World Of Warcraft and Kids... Not a Great Idea

The treadmill effect.

Published on November 6, 2005 By greywar In Gaming

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the terms used here lets start with MMORPG. That acronym stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. These games are played remotely by millions of players every day. Some of the examples include Everquest (EQ or EverCrack), Ultima Online (UO), and most recently World of Warcraft (WoW). There are others of course and they all vary in terms of game mechanics, scope, and milieu but they all share one core game mechanic : the treadmill.

The treadmill is the Pavlovian system of action = reward that keeps a gamer gaming. It takes the form of incremental intrinsic character improvements, equipment finds, or even appearance changes. The goal in designing an MMORPG is to give the player "one more thing" to do or get at all times. There is always another skill to impove, a level to gain, or a rare piece of equipment to quest after.

This system is so well designed and implemented in so many overlapping layers that it is very common to spend far more time playing the game than you think you have spent. After all it will just take another 5 minutes to accomplish that next micro-goal right? Of course that micrro-accomplpisment and it's accompanying reward produce a pretty gratifying feeling of progress and sucess so whats 5 more minutes... and 5 more... and 15 more to group up and camp that boss monster who drops that ultra-rare set of boots that woudl complete that set I have been collecting and... so on.

I have nothing against this style of gaming, in fact I think they are high art as gaming goes. Games are meant to be compelling and enjoyable and these games are all of that and a bag of holding but they are not a good idea for children.

Do you think that a 9 or 10 year old has the ability to fend off Pavlov's cycle as I have just described it? Do you think that a 14 year old boy who has all the angst of that age might be able to fend off the feeling that the only progress in their life is the progression they make playing WoW? Think that they are resisting all that cyber-sex chat and simulated character sex going on in their server when they can't get a date in real life? If you do you might be retarded. Get checked out at the doctor and then come back and finish this article.

The above paragraph is actually the less serious concern here. The fact of the matter is that if your teen or pre-teen is playing WoW then you are letting them have unsupervised Internet interactions with shitloads of adults. Go and check out some WoW player sites for all the cyber-sex, photoexchanges, online "hook-ups", and other unsavory *adult* shit that goes on here.

Would you let you son/daughter spend 5-30 hours or more a week in adult chatrooms? Would you? Well thats what WoW is folks. It is a playground primarliy made for adults. Adults are the ones with the cash to support the MMORPG industry... not kids.

If your kid is playing MMORPG's you are taking massive risks in terms of both addiction possibilities and also in terms of allowing them to interact with adults unsupervised. If you are an adult playing this stuff great! Bully for you Elven Ranger Bob! I could give a fuck less where you choose to spend your time. But parents... your kids can't not defend themselves as well as adults against this sort of thing. You have to do it. Be the parent, not their buddy.

Comments (Page 2)

iTZKooPA

on Nov 06, 2005

For my two cents, I would rather my kid play WoW than something like Counterstrike or Grand Theft Auto III for hours on end.

In WoW at least there are things your child can learn such as how to get the most damage out of a sword, or how best to create their character and which gear goes with that creation. They have to think (and do math and create formulas) to figure that out. Least case, they have to look up the formula then apply it.

Thats just me though, you certainly should still watch them and monitor their time, or even play with them.

Oh and I did goto the Doctor, I am NOT retarded, I just have an opinion that doesn't agree with yours.

Amitty

on Nov 06, 2005

My two cents:

I agree and disagree. As someone that my friends felt that I needed a intervention for WoW, I have had to think on some things. First off, telling people that WoW is not for kids is really putting all kids into the same category. Like adults, some kids are better at controlling what they do and how long they do it. To say that all kids shouldn't play is unfair to the kids. Brad's son plays WoW, and he has it under control. True, Brad also plays the games, but I think even if Brad didn't play them, his son would be the type that is able to play and watch how he plays. SOme kids, yes, maybe they shouldn't play, but I think it is up to the parents to observe and make their own judgement. If your son (or Daughter) is playing too much WoW, and showing bad behavior and bad habits because of it, then yes, take it away. But to make a blanket statement that they all shouldn't is just wrong. Usually I agree with you grey, but sorry, not this time.

K. Restoule

on Nov 06, 2005

Why does it seems that these articles are written by people who a) don't get it and b)are old and narrow minded. MMORPG's are virtual communities, they're fun and I've never had the desire to string someone up or do anything evil to them (though people like Jack Thompson do try my patience).

One thing I have noticed is that most of the people who cry foul usually don't play games.

Oh then other hand, my mom constantly plays games at pogo.com. She must be stopped.

pseudosoldier

on Nov 06, 2005

Why does it seems that these articles are written by people who a) don't get it and b)are old and narrow minded.

One thing I have noticed is that most of the people who cry foul usually don't play games.

Yeah, you sure have greywar pegged there... doesn't play games, indeed.

