that would make it unsuitable for children. Whist insults and swearing are against the EULA, It's impossible for the Gamemasters (Administrators) to police the system 24/7.

[Jamo]

WoW is awesome and will steal your life....

 

It has text chat in game which you can talk to factions and groups and your nearby players. You can also use voice chat in party mode.

 

The game is not that violent but involves "questing" and killing beasts etc.

[GrumbleDook]

The game is a both a structured and unstructured live play role-playing game.

 

The easiest analogy is that you take a bunch of AD&D and WarHammer fans, give them a virtual playground to play in, the virtual characters have all the usual accompaniments associated with medieval life, assassins, witchcraft and wizardry, etc ... and throw in the idea of zombies, fictional races (some are monstrous) and the idea that people should band together to get what they want.

 

It introduces morally ambiguous decisions (ie the option to play the 'Horde' characters) but that is the next stage on from when people play cops and robbers I suppose.

 

Since this is all in a playground and people are wearing masks you have to accept that they can chat, argue, bully, get upset, get scared and even pretend to be people they are not. There are a number of net-play games out there that involve interaction with others you don't know and as well as educating children and parents about the web we also need to remember that other sections of the internet allow for online contact ... whether it is a nintendo DS, PS3 or PC.

 

As an environment for learning then I think there are a number of good things that can be learnt from it (and other RPGs). Team work, fair play, meritocracy, finances, skill building, etc .... but there are better ways of doing this.

 

Personally, I would say it is not right for primary pupils (PEGI 12+ covers that) but that even older students should involve their parents if they want to play.

[elsiegee40]

Thanks GD ... it won't let me give you rep unfortunately. I always value your opinion though.

[dwhyte85]

As a fairly typical middle aged female, I haven't played this.

 

However, I need to know some things about it.

 

1. I believe it is age restricted. Is this 'tick a box' to confirm you're over 18, give your date of birth or what?

 

2. The content is unsuitable for young people; I assume it is violent or is there more?

 

3. When playing it are you playing against others online? Is there any social netorking within the site? Can players contact each other outside the immediate context of the game-play?

 

Thanks for your help

 

It does have some scarier parts to the game, lots of skeletons, ghosts, beasts and devil/fiend like characters - I found some bits of the game eerie and a little spooky. If you look for images from the game for places like Duskwood & Stratholme it gives an idea of atmosphere/content. In terms of content, no blood, gore and guts - green stuff spills out on some of the characters animations - the generated content isn't scary but isn't suitable for primary school kids.

 

The game has a Friends system you can make friends and talk to each other much like IRC querying, it has the option to 'Party'/'Raid' with other members in an effort to work together to kill something.

 

It also has the opportunity to become part of a 'Guild', this is where you can play with like minded people and do these team based tasks. A guild has a big chat room with all the team members to discuss tactics, ideas and basically anything they want. A lot of guilds have forums off of the game, often members sign up to chat outside of the game. Often guilds will use voice chat programs like Ventrilo & TS2 to discuss tactics as it's quicker than typing when doing a 'raid'.

 

This is not suitable for a primary school child, the game is known to be very addictive and I've known personally people destroy relationships with how much they've played it. Even with chat moderation people can say what they want through symbols & 1337 speak.

My opinions above are based on playing it on/off since year 2 of university... it becomes a habit rather than enjoyable so I have to keep quitting the game, that's probably more of a reflection on my character than the game

Edited February 12, 2010 by dwhyte85

[GrumbleDook]

@ElsieGee40 - You've got to spread the love a little more

[Bromcom_John]

There are many MMORPGS out there that are a LOT more child friendly than Warcraft.

Wizards101 has, IIRC, won critical acclaim for being family friendly and even wins with the kids for essentially being a Harry Potter Rip off.

However as they are all online/chat enabled you really have to look carefully before jumping in, although the chat interface in Wizards is VERY restrictive (it even prevents the more common L33t alternatives).

 

There is also the consideration of payment method.. many MMO's (like Warcraft) have an up front payment PLUS a monthly subscription. Others offer one-off lifetime payment deals.

