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Children Concerned By Parents' Web Habits
praps writes "Children are becoming increasingly worried about their parents' Internet habits, according to a report just released in Sweden. Unsurprisingly, dads surfing for pornography is the most common problem, but chatroom addiction also featured in the report — as is a mother who has become obsessed with World of Warcraft. 'This summer she has been sitting up all day and all night and she forgets what's important to me,' wrote the