Rune Scape~ Vlad need your help here

[B. Jara]

Vlad, or any others that have had problems with online gaming.

My ten year old son has been asking me to download the online game "Rune Scape." I am adamant that I don't want to do this, but I need some good information, stories and advice from anyone who has experience with this stuff. I know these games can be potentially very dangerous, but I need some evidence to back up my case.

Thanks for any and all who can help me.

 

[Dani]

Vlad, or any others that have had problems with online gaming.

My ten year old son has been asking me to download the online game "Rune Scape." I am adamant that I don't want to do this, but I need some good information, stories and advice from anyone who has experience with this stuff. I know these games can be potentially very dangerous, but I need some evidence to back up my case.

Thanks for any and all who can help me.

My little brother plays that! ( He's 12) He really enjoys it, and as long as no one gives out personal information, and the child is closely supervised, it seemed like a relatively harmless game that helped out with problem solving. Still, I have hardly any knowledge of what the game actually entails- and I know that my little brother has had some negative experiences with older people being rude to him.. if the game is something that makes you uncomfortable, I would simply say he wasn't allowed to play it, and leave it at that.

 

[Vlad]

Hi Bjara,
I'll gladly offer my 2 cents to this subject, but as I am at my parents place and I have only limited time and the internet connection really blows, I'll devote some time to this once I get back to my place later today.

 

[Vlad]

Here's my take on massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs).

They consume lots of time, they suck you in an don't let you out. And especially for a 10 year old, I would highly recommend to keep him from playing one. First of all, it's really easy to get addicted to it, which could be controlled if you supervised the playing times. Even Blizzard realized that that was a problem and implemented a Parental Control a few months ago, so parents could precisely state for how long their kids could play World Of Warcraft.

I agree with Dani also. The problem is that you deal with a wide range in age group. Between 8 and 50 there is everyone represented. You can run into the danger that your son will get flamed by some overly eager know-it-all teenie who thinks it's a great idea to call the other toon names.

If I may give you a suggestion - get him a console. Get him some games that 1. don't require hours at a time to complete a goal and 2. don't have an online option. There is always time for that later in life.

 

[B. Jara]

Here's my take on massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs).

They consume lots of time, they suck you in an don't let you out. And especially for a 10 year old, I would highly recommend to keep him from playing one. First of all, it's really easy to get addicted to it, which could be controlled if you supervised the playing times. Even Blizzard realized that that was a problem and implemented a Parental Control a few months ago, so parents could precisely state for how long their kids could play World Of Warcraft.

I agree with Dani also. The problem is that you deal with a wide range in age group. Between 8 and 50 there is everyone represented. You can run into the danger that your son will get flamed by some overly eager know-it-all teenie who thinks it's a great idea to call the other toon names.

If I may give you a suggestion - get him a console. Get him some games that 1. don't require hours at a time to complete a goal and 2. don't have an online option. There is always time for that later in life.

Thank you, Vlad.

You identified my fears exactly.

Our computer is downstairs in a main room, so supervision would be available at all times. The thing is, I don't even want it to get to a point where I have to set a timer on the thing. I don't want him to experience the feelings of having to HAVE to be playing the game in the first place. Hindsight is always 20/20...and I am going to follow my instincts on this one.

By console, do you mean something like Playstation? He and his brother do have tons of PS games that they enjoy, as well as Gameboys and their token Tomagotchi. Personally, I think it's plenty. Sometimes I think it's actually too much, so I set limits on those as well.

I am glad that I stood my ground. I will share your advice with him, hoping that he understands that although they can seem like fun, one can and does get sucked in.

Thanks again, Vlad!

 

[Vlad]

Don't get me wrong, MMORPGs are lots of fun, they provide a gaming experience like no other games have before, in terms of teamwork, availability of content and constant motivation. It's hard to ever run out of things to do. Which is a good thing in terms of quality of the game itself (it won't collect dust after beating it -- because technically you won't beat it, ever) but also has lots of drawbacks. I mean crap, recently psychologists have started conducting serious research on gaming addiction, the causes and effects. It's nothing to underestimate, online games can have a serious (negative) effect on lives of individuals, especially on a growing child... I simply think there is better stimuli out there for the young one's brain than to spend more time behind games than they already do with their PSs, PS 2s and Gameboys. From what I hear, I think that your boys are well covered already. Tell em to screw the online fantasy world and go play sports. Those kept me from playing games excessively in my early years.