American Soldier

on Nov 06, 2005

I agree with one part of your post, UNSUPERVISED is the problem. I didn't know what privacy was until I moved out of my parents house and I thank them for keeping me to task and not letting me get in to things that they didn't know about. I wasn't sheltered or anything like that I was just SUPERVISED.

bakerstreet

on Nov 06, 2005

"Why does it seems that these articles are written by people who a) don't get it and b)are old and narrow minded."

People go nuts when they are given the opportunity to seem more liberated than others who risk seeming overly conservative. I think it is cute how people are projecting their "Jack Thompson" rage on greywar who is basically saying the same thing I have heard MMORPG players say for years.

I differ a bit with greywar, but turning him into something he isn't won't make your argument any more effective. People ought to reread this and stop trying to make it into something it isn't. I'd also add that anyone who is trying to pretend that the social aspects of these games doesn't include sex simply hasn't played them long enough or attentively enough to know.

I played a barbarian FEMALE shaman on Everquest all the way to 65th level, and lemme tell you, it opens your eyes to what the other half have to put up with...

greywar

on Nov 06, 2005

One thing I have noticed is that most of the people who cry foul usually don't play games.

way to represent yourself as a fucking moron... did you by any chance scroll down one fucking article? No... busy getting those +8 Boots of Assclownery I suppose.

pseudosoldier

on Nov 06, 2005

+8 Boots of Assclownery

Those are, unfortunately, not nearly as rare a drop as they should be.

greywar

on Nov 06, 2005

Those are, unfortunately, not nearly as rare a drop as they should be.

damn thats nice...

hauntedhousedressing.com

on Nov 07, 2005

I think what we need to realize here is that video games are BETTER than real life. It doesn't matter if a person, young or old, becomes addicted to WoW, because that world is obviously a step up from the game we call "reality." In these online games, success can be achieved through effort, skill and time. Can the same be said about our own civlization? In the civilized world, there are entire systems set up to exploit people. To take advantage. Someone who should be level 75 within our "reality" is actually made level 3. What's fair about that? In the online realities, the objects we're given do what they're supposed to do. We can look at their statistics, and trust that what we're reading is the truth. Can the same be said about our own civilization? The FDA, for instance, has allowed to aspartame and hydrogenated oils to be sold to the public. Do you think hydrogenated oils are safe? Denmark banned these poison oils years and years ago, and they have the lowest rate of diabetes, auto-immune disease, cancers, heart disease, etc, than anywhere else in the whole freaking world. We're living in a society where the numbers lie to us. I say it's better to create our own reality where people are treated with the fairness that they deserve. So let's start immersing ourselves even further. Let's plug our children into machines, where the world won't disappoint and wound them emotionally and physically. It's the only fair thing to do.

Tova7

on Nov 07, 2005

I say it's better to create our own reality where people are treated with the fairness that they deserve. So let's start immersing ourselves even further. Let's plug our children into machines, where the world won't disappoint and wound them emotionally and physically. It's the only fair thing to do.

You are obviously joking or delusional.

I am raising my son to be a man in the REAL WORLD. Last time I checked gaming doesn't teach you how to shake hands, address your peers face to face, dress for success, nourish you with food, debate in a constructive way, drive a car, date a girl, give you any skills you can make a living doing without supplemental skills you learn OFF the computer, and LIFE IS NOT FAIR!....the list goes on and on.

It always cracks me up that people want life to be fair. I sure as heck don't. Fair would mean that every time I screwed up, I would be screwed. I don't know about you but I like the idea of forgiveness and NOT getting what I deserve sometimes. Unless you are perfect, having a world that is "fair" is not something you should wish too hard for...imo.

Someone who should be level 75 within our "reality" is actually made level 3.

I dunno about this. It is my experience people who THINK they are a level 75 in real life are usually about a level 3. Probably because they are too busy thinking the world unfair and playing video games to ever increase their social skills enough to move on up. Being a 75 in REAL life means engaging REAL LIFE and MAKING IT HAPPEN, not sitting back playing games and poo pooing about how ideal the game world is.

Blech.

Pikkel Weezel

on Nov 07, 2005

Thank you Dr. Spock. Thank you for telling me what's right and wrong for MY children. I don't know what I would've done without your guidance.

greywar

on Nov 07, 2005

Thank you for telling me what's right and wrong for MY children.

Oh I am pretty sure you have it all figured out yourself there fucktardo.

Can the same be said about our own civlization?

Yes... I think that basically guts your argument.

hauntedhousedressing.com

on Nov 07, 2005

Well, yes, I am joking. I like what you're saying, Tova7. I think it is the truth that people aren't aware of their own level. The biggest travesty, I've seen, is that the most wonderful people in the world, level 100 and above, oftem times don't know how wonderful they are. It seems as if the most awesome people are usually the ones who feel bad about themselves. Plugging children into machines really won't help them. But filling them with confidence; helping them to feel empowered; teaching them to love and respect other people as well as themselves--that's a worthy gift.

oleteach

on Nov 07, 2005

My knowledge of online games is extremely limited but the wisdom in Tova7's response gets an insightful from me. Applause! Applause!

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