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Bilbo
High Emperor
Joined: 12 Mar 2002
Posts: 1620
Location: New York |
| At what age do you think it's appropriate for kids |
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My nephew saw me playing Wiz7 years ago, and just got hooked with the idea of RPGs - but he's never played one himself. I'm thinking of starting him off with Wiz1, and letting him play his way through the series. But I'm concerned about age appropriateness (especially Wiz8, where you actually see a little gore for a little while). Not having kids of my own, I'm floundering here. Any suggestions?
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The world itself shifts and changes and fades to mist like the strings of a minstrel's harp, and mayhap the dreams we forge are more enduring than the works of kings and gods.-Robert E. Howard
=Member of the RPGDot Shadows, The Nonflamers' Guild, and The Alliance of Middle Earth= |
Thu Jun 20, 2002 11:53 pm |
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA |
Well, you may want to ask his parents first of all about what they deem as appropriate for their child. They may have a different opinion than all of us and it's their opinion that you should get first.
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Freeeeeeedom! Thank heavens it's summer!
What do I have to show for my hard work? A piece of paper! Wee!
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 12:30 am |
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dteowner
Shoegazer
Joined: 21 Mar 2002
Posts: 7570
Location: Third Hero of Erathia |
I definitely agree with Val about asking the parents first. If they have no opinion, then I think you need to get a feel for what the kid can handle- the biggest concept (IMO) being the difference between gaming violence and real life violence. I have pretty strong personal feelings against those who feel that kids aren't smart enough to make that distinction and want to legislate their morality, but I admit there are some kids that need extra guidance. I'd probably be most worried about the whole Al-Sedexus thing for my kids... Fortunately, I've got a few years to go before I have to face those issues- my girls are 4, 2, and 2 right now.
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=Proud Member of the Non-Flamers Guild=
=Benevolent Dictator, X2/X3 and Morrowind/Oblivion Forums=
Sorry. No pearls of wisdom in this oyster.
RIP Red Wings How 'Bout Dem Cowboys! |
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 2:23 am |
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Bilbo
High Emperor
Joined: 12 Mar 2002
Posts: 1620
Location: New York |
I have spoken with my sister-in-law about this, and she likes the idea of me spending time with my nephew & introducing him to RPGs. (His father is not in the picture for me to consult.) I've seen him play a console game based on Pokemon with fighting, HPs, etc. and he understands that it's fantasy and he doesn't going around trying to beat people up.
I'd already decided Wiz8 was too graphic for him now (teen rated, IIRC - I can't find my CDs right now except CD3 which is in my CD-ROM drive of course), but I figured Wiz1-Wiz7 would be OK (rated E for everyone, as I can find my Wizardry Archives disk [ain't that kind of funny since I can't find Wiz8 right now]; and Wiz1-Wiz5 don't have any suggestive graphics at all). {The Amazons of Wiz6 and the Witches of Wiz7 do give me some pause, but I figure that by the time he finishes the first 5 he'll be older and I can judge things again later.}
My question was intended less about the violence and sex, which between me giving him the games where I know the content and his mother's monitoring him I felt could be controlled to make sure he was handling it OK, and more about the mental aspects. I don't want him getting frustrated and giving up on RPGs because he thinks they're too tough. He lives about 2 hours away in another state, so I can't be sitting next to him to guide him. Even with walkthroughs so he wouldn't get stuck puzzle-wise, I don't know at what age kids get a sense of strategy so they won't constantly be dying. And his mother wouldn't be able to help him with something like this, having no experience with it. Wiz1 came out when I was in high school, but my nephew is only about 9 now, so I was about 6-7 years older when I started with CRPGs - that's why I can't use myself for comparison purposes for this, and why I'm throwing this question out here.
@Dteowner & Val, thanks for you're input, and I'll gladly take more of it if you have any.
_________________
The world itself shifts and changes and fades to mist like the strings of a minstrel's harp, and mayhap the dreams we forge are more enduring than the works of kings and gods.-Robert E. Howard
=Member of the RPGDot Shadows, The Nonflamers' Guild, and The Alliance of Middle Earth= |
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 3:34 am |
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Val
Risen From Ashes
Joined: 18 Feb 2002
Posts: 14724
Location: Utah, USA |
Unfortunately, I never played any of the other Wizardry games. My introduction to the series was Wizardry 8. Therefore, I'm unfamiliar with how complex the early games were. I'd suggest starting him on a 'lighter' RPG if you think he may struggle with most of the puzzles.
