Young Kids Playing World of Warcraft

L.....my husband plays this game and I feel it is somewhat addictive. Some days it is like pulling teeth to get him off the game to come help me with household things. We recently had a fight over it and he has gotten better. We made an agreement that he would only play after the baby was down for the night. Some nights he would play the game until 3 or 4 am (on weekends). It became a problem. But like I said he is getting better now.

I recently saw an episode of Dr. Phil about people addicted to online games and World Of Warcraft was one of the games he discussed. I just think there are so many better things an 8 year old could be doing. Like playing outside, or playing with his dad (and I don't mean online). I would be afraid that he would get addicted to the game. Good luck!

My husband and his family play WOW and I will not even let my almost 7 and 4 year old watch them play.
I would not let my 8 yr old play and would discourage it once they were older.
It is a highly addictive game and I have not known one person (out of many many) that didn't get lost in it and begin to play a bit irresponsibly - neglecting real life obligations and the such.
I would discourage this the best you can.
Good luck!
C.

I know of several kids that are playing it and have played it, including my now grown stepkids. Personally, I have never liked the game. My husband allowed my stepkids to play it. All of the kids, including my husband, got addicted to the game when they played it. It was so, so hard to try and get them to stop playing the game. I also noticed slight personality changes in all of them: irritability, impatience, disrespect... The graphic violence in that game combined with the mythology had a negative effect on my family. It was really hard at the time. Thank goodness the kids grew out of it and so did my husband. They are into other games now, like the Wii. I also have grown up friends that play the game and all of them say that when you are playing the game, it is definitely addictive and you lose all track of time. All to say this that I don't think it's healthy to play the game for prolonged amounts of time. I realize though that the game is very appealing to boys especially b/c it gives the individual player missions and when a mission is accomplished the player feels good abt himself. Obviously, you don't have a lot of control over what goes on in your exes household but maybe you could ask your ex to put a time limit on the amount your son plays over there.

I would not let my child play. My 18 yr old has recently stopped playing.....it is highly addictive! You will find that is all they will want to do. You end up losing your child to these games. Even when you do a google on dangers of world of warcraft (WOW) they will say the same thing. stop it now before it becomes too hard.

I know I probably sound dramatic...but it is so important.

I have never heard of WOW but I was interested in what the game was rated? My oldest son (now 18) knew that he had to buy age appropriate games only. You can't even buy games rated T at some stores unless your 14. But if your ex is letting him play you might have a fight on your hands if you decided to press the issue. Talk to your son about it, most kids that age can distiguish between reality & fantasy. He might surprise you.

I has a then 13/14 go nuts over the game. It affected his grades at school and his socialization. I'm not sure what the rating is but if it is for teenagers, I would not let him on. Also if he is not getting outside to play and he's not getting his homework done then I would say no too. Your ex sounds like he doesn't want to interact with him. SO it is easier for him to let the game babysit him. And know this will turn into an addiction if you don't balance everything he is doing. A book called Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax talks about video games and boys and why too much is not good. It also addresses other issues impacting boys. Thank GOd my almost 16 year old has lost interest in that game. But we still monitor him to make sure he is not on too much.

My hubby plays this as well he he knows I DO NOT LIKE it. Our daughter will be in the room with him while he is watching fighting and OH she will let him have it. she is 4. She says HEY fighting is not nice you should not watch this and will walk out. I do not like that game or anything with fighting. Hard thing when it is at your ex hubby's and you are not there. Have you talked to him to let yo know how you feel? I know it is probably like talking to a wall but a try.. Good Luck....

Of course, only you can decide what's right for your child, but 8 years old would be a bit young to be playing any video game in my home.

From what I can tell (and please keep in mind that I've not played -- I only have friends who play), as with any role playing game with active collaboration built in, you run the risk of your child running into predators, so this is a concern. There can also be cursing and swearing in chat. Additionally, the games rated "T" (for teen).

It's not something I'd feel comfortable with.

Absolutely not appropriate.

Yes there is a language filter, but no filter can block out sexual innuendo, gay remarks, racist remarks, or other garbage that is on there. Yes, I know they hear these sorts of things at school and on TV, but there really is no censoring on WoW.

At minimum, high school age would be more appropriate.

If he insists on playing, then his time (like with anything computer or gaming related) should be limited. Ask your ex to limit his screen time to 30-60 minute per day, whatever you feel is appropriate.

And feel free to PM me with other questions/concerns you may have about the game. I'll be more than happy to assist.

I looked this game up and it is rated TEEN , so I would say he is too young to be playing a role play game that looks and sounds so violent.

I believe WOW has a language filter - however - they find ways around it - kids these days have heard everything - but its still good to shelter them as much as possible so it does not become a normal part of their vocabulary. WOW is very adicting to most of its players (most I know are adults) and causes in my opinion decreased interest in outdoor activities, increased fixation on a computer screen and all around start of bad habits. On the flip side - it does promote problem solving quick reflex timing with new learned skills, increased hand eye coordination and good use of computer skills which are in need in our business world. In my opinion though, the cons outweigh the pros. Strict structure on when and how long the kid can play with supervision until a desired age is reached would be my recomendation.

I personally would not let my 8 year old play. Both my husband and I are players, while it is a simple enough game, and things are generally pretty tame, there are some things that I wouldn't want my child exposed to. For instance there are a few locations that have hung bodies from trees. One of the main cities that a lot of travel goes through is inhabited by undead (they are actually a playable race as well)and large grotesque creature that are like bloated Frankenstein monsters.

I suggest going to http://www.wowwiki.com/Portal:Main and looking it over for yourself.

L., I have to say as a former teacher/now stay at home Mom who just happens to play World of Warcraft when I get a free second....letting an 8 year old play this game is not really appropriate. While the game itself obviously has some fighting, it's not gruesome or bloody... but the issue with an 8 year old is that the majority of the people playing this game and others like it, is the fact that these other people are usually a good 10 + years older than your son. Bad language is definitely a factor in some cases, and talk which may seem alright for us as adults is not something children his age should be hearing (or rather reading). I think video games are fine for children, as long as it's something in their age range. Hope this helps, good luck.