5 things I want my daughter to learn from WoW
It's amazing how time flies. It seems like just yesterday my daughter was born, and now I'm already planning her first birthday party. And while I try to carefully moderate how much time I spend around here talking about mini-me, it's pretty clear she's an important part of my life. Just as obviously, I spend a lot of time thinking about her while I cruise the wide world of Azeroth.
The game clearly isn't intended for young critters such as she, but there's a surprising amount of wisdom traipsing around WoW for my daughter to soak up. In honor of Children's Week, these 5 things are cardinal lessons I think she might be able to learn from some time spent adventuring in Azeroth.
1. Find your own fun. Azeroth is a big place and WoW is just as expansive. You can craft, adventure, raid, PvP, collect obscure items, battle pets... the playing vista is wide open. Some people love to PvP, other people enjoy spending all their time in dungeons. Whatever her choice might be, I want her to find her own fun and feel pride in that decisions.
2. Cooperation counts. For all that solo play is a viable option, and she'll need to level her own character and monitor her own stats, the heart of raiding is cooperation. If you can't get along with strangers to down a boss, then the phattest of loot will never be yours. Learning how to work together in a group is a valuable life skills.
3. Things change. Technology advances at a blistering pace. The economy changes every day. Nothing in life holds still, no matter how much we wish it weren't so. In WoW, every new expansion brings a new batch of nerfs, buffs, and different content. You need to keep up with it, or you'll get left behind. You can certainly catch up later, but it's far easier to adapt to each new patch. Things change.
4. You can do it. No challenge in WoW is impossible. Hard, yes. Time consuming, maybe. Surmountable? Definitely. WoW is built so that a dedicated player producing skill, intelligence, practice, and time will eventually tackle all of its challenges. (Barring content that's been removed, of course.) So while things might seem hard, you can do it. That's a good lesson to remember in life.
5. Spend time with Mom and Dad. I'm a tank, she's a healer. That's the best pre-made group she'll ever have. I'm just saying.