I got my introduction to RPGs at about the age of eleven when I played Quest for Glory (Hero's Quest). I was able to understand and beat that game without any problems. I played Ultima 5 after that and spent most of my time running around just killing monsters. I didn't even care about the quest. I guess the world was too big and unfocused to keep my attention on the quest. I eventually won the game when I couldn't advance my guys any further and got bored with killing monsters... about 1 1/2 years later.  So basically, you'll probably want to go with a more linear game with simpler puzzles. That way his attention will remain focused and he won't get 'lost' easily.
_________________
Freeeeeeedom! Thank heavens it's summer!
What do I have to show for my hard work? A piece of paper! Wee!
=Guardian, Moderator, UltimaDot Newshound= |
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 4:10 am |
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dteowner
Shoegazer
Joined: 21 Mar 2002
Posts: 7570
Location: Third Hero of Erathia |
I also skipped over the first 7 Wizardrys. Not sure why, but so it goes... Based on my Wiz8 experience, I'd probably go a different direction with your nephew. The complexities of combat, party composition, and character development might be too much for a 9-year-old. Looking at my "RPG library", I think I'd recommend the Might & Magic series as a good intro. MM6 might be the best initial choice. Character development and party composition aren't as difficult as MM7 and MM8. Combat is easy, the interface is simple, and (while not really linear) the plot is easy to follow. You always have a pretty good idea of what to do next. The world is huge, giving the player lots of places to see and lots of critters to kill.
_________________
=Proud Member of the Non-Flamers Guild=
=Benevolent Dictator, X2/X3 and Morrowind/Oblivion Forums=
Sorry. No pearls of wisdom in this oyster.
RIP Red Wings How 'Bout Dem Cowboys! |
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 4:47 am |
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TheRaven
Village Leader
Joined: 21 Jun 2002
Posts: 94
Location: Germany |
Yepp I agree from my own experience:
I was *trying* to play Wiz 7 when it first came out but
a) I was 12 years old
b) I was a RPG-Beginner
so I gave up frustrated at the first city
instead I played Might and Magic 3-5 and liked it very much 
for an actual game I would recommend Dungeon Siege, even though not a real RPG. But too many stats or non-linear gameplay (like in Wiz8, Morrowind, Baldur's Gate2 etc.) might confuse a 9-year old anyway. My dungeon siege version has not too much violence (unsure about the US version) |
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 5:05 am |
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Guest
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I read <The Hobbit> and understood about different characters' abilities when i was 10, and played my first RPG when i was 11, just before Gary Gygax published the first D&D rules; I lived in Winnetka and knew one of the guys he played with to figure out the system. I can't really speak for a 9-year-old i don't know, but if he can play anything as complicated as Cribbage, or Clue, his comprehension should cover Wiz 1-5 at least.
Boards like this could help him out a lot, too... |
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 5:09 am |
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HiddenX
The Elder Spy
Joined: 20 Jul 2001
Posts: 749
Location: NRW / Germany |
Good rpgs for beginners with stratetic combat are the Realms of Arcania games. Wiz5/6/7 are hard to play for rpg newbies. I would suggest 14 as minimum age.
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=Member of The Nonflamers' Guild= |
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 8:27 am |
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TheRaven
Village Leader
Joined: 21 Jun 2002
Posts: 94
Location: Germany |
oh yes the fantastic Realms of Arkania triology!
the best pen&paper to screen transition ever 
I played Blade of Destiny and Star Trail 3 times and Shadows over Riva 2 times the last one with new Level 1 characters! - with imported characters it was too easy
unfortunately there'll be no R.o.A. 4 because the producers got broke  |
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Fri Jun 21, 2002 1:04 pm |
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Bilbo
High Emperor
Joined: 12 Mar 2002
Posts: 1620
Location: New York |
@HiddenX & TheRaven - Thanks for the suggestion. It so happens that I have the Realms of Arcania trilogy, as I bought it about 2 1/2 years ago for about 1 american dollar. I never had a chance to try them out. I'll preview them, and if I think they're suitable, I'll pass them on to him.
_________________
The world itself shifts and changes and fades to mist like the strings of a minstrel's harp, and mayhap the dreams we forge are more enduring than the works of kings and gods.-Robert E. Howard
=Member of the RPGDot Shadows, The Nonflamers' Guild, and The Alliance of Middle Earth= |
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Mon Jun 24, 2002 2:38 am |
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