Heroic 3-year old arises to save Azeroth [Updated]
by David Bowers 
Sep 5th 2007 at 4:02PM
Some people who read this story cry foul. How can a 3 year-old level to 20 "by herself" (as her myspace page claims) without being able to read? Also, it certainly does seem a bit much to say that she can "gank" people. I also doubt that she can play at the same level as, say, the proverbial 12 year-old WoW player could. My bet is that when the father says "level to 20 by herself" he probably means "without doing any quests and with me watching and talking her through things." And when he says "gank," he means "overpower a level 30ish opponent with a level 60ish rogue alt of her parents using very basic play tactics," which, hello gankers everywhere, even a 3 year-old can do by pressing just a few buttons! Good for her, I say, but shame on anyone over 9.
But I digress. Playing three to four hours per week maxiumum, juBBjuBB says, is helping Charisma get excited to learn the alphabet and cooperative teamplay. Fatherly love and pride in such progress may be leading him to exaggerate a little bit about her gameplay skill, or maybe leave certain details about it to our own common sense -- but can you blame him? If I had a little kid who showed a strong aptitude in any area, from computers to cartoons, I might need to rein in my superlative praise too. She may or may not be the one heroine destined to be the best gamer in the world, but she's the pride of her father's life, and in his Azerothian sky there's no star shining brighter than her.
Update: More from Charisma's father after the jump! You may find it hard to believe...
Hello!I say give him the benefit of the doubt. It's true that some kids are gifted in special ways. If one child can play WoW at three, perhaps another is making her own music, or else making up simple stories. Who knows? I'm not a father yet, so I'm still looking forward to having my own little genius -- and I have absolutely no real clear idea what little children this age are capable of. Maybe I just like believing in massive potential.
I am Charisma's 'Papi.'
I have appreciated reading so many constructive comments and points of view on this topic! She will be thrilled to see her picture on WoW Insider!
It seems some information was left to speculation regarding her ability: She CAN perform a class role in a group with minimal direction. She has learned through initial guidance & trial and error the complexities of the game, it's interface, PvP, quests, world navigation, etc.
She will need some development before she can go 1 vs 1 with an opponent of a similar level. The original topic on the official forums was "YOU may have been ganked by our 3yr old." IE: your lowbie may have been steamrolled as she passed by ;]
Her teamplay is spot on....we have tried her out in a few instances and she understands different classes have different jobs. She prefers to play more hack n' slash as a melee class (Feral Druid, Rogue, Warrior), but she can show a group full support as a healing class.
As a priest, she knows to sit and drink between pulls, that she needs to fill up everyone's green bar, and whoever is in front gets a bubble. She knows healer stay in the back and don't poke their heads around corners till the tank does.
Once she got started, she watched those healthbars like a hawk!
I hope you enjoyed reading her profile and seeing what she can do.
Many of you addressed the question: How young is too young to start playing WoW? For me, the greater question is, if a 3 year-old can do it (or as some parents have said, 4 year-olds), why is it still so much fun for us as adults? Is it nothing short of miraculous that a game could entertain the very young, the very old, and everyone in between?
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 3)
Hank Sep 6th 2007 10:25AM
@12 my thoughts exactly. My nearly 3 year-old is interested in anything on the computer, and when I am playing wow, I try not to kill anything when he's watching. He loves to see me on my Netherdrake (Daddy, a DRAGON!), or when I have Sleepy Willy (Where's your pet? Is that your pet?) out.
Thankfully, he DOES understand the difference between reality and fantasy, to a point. He knows dragons aren't real and dinosaurs are. Now if I could only explain to him why we can;t see any dinosaurs at the zoo...
Daveti Sep 5th 2007 6:21PM
@12: Sheltering your children is only necessary to a point. By the age of 3, most children will have developed Metacognition, which gives them a basic sense of right and wrong. The age at which a child can discern fantasy from reality... Is completely dependent on the individual child, and it's up to the parents to decide when he or she is ready. Some children may be ready at 3 or 5 or 6 to understand that World of Warcraft is not the real world. Others cannot understand by the age of 40.
