But what if the game is played family style? We have two laptops (and no desktop) at our house, and typically if B was playing WOW, one parent was also playing with him -- interacting, answering questions, helping with strategy, etc.
It's not that I don't see value in other games; of course board games and playing outside and dogs, etc., are valuable in their own right. But I think it's hard to say, "This one game is to the detriment of children," especially if your own ds is playing similar computer games.
I wonder, have you ever seen World of Warcraft played, or is your viewpoint based on the crazy husband and articles you've read? I think it's pretty hard to judge something like this without actually having *seen* it, kwim?
No matter how many links to discussions you've seen in the past -- you may want to consider that this is just as valid a discussion, just from a different viewpoint; and this discussion is peopled with some highly intelligent, involved parents, many of whom see a benefit to playing these games. I'm sure I could find a board out there that says that *this* board is nuts, that GT programs are a waste of resources that could go to children who aren't up to "standards", and that we should let our kids be kids. Since we're posting on this board, I think most of us would disagree with that line of thought; we see benefit in moving our kids along.
Likewise, there are benefits to playing video games, especially on the computer. In this day and age, computer literacy is crucial. Plus, World of Warcraft is complex; it has its own economic system, its own social system, its own rules and social structure. People actually *study* WOW's economic system. And these systems mimic those of the real world. Not only that, but the kid has fun, learns about math and typing and -- yes -- about limits and time management.
As a gamer himself and an EGer at least (never formally tested, but it's painfully obvious), dh has been following this conversation with interest; he makes the point that many parents treat video games like they treat TV. He says (and I agree) that video games, especially online games, should be treated just like going outside -- we need to know what you're doing, who you'll be with, how long you'll be doing it, and when you'll be done. And we as parents can regulate these things -- and we do. It's not like ds was in a dark, windowless room, playing video games until 6am with no interaction. We were there, knew what he was doing, and were monitoring it the whole time.
I feel very strongly that computer games can be beneficial when played in moderation, not to mention that they're great escapism. :-)
And remember, this discussion started with me saying we've banned WOW for now! But it won't be permanent, and I honestly do see benefit to playing this sort of game.
