How Online Gaming Affects My Family
MMOs Are Not Bad or Expensive
I'm an avid World of Warcraft player; my family of 4 plays together! Several people I know both in game and out have asked how gaming helps our family. I decided to break it down into categories.
Family Fun Time
All families have something they like to do, right? For some it may be watching their favorite TV shows together, going to the movies or other family outings. So why not playing video games?
Some non-gamers will argue that the expense isn't worth it. OK, let's break it down. Let's say you take your family to the movies once a month on average. That's $6.75 per ticket at our local cinema. I'll stick with prices I'm familiar with, it could be more expensive elsewhere.
So anyway, $6.75 a ticket x 4 family members = $27 just for tickets to see the movie. If you splurge and get popcorn, snacks and soda you can easily add another $30 to that. So you're looking at probably $57 dollars to go to the movies once a month. That's one night's worth of entertainment.
As gamers, we spend $59.96 per month on a full month's entertainment. And for those of you who think it's the same thing all the time, I'm sorry, you misunderstand. World of Warcraft and other MMOs (Massively Multi-player Online Games) are not the same every time you load up the game.
Communication
I'm not talking "daddy can I borrow the car?" then they're out the door with friends. I'm talking about your 14 year old high school graduate saying "I just don't feel like I'm ready for college courses yet" then feeling comfortable enough to open up about her reasons. We have always taught that open communication is the primary key to any type of relationships. Ultimatums suck. Ultimatums are one-sided and a "my way or the highway" outlook on life. That's no way to treat someone you love.
Living together and maintaining a healthy relationship in the household takes negotiation and a willingness to back down. Ultimatums and selfish/childish arguments are nothing but trouble, no matter what type of organization you belong to or family atmosphere you have.
Common Interests
Gaming has helped our family discover a whole new area of common interests. We enjoy the same types of movies, books, foods and of course games. Since 2000, we've been playing the same games as a family. The kids helped pull my husband and me toward console games while we helped them learn proper etiquette in MMOs. Yes, MMOs are a lot like life; you must treat others with dignity and respect in order to receive the same treatment.
Teamwork
I think any coach or boss would agree that there is nothing in the world like great teamwork. To a gamer, what's better than taking 5, 10, 25 or even 40 people who work well together into an area and fighting toward a common goal... and being successful? That's like walking into a board meeting with a great proposal, having to convince each member of the board that it's a great idea, then several hours or even days later - it's approved. Or like playing sports and fighting your way to the championship tournament - and winning!
Conflict Resolution
Not everyone plays World of Warcraft for the same reasons we do. Some play to gain loot, others play to be themselves, no mater how rude they are. I believe some play just to have an outlet for anger or daily frustrations. You really do run into some pretty nasty people in game from time to time. You can't help but wonder if they're as miserable in real life as they are in the game.
Occasionally, we have conflicts to deal with from a variety of players. The ability to negotiate and resolve conflicts is a major part of human life. This also carries over into the game and people you meet in the virtual world.
A Few Negatives
As with everything else, there are negatives involved with playing online games. Peer pressure isn't necessarily one of the issues but language and subject matter can be. I believe it is every parent's responsibility to choose whether spending time in an MMO is right for your child or your family.
I wouldn't recommend letting younger children just run amok in an MMO. They will be subjected to language and potentially adult subject matter. We have had issues arise but we've always looked at each issue as a learning experience.
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