Wizard101 RPG – grandparents find cross generation family fun

Dragons, wizards, and grandparents, oh my!

Want to see something cool? Fire up your computer, even your five year-old computer or your netbook. Go over to Wizard101.com, an innovative, entertaining, family participation role play game. Known as an MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game), Wizard101 delights people from pre-readers to post-retirement and everything in between.

I know. I play it. So do my four year-old grandson and granddaughter. My husband claims not to be that interested, but he hovers around and tells us what we need to do when we’re playing. The game is based on a Harry Potter-type world of wizards, creatures, magic, and graphics to die for.

How Wizard101 works

In this MMORPG, you get to create a wizard character, male or female, hair color from brunette to purple, and any variation of ethnicity you could come up with. Diversity is integral. With your wizard born, you hook up with the headmaster for fun lessons in how to play. Everything you’ll need is covered in about fifteen minutes of play.

• Learn to use your wand
• Learn how magic spells are cast via an amazing card game
• Understand your tools
• See how to add pets to your experience
• Begin reading the imaginative backstory

You’re ready, Young Wizard, to play in earnest. Quirky characters visit your screen as you play telling you, in the nick of time, what you need to know. Six brightly beautiful worlds, soon to be seven, make up a universe known as “the Spiral.” Intense color, well animated creatures and characters, and a satisfying soundtrack put Wizard101 out in front of the pack of role play games I’ve seen.

Participate for free as long as you wish. There’s plenty to explore without buying areas or subscribing to the universe, and thousands of people have played free for almost two years. Still, KingsIsle, creators of the game, is characterized by brilliant thinking. They don’t hawk their wares. They never push product at you. They woo you, seduce you into desiring more because it is so much fun to keep going.

Why Wizard101 is perfect for multiple generations

I talked with Fred Howard, KingsIsle marketing VP. He explained, “In 2005, our founder, Elie Akilian, saw a huge space in the gaming world. There was hard core violence, and then sites like Club Penguin for very young children, but nothing in between for family entertainment. Of course there were no wizard worlds, no card-play based dueling. Ours isn’t a tight niche; it’s crossed niches that appeal to all ages.”

He’s right. Wizard101 RPG is simple, user friendly, with much of the story playing out in text-to-speech. Even pre-readers jump in, fiddle around, strike down a banshee with a well-played battle card, and are on their way to saving a world, with magic. More sophisticated players engage in all manner of strategy, learning, and power-ups, taking play to higher levels.

The cool thing, the very cool thing is that people from 4 to 84 can play together– as a team or group. They talk to each other on screen, help each other out, strategize, and learn from each other. Grandma or grandpa, living in Ft. Lauderdale, can spend a couple of hours roaming worlds hand-in-hand with grandchildren in Anchorage, a priceless bridge over geographic distance so difficult for families to manage.

It’s a social thing, this game. Howard likes to call it “family entertainment,” not “family-friendly” play. He means his game is totally engaging for everyone. While family-friendly products like the famous Florida Mouse’s website delight kids and are safe, they could quickly bore the pants off elders.

Why Digital Grandparent is sold on Wizard101

It’s simple. It’s grassroots. This year, KingsIsle will focus on showing

Grandparents can learn magic at this school

Wizard101 to people of mature ages and let us sell ourselves. We grandparents get that it’s wonderful to interact with family in a clean, safe space. We’ve embraced Wii, Skype, and other web properties.

My grands and I learned a new language around this game. We hang out in exotic places. I like Mooshu, the Oriental city of cherry blossoms, black lotus, and the fearful Jade Oni. My grandson can’t stay out of Dragonspyre’s lavafalls, dark broken villages waiting for rescue, and a breathtaking dragonride he can access anytime he wants.

We talk about the game and plan our best options. We talk to other players, without fear of inappropriate interactions. Filters prevent inappropriate comments in player chatter. It’s almost impossible for anyone to exchange personal information – again, filters remove anything that resembling an address, phone number, real name, even age.

The interface is beautiful. The infrastructure is extremely well-planned for safety, fun, and people-appeal. Once in a while as the audience expands, technical issues arise but are solved fairly quickly. KingsIsle’s parent award winning Wizard101 is not a perfect world. But overall,  I’d be hard-pressed to think of anything else with so much to offer so many.

You, a tech-friendly grand, might just discover how to enjoy this as much as the kids, at no cost or reasonable cost.

They say laughter is as effective in preventing ailments as is exercise – we laugh a lot over this jewel of a toy. Digital Grandparent gives the game a whole bucketful of stars and recommends you grab your favorite child of any age and give it a go. You’ll find yourself feeling younger and more spry with each spell you cast.

Read More

Grandparents, Wizards and Online Gaming

Oil spill is larger than Connecticut

How can you develop a writing career in today’s economy? Visit OnText

Women’s War Memorial may close down