There are a number of MMO's out there these days, and they cater to a number of different groups and demographics.  One category that is fairly new to the genre, are the younger-oriented games like Wizard101, Disney's Toon Town, and Free Realms.  While these games may not obtain the mass of subscribers a more adult-oriented game can gather, they have clearly been succesful and have established a foothold for themselves in the online gaming world.  Why is that?  What is it about these games that draws in the younger kids (and adults too!)?

This article will get a look at things from an angle most of us forget about.  It's an angle a couple feet below our own.  It's the viewpoint of the kids themselves.  I sat down with my own son, Zane, who is eight years old and had been playing Wizard101 for some time now.  He has developed a few characters he plays (I think he's an alt-oholic like his father), and it's currently his game of choice.  Now, keep in mind that I HAVE edited some of his responses to make them a little clearer.  So, if they sound a little more "sensical" than an eight year old would, it's just to make sure his comments make sense to our readers.

 

Here's the Q&A from our interview:

So Zane, what is your favorite part of playing Wizard 101?

(I like) fighting all the different enemies and leaders (bosses).

Do you do a lot of quests, or do you prefer to just wander and fight enemies?

Right now, I am doing a lot of quests.

Do you play with, or talk to, the other players?

Yes, to say "hi" or to ask about the quest we're going to do, and helping out.

What part of the game do you like, other than fighting (combat)?

I like exploring new areas.

Do you think there are enough zones/areas?

No, I would like to have more.

What is your favorite area and why?

I like Cyclops Lane, because it has really cool enemies.

What is your favorite school of magic?

I like the Myth school because of the cool creature spells.

Do you like the player housing?  Does your house have lots of decorations?

Yes, and yes.

Do you think the game is hard to play?

No, it's about right.  But extra enemies can make battles harder.  ("ADDS" anyone?)

I see you like to have pets...

Yes, there are a lot of different pets you can get.  But some of the pets that cost crowns (Wizard101's purchaseable points) are too expensive.  (Some of the pets would cost over $5 each)

Are there a lot of other wizards playing in the game?

Yeah lots, thousands!

Are the people you've played with pretty nice?

Yeah.

What do you think would make the game better?

Lower costs (particularly pets and areas, as that's what he uses crowns for), and having more areas to go to.

How would you score this game from 1-10, 1 being the worst game ever, and 10 being the best you've ever played?

An 8 or 9 maybe.

So, do you think you'll keep playing for a while?

Yeah, I think I'll keep playing for a long time.

Would you recommend playing this game to other kids?

Yes, I would.

My son is really into video games (as are both of his parents), so he's had his share of gaming experience for his age.  He's played Free Realms, and actually has a max level Brawler on that game.  He still gets interested in FR from time to time.  He played Toon Town a couple years ago.  But, his current interest has been Wizard 101.  It seems to have a fun combat system for kids, being turn based and a card battle game (which have been quite popular).  And the developers keep adding new content on a somewhat regular basis to help keep things interesting.

So, if your kid is into playing video games, and you don't mind either paying the $10 a month subscription or buying crowns to unlock things as they go, it's a pretty good choice.  The chat is lockable, there's no blood and gore, and it's a very colorful cartoon-style environment.  While I haven't played the game myself, I have watched my son play many times and I don't have any parental concerns about this game.  And if you're into video games too, especially if you're an online gamer, why not create your own character to log in and join them?

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