World of Warcraft

My husband started playing this game a long time ago. I actually can't even remember when he began. It seems like a lifetime and one obsession ago. Now it is as if it is all he does. he schedules his life around that game. He comes home from work. turns on his computer and even eats dinner in front of that game. He does get home well after dinner time (around 8-8:30) so I can't begrudge him for not sitting down at the dinner table with me and the girls. If I asked him what are we doing this weekend can we do this or that, he used to say, well we were going to do this raid or that thing in the game and I don't want to miss it. Can you take the girls yourself? GRRRR. IT IS JUST A GAME!!!! OR is it an obsession?

He has asked me a bazillion times to create my own account and my own character so I could play the game with him. He has met several couples who play the game together and even one that held their wedding ceremony in the virtual world. That is just way too weird for me. He speaks to people who literally live all over the world who seem to be on the computer all times of the day. Don't these people have lives?

Well, since he can't get me to play this game, he has gotten our girls to play and even got them, finally, their own account. I am not so sure how I feel about an almost 4 year old and 6 year old playing a game that is live over the Internet where the get approached by other people to chat. Our 6 year old is curious and wants to make friends although we tell her not to talk to strangers and just send stuff to dad and only chat with people if Mom or dad is around so we can monitor. The 4 year old, well, she just likes running her character around and turning her into a ghost. She used to like killing her fathers characters off but that cost her father too much stuff and made him angry. I guess that is what got him to get them their own account.

The game does, to my dismay, help in some of their creativity when they create new characters. They get to design them, give characteristics, hair, style and even a name. Then they get to choose a path that they take. I do wish they would spend less time playing this game but at least it is something they can chat with their father about.