The real point here is that at the ripe old age of 18, like it or not, you lose a large degree of control (legally anyway) and your child needs to be prepared for reality fully by that time. The sooner your child lives in the harsh gritty real world, the better prepared he or she will be when the time comes to step out on their own. Your job as a parent is not to prepare them, they can prepare themselves simply via exposure. Your job is to decide when they are ready to be exposed.
Gasher Sep 5th 2007 6:40PM
@#20
Do you have children? Somehow I doubt it. What #12 is referring to (quite correctly I might add) is not WoW exposure per se, but the broader question of YOUNG children's exposure to the harsher violence of TV and movies. I don't consider WoW to be an overly violent game, I do however consider a lot TV shows and movies to be far too "mature" for children who don't quite understand the concepts yet.
It is a fact that YOUNG children in our modern age are pushed too fast to grow up. This rushing is all too often hidden behind the excuse of "oh he/she needs to grasp the gritty reality that is life". While it is true that OLDER children need to begin to understand how life works so they are prepared for the big picture, there is a certain age when this teaching should begin and children below that age should not have to think about such things. It is simply too much for them to take.
I also don't understand how violence and "grittiness" are valid teaching tools for "getting kids ready for the "real" world. If your kids are experiencing real life violence all the time then you may want to consider moving to a better neighborhood. Kids need to be prepared for the stark financial and social aspects of real life, not abject violence.
I believe that too often video games are used as babysitters and parents try to excuse this away as "getting them ready for life". A ridiculous argument for sure.
i Sep 5th 2007 7:11PM
ally, so easy a 3 year can do it..
10pound Sep 5th 2007 7:07PM
is that a dinosaur mount?
Ipew Sep 5th 2007 7:29PM
My 3 year old son has been playing since he was about 1 and a half as well. With a few set up macros (like for stings, hunters mark, and pet attack), he used to play my level 60 hunter. He'd mainly just run around killing "red things" in Azshara, including the occasional goldfarmer who got in the way. Also when he woke up early from his nap, he would often sit in my lap and help "make the red bars go green and make the cows feel better" (heal the tanks) during the end of raids on my priest.
While I would never totally rely on it, it has been an additional tool to help build his vocabulary, coordination, ability to sit and focus on something and general decision making skills.
He doesn't see any of it as creatures or people getting hurt. He see's it as creatures "going to asleep after doing so much." Its been an extra something that we've been able to do together, even if it is only for 2-3 hours over a week or a rainy day event. Its a better influence and more productive than watching some of the kids shows these days, or even being around certain other children.
Esfand Sep 5th 2007 7:34PM
"My semen challenges your 3 year old to a duel to the death."
I read that a few posts down and laugh out loud for a good 4 or 5 minutes
Cyalodin Sep 5th 2007 8:00PM
Computer games can help kids to learn to read. My son (now 20) showed no interest in books back in primary school, but loved the computer at home. I'd just gotten the D&D game "Pool of Radiance" and he wanted a go, so he started running around (getting me to read each interaction to him). This quickly became tedious for both of us ... but his reading skills accelerated so soon he was adventuring all by himself. He still loves the computer (works in IT now) and plays WoW (among other games).
At times (as parents) we've had to control or restrict the amount of time he spent playing, but all-in-all gaming was a positive experience that taught him useful skills - reading, maths, problem solving, and now (with MMORPGs) social interactions. My whole family plays WoW (father, mother, son & teenage daughter) - makes putting a party together for an instance real easy :)
matt Sep 5th 2007 8:08PM
it will be a long time before people are mature enough to accept that any kid can grow up early and handle "more adult things" because they enjoy the challenge. Since many parents think protecting their child should come foremost they don't let their child grow. I give extreme support for this guy finding a positive outlet for his kid, as thats exactly what it is. If you don't let your child challenge logic, challenge rules, challenge what is right and wrong then your child will never grow due to your own protection. yes, it's very hard to not want to hold your childs hand, but many people simply cannot even conceptualize such a concept even when kids are 18 (thats why moms don't let go of their kids).
Stop treating your kids like cows and find new outlets. It's the 21st century, not the 10th, and times change.
Pingmeister Sep 5th 2007 11:46PM
That kid is getting more Parent/child attention than 95% of Western children.
bg Sep 5th 2007 11:56PM
you mean people that play WoW actually have sex?
