Profile: mklinic
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• • Parents: Which would you rather see in a game..

  • Being somewhat liberal on the issue I would say that both are fine for audiences 18+ and that it would be up to the parents to decide what their kids (up to the age of 18) are allowed to play.

     

    That I can fully agree with. For 18+ gamers, your pretty much considered an adult and there is a good chance you are spending your own money. Enjoy whatever game has the features you want. That said, the original topic it framed the question in regards to kids which I interpret to mean children who still have someone who is designated as a legal guardian (father, mother, both, etc).

  • Posted: 10/08/08 8:18 AM
    General Discussion
• • Parents: Which would you rather see in a game..

  • Originally posted by altairzq
    

    Violence and killing, it's so much better that for kids. The nude body is sin, and loving sex is even worse.

     

    I assume sarcasm was intended, so here is my take on it;

    I don't think the poll is asking "Which one of these is good?". People have already stated that neither is appealing for their child. Now, with that in mind and strictly in my opinion, sexuality as game content is fine. Killing as game content is fine.  The problem with an online game is that these are not constrained to game content. Killing and violence is easily controllable by mechanics such as flagging for pvp, dueling, etc. Sexuality is much harder to defend against as though. So long as there is a chat system and a motivated person on the other end, your child could be exposed to things you may find undesirable. And, being a child, I would not personally categorize advances made to her as "loving sex".

    In the end, it is easy to take the moral stand that "sex is not evil", but I don't really think that is the battle people are trying to fight in this thread. Of course, as my daughter has taught me on so many occasions, I could be completely wrong.

     

  • Posted: 10/08/08 7:55 AM
    General Discussion
• • Parents: Which would you rather see in a game..

  • I think, "kill x mobs" satisfies a goal of a quest and rescues a village from wolves, bad guys, etc.

    "Cyber with x players" is a little harder to sell as advancing a storyline.

    With violence, there is a certain level of tolerance and I think it is easier to explain video game violence as it is pretty straight forward. On the other hand, how can I explain to my daughter the behavior of someone who approaches her female elf (for example) character? My daughter is only 19 months right now, so this isn't quite a problem, but at the same time, maybe I am lazy, but I don't want to have to address these questions as a reaction to a game she is playing. I would rather address these questions more proactively. The problem is, I believe she will be capable of understanding why she is killing wolves before she is capable of understanding why someone is saying certain things to her. On another note, perhaps gender of the child plays into the parent's opinion.

    edit: to clarify, as other have suggested, keeping an eye on what your kid is doing and has access to is obviously the first line of defense against anything you may find objectionable.

  • Posted: 10/07/08 3:18 PM
    General Discussion
• • My Four year old leveled my character yesterday.

  • I don't think the OP was claiming all games are kiddie games or wastes of time so much as stating he has found a new perspective on his relationship to those games. As a father, I think it is pretty neat to read a story like this and it's refreshing to not read a post bashing WoW, WAR, AoC, etc, etc. When my daughter starts looking at computer games as a form of entertainment, I am sure my perspective will be altered as well.

    Ultimately, people will have "eureka moments" throughout their life. Sometimes, something strikes you in just such a way that you feel compelled to share your experience. Isn't that, at least in part, a function that pulic forums facilitate?

  • Posted: 10/07/08 11:19 AM
    General Discussion
• • Should the Lich King Expansion be free?

  • Originally posted by Battleskar
    
    

    I think mmo's should offer way more for free than they already offer since how they are already charging way to much per month as it is,but hey as long as gamers keep payin out the bucks they will keep charging more and more.I am sure most of us can afford the price of an expansion,the point of this post is game companies should reward their players way more than they do.

     

    It sounds like your question is more about whether MMO companies in general charge too much for too little return. I suppose that is up to each gamer and the value they perceive they are getting for their dollar (or euro, or -insert denomination here-).

    In the opening post, you made reference to the stock market. As such, I would think that there is some realization that it is not the gamers that demand Blizzard make money. Investors want more returns. It's great that Blizz has a bunch of subscribers, but that is a static income. So, how do those investors make more money? The answer is a product, such as TBC or a trading card game, that will motivate a significant number of customers to drop more cash. Now, if you dislike that aspect of business, you answer with your wallet and don't purchase the expansion.

    Thoughts about investors aside, I would look at this as a subscriber. TBC was released and added new (to WoW) mechanics to the game. These included socketing and flying mounts as a couple good examples. Since TBC was released, we have seen new instances, new raids, and new areas added to the game as part of our normal monthly fee. Blizzard is now poised to add new mechanics to the game once again. I am not in beta and my information is limited, but seige equipment is one thing that keep popping up in conversation so I will use that as an example. In addition to new mechanics, they are also adding new zones (As they did with TBC).

    Looking at what Blizzard releases for free, and what they charge for, it seems reasonable, in my opinion, to expect a charge for new game mechanics as these would require a significantly larger investment of resources on Blizzards part to ensure these new mechanics do not break anything currently in game or cause significant new bugs.  This to keep the gamers happy and charging to keep the profit margins healthy for future development.

    In the end, Blizzard makes a game in order to make money. I play a game in order to be entertained. As long as we are both satisified, I don't see a problem. That's just my rambling opinion though so your milage may vary.

     

  • Posted: 10/06/08 1:46 PM
    World of Warcraft