Last year, Arena.net/NCSoft was kind enough to send me review copies of Guild Wars: Prophecies and Eye of the North. I tried, but with so much happening I never made it past level 14 so never saw Eye of the North. I didn’t really touch the game again until November – when I started playing with my 8 and 11-year old boys. I had tried the game at launch and it wasn’t for me – the continuous instancing drove me crazy at the time and I’m simply not a PvP fan, but now it works for me and for completely different reasons than (I believe) were intended when it was launched.
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My boys are seasoned MMO players. My oldest can number crunch with the best of them. He spent his birthday money on Warhammer and D & D manuals, the pen & paper kind. My youngest doesn’t care so much about the numbers; in fact he never mentions them. But, I’ve watched him make decisions about what to do with his stats/skills and he works out what is best long term. It’s a decision making process, not some random assignment.
Both simply adore quests with meaning – when they can be bothered to read them. And I think that’s an important point, they need the option. If all of the quests have no depth, they lose interest.
We play the “kids” MMOs but they lose interest fast. The thing is, kids their age seem to as well. I thought it was because I’m their mom and they play so many games. But the more I get to know their friends – many of whom only have experience with Runescape or Maple Story or World of Warcraft – the more I realize that this age bracket, the pre-tweens, they’re awfully damn sophisticated.
A few days before Thanksgiving, I put them both on the 14-day/10-hour trial. By Thanksgiving Day, I’d bought them both and their father an account. Now, we each have 4 characters: one that we play alone, one we play in a group of two, one we play as a group of three, and one we play as a group of four – their father comes over specifically to play with us. There are some very specific qualities to Guild Wars that appeal.
First, the instancing that so bothered me years ago when *I* was playing MMOs heavily is a blessing now. We can play in short bursts and have a goal. Fifteen minutes or 60, it works. Because it is instanced, I can keep them away from the d00ds (thankfully). The lore is blissfully deep, but not needed if we don’t want to read it. Dual classes means my oldest is in heaven figuring out just which works best for him – not to mention when he reaches 20th level and starts working on his sets. That is, if he ever stops re-rolling and gets there!
Then there’s the lack of subscription. Kids come and go with their interests. They play a game heavily for a while, leave for a bit, and then come back. I don’t have to worry about whether or not their characters are there or continue paying four subscriptions.
Never underestimate the intelligence of a child. They GET it. I don’t think I’d be playing Guild Wars were it not for them. But I’m glad I am. I am enjoying my time with them in the game. And, I am enjoying the game.
