Very well written and accurate article. I would just like to comment on a couple of points you made.

"I've never gotten the true friend code to work"

Since these codes are only good for 48 hours after generation, it is very difficult to get them distributed and input in time. Instant distribution (via IM, PM in forums, phone, etc.) and timely input is necessary.

"Most of the best gear is purchasable with gold or crowns, so the whole RPG standby of delving into a difficult dungeon in hopes of glittering rewards is almost absent."

Even though my first generation, Mooshu bought, crown clothing is yet to be topped by drops (IMO); there are drop items not available by purchase. Good examples of these drops are swords in Mooshu / Dragonspyre or pet with cards in most of the worlds.

I agree.  Excellent write-up. It touches on a few of the issues I, as an adult, have with Wizard101, which are:

Chat - frustrating at times, but generally acceptable to me.  As a parent, I definitely appreciate it for my son. The whisper system seems clunky, though. Older gamers can become frustrated with the enforced constraints of the kid-friendly chat system. As of now, gamers under 13 and free gamers are limited to emote-based chat. Only paid players over 13 can use the “free text” chat (or paid players under 13 whose parents expclitly enable free text chat), although this still limits the chat based on an approved dictionary. Players limited to emote-based chat, either due to age or subscription status, cannot even see free text chat by those who are allowed to use it. All they see are ellipses (…). Why not add in a third layer of chat for paid subscribers >= 18 years of age? This third layer could be truly free, non-dictionary based (except for obvious words that should be censored, just like they are in adult MMOs). The mechanics of the chat system would still be the same in that <13 and non-paid subscribers would still see ellipses instead of the chat, thereby mitigating the possibility of children seeing chat that may not be appropriate. Paid subscribers between 13 and 17 would only see the text they’re allowed to see, based on their level of chat, unless the most open level of chat is explicitly enabled by their parental unit. This approach still keeps kids safe, but will reduce frustrations more mature gamers have with the existing chat system.

Grouping - definitely frustrating.  I've had the same issues when grouping with my family members.  If we didn't have the ability to physically speak with each other, we'd be more frustrated with it.   Additionally, since there aren’t any real groups, there isn’t an explicit group chat channel. I’d love to see groups and group chat implemented. Group creation could be limited to those paid players >= 18 (unless explicitly allowed by an adult, in which case it’d be 13+ - NEVER under 13, UNLESS IN THE SAME FAMILY ACCOUNT). I'd also like to see the ability to lock down a group so that nobody could join a battle, even if there are 3 spots open. There's been so many times when I just wanted to login for a few quick battles, get the mobs down to nothing, but have little life left of my own, when suddenly a couple more players jump in along with fresh mobs, thereby ensuring my doom... It's even more frustrating when those players flee. Grr...

Guilds - I can see why they don't exist in a kids game, but they'd still be fun and I think they could be implemented in a kid-friendly manner. As a parent, I’d absolutely be leery of letting my 9 year old son join a guild in a MMO, even in a kids game. That being said, I think it’s a critical component for more mature gamers. As such, why not add in guilds for paid players >= 18 (unless explicitly allowed by an adult, in which case it’d be 13+ - NEVER under 13, UNLESS IN THE SAME FAMILY ACCOUNT).

Trade/Auction House - currently, one can only trade cards, not items, which seems a little silly.  There's been times I've grouped with my son and thought "wow - this item would be perfect for him", but I'm unable to give it to him.  Introduce item trading for paid players >= 18 years old (unless explicitly allowed by an adult, in which case it’d be 13+ - NEVER under 13, UNLESS IN THE SAME FAMILY ACCOUNT). This introduces a famiilar MMO mechanic, but still keeps kids safe from being scammed, bamboozled, tricked, etc….

Races - there's only one.  It'd be so COOL to play as a cow, pig, krok, mander, marleybonian, etc....!!!!

No other starting areas - this is a big one, as far as I'm concerned, with replayability.  You have the ability to create 6 characters/account, but they all start in the same place and you simply repeat the same content over and over.  There's nothing new to do.  I'd love to see additional starting areas open up after you reach max level or maybe even some sort of remort system.  That'd rock!

Please note, I'm not complaining.  I think Wizard101 is a fantastic game.  Even though it's built for kids, it's fun for adults, too.  These are simply things that I, as an adult who plays Wizard101, thinks would help attract and retain a deeper pool of players, while still keeping the game kid-friendly.

~Ripper

I played this game up until Dragonspyre was released.  I enjoyed it a lot, but did notice the things that you have discussed.  I was upsaet that I couldn't swap gear between my players and I am really happy to see that that was implemented.  I would have loved to form a team, which is one of the reasons I left.  A guild would have been great if implemented properly.  I wouldn't I have felt as "alone" in the spiral if I had people to chat with and a team to tag along with.  I still really enjoyed my time in the spiral, and I suggest it to people who are looking for a fun, casual, and different MMO.

I enjoy this game and kudos for a well written and accurate evaluation. When considering much of what is missing I think it prudent to consider the taget market seems to be much younger gamers. In that sense, I think the depth is pretty fair for a youngsters first MMO while having enough energy for parents to enjoy going along for the ride. It would be nice to see some of the ideas you've listed but in spite of the lacking elements, its a well done kid safe environment.