World of Warcraft Blog

I broke the law yesterday! Lock me up and swallow the key because, at 23 minutes past 2, I allowed an 11 year old to participate in a rather heated battleground. I know I have brought shame to myself and fellow players, but the pressure facing me was too overwhelming. I had to say yes to the little punk!

He was my little cousin, however this is no excuse with close to everyone constantly complaining that preteens ruin our wonderful game. However, after he went off to bed I thought I would research into why World of Warcraft was given a teen rating.    

In a nutshell it appears to be the reading side of the game. Unlike many console games WoW is not simply a case of X equaling punch, or B equaling brake. We have to assign our own keys and read (and, most importantly, understand) what each ability does. It’s simply too complicated and may be the reason why adults prefer this game to others, with World of Warcraft being the only game some play.

However, is it really acceptable for a 13 year old to be pretending to get drunk? Is it fair to expect someone of such a young age to deal with the pressures faced when it comes to boss fights? I have seen how annoyed and irritated people can be become when things go wrong, and I dread to think the abuse these young teens will receive if it turns out to be their fault. 

Parents buying this game for their children will most likely be aware of the violence and gore involved in the game (the bearded hunter holding a gun the size of himself is a bit of a giveaway). But will they be aware of the social aspect of the game, and the people their kids may become victim to online? Scarily, I doubt so…  

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