Some, like the aforementioned Wizards101 are Free to Play, ie. they cost nothing to download and play BUT some may have a micropayments systems built in. Micropayment systems still require some cash outlay but all the content they provide will be described as "optional".. but there is still a large element of peer envy.. Your mate has paid the $$$ to have a swanky little dragon flying next to him... Cue cries of "mum mum mum"...

 

It is WELL worth doing the research fully beforehand.

 

(kicked the WoW habit 3 years ago. after 2 long years of happy addiction )

[sonofsanta]

Don't mollycoddle them... get them on Eve Online and teach them important life lessons about economics, supply & demand, preparation above all and Not To Trust Your Fellow Man

 

(to be on topic, if only mildly: WoW is not going to be ok for primary kids. Think of it as the distilled anger and bad taste of the internet - there will always be someone screaming for attention in the only way they know how, through misbehaviour and social retardedness)

[localzuk]

Don't mollycoddle them... get them on Eve Online and teach them important life lessons about economics, supply & demand, preparation above all and Not To Trust Your Fellow Man

 

Don't forget the 'pay attention!' lesson too...

[sonofsanta]

Don't forget the 'pay attention!' lesson too...

 

THERE ARE NO TOILET BREAKS IN GATECAMPING

 

[Pete10141748]

This is not suitable for a primary school child, the game is known to be very addictive and I've known personally people destroy relationships with how much they've played it.

My opinions above are based on playing it on/off since year 2 of university... it becomes a habit rather than enjoyable so I have to keep quitting the game, that's probably more of a reflection on my character than the game

 

I very much agree - I had friends at university who got addicted and ended up doing nothing social anymore, just sitting in their room playing WoW all hours of the day and night, and if I did manage to get them down the pub they'd just be talking about their next "raid" as they had nothing else to talk about; for all intents and purposes they vanished from the real world. It was a shame because of course the frienships were just lost.

 

And yes I'd certianly say it's not right for a primary school aged child. Not because of the content of the game, but because of the online/social networking aspect side of it. You have no idea who the other online players are, and if they are using voice chat then you've not control over what the children hear either.

[fiendishlyclever]

I've been clean for over a year now - no WoW playing in all of that time.

 

I know the guild I played with (the guild who had completed the most content on our server) had a no minors policy and enforced it quite strictly. We all felt that the content of our chat room and teamspeak channel were not suitable for younger players.

 

Unfortunately not all guilds have rules like this - and perhaps in this day and age they should do for their own protection.

[dwhyte85]

I've been clean for over a year now - no WoW playing in all of that time.

 

I know the guild I played with (the guild who had completed the most content on our server) had a no minors policy and enforced it quite strictly. We all felt that the content of our chat room and teamspeak channel were not suitable for younger players.

 

Unfortunately not all guilds have rules like this - and perhaps in this day and age they should do for their own protection.

 

I like the use of the word clean :-P

[CAM]

It's not guild chat that's the problem, it's Trade chat. The content varies from server to server, my own experience of public chat is that RP servers are considerably more tame and civil then PvP ones. On popular PvP servers I found public chat to consist of nothing but racist and hateful content (and again varies depending on faction imbalance, server population, etc).

 

But on all servers I'd generally not consider it a child friendly game at all due to the community. There are good people, but they are generally groups introduced to me by friends.

[elsiegee40]

What can I say other thank "Thanks Guys", this site was the unexpected outcome of chatting about internet use with a primary-age class ... of girls. Our largely female staff winced, but couldn't give precise detail on the website. This was the information about suitability we needed.

[HodgeHi]

I read this thread with interest. Although its about the suitability of WoW for primary school kids, this is also related to PS3.

 

I say PS3 as its the only machine i feel that has an open online connection method. What i mean by this is that anyone who has access to a PS3 and has the knowledge can set up an account that is online. You don't have to pay to do this, unlike the xbox 360.

 

With the payment method you at least get the cost restriction for the younger players.

 

Why do i bring this up? Well, many parents don't realise that their kids at home can use these machines to communicate with other players online.

 

I'm currently playing Killzone 2 on PS3 online and the chat from what i can see is global by default. Anyone who speaks can be heard by all through their TV. You can mute certain players as far as i know.

 

Many times i have spoken to staff at school who are unaware that their children are getting access online or even requesting xbox live connection for a prezzie and not knowing exactly what it entails.

 

Just thought i would mention it, that's all.