Slaign Sep 6th 2007 12:29AM
I decided to round this out into my first blog entry, as it is a subject I have given much thought to, as an uncle and a student in game design.
You can find the full entry here:
http://slaign.wordpress.com/2007/09/06/how-young-is-to-young-for-wow/
I'd also like to address a few things directly here.
No I am not a parent. I respect that this changes the validity of my comments. I would however point out, these opinions weren't formed as I typed. As a student in game design and an uncle of children under 5, I have thought about this a lot.
Second: This is NOT parenting advice! I would never be so bold. This is my opinion, and strictly that. This is how I would want to raise my kids when the time finally comes.
Finally: I will never claim to know what it's like to become a parent and have the full weight of that responsibility come to bear on your personality and views, and how that weight may change you, until I am a father. I realize my opinion could change on that day. However, I have seen this approach used with great success in my family and beyond, and I feel very firm in my beliefs as of now.
SKLURB.com Sep 6th 2007 2:44AM
Hello!
I am Charisma's 'Papi.'
I have appreciated reading so many constructive comments and points of view on this topic! She will be thrilled to see her picture on WoW Insider!
It seems some information was left to speculation regarding her ability: She CAN perform a class role in a group with minimal direction. She has learned through initial guidance & trial and error the complexities of the game, it's interface, PvP, quests, world navigation, etc.
She will need some development before she can go 1 vs 1 with an opponent of a similar level. The original topic on the official forums was "YOU may have been ganked by our 3yr old." IE: your lowbie may have been steamrolled as she passed by ;]
Her teamplay is spot on....we have tried her out in a few instances and she understands different classes have different jobs. She prefers to play more hack n' slash as a melee class (Feral Druid, Rogue, Warrior), but she can show a group full support as a healing class.
As a priest, she knows to sit and drink between pulls, that she needs to fill up everyone's green bar, and whoever is in front gets a bubble. She knows healer stay in the back and don't poke their heads around corners till the tank does.
Once she got started, she watched those healthbars like a hawk!
I hope you enjoyed reading her profile and seeing what she can do.
Murloc Warlock Sep 6th 2007 3:37AM
bullshit
Ben Sep 6th 2007 4:57AM
Sigh, gold farmers are getting younger and younger...
PeeWee Sep 6th 2007 7:01AM
My two cents...
The "Teen"-rating is there for a reason. Respect it.
Toiyre Sep 6th 2007 11:01AM
@12
Both my daughters now ages 14 & 16 have been reading books meant for adults, watching R rated movies, and playing whatever games they want, since they were old enough to ask about them.
If your intent is to raise an adult, rather than a 18 year old child, I'm not sure why you would do anything else.
If a child is old enough to ask a question, or form a concept he/she is old enough to have it explained to them.
The one thing we never said, and still never say, is "because I said so".
ryno106 Sep 6th 2007 11:15AM
Judging from the family's myspace pages, they're all happy and all doing something they enjoy TOGETHER. Everything else really is just semantics.
Don't tell other people how not to raise their kids (unless they're abusive, then I encourage you to punch them). Different circumstances mean different guidelines. The main goal is obviously that when the child is 18 or so, they're ready to take on the world. That's it. All that matters is that you're taking into account the bigger picture and have the CHILD's interests in mind.
High fives to SKLURB, his wife, and they're cute daughter. You're lucky to have a family that enjoys being together, and I, for one, am happy for you.
Markymark Sep 6th 2007 12:50PM
@16 I'm not saying that they're not teaching her to read and write but honestly at 3yrs old do you really need to learn how to play WoW like its something neccessary in someones life. That time can be spent teaching your child/ letting them play with other kids.
Theserene Sep 6th 2007 1:13PM
The only concerns I would have with this is
1. If the parent attempted to restrict other people on the server to be acceptable to their youngun (e.g. telling people to watch their language in Trade channel because their kid is watching). Not acceptable.
2. If this was in the UK where the clearly stated age limit on the box is 12.
3. If they let their kid play in an instance PuG without telling the other members that there was a 3 year old behind the keys. Admittedly I would swiftly kick out a 3 year old from a PuG.
Aside from that, I couldn't give a flying monkey what parents do with their kids so long as it does not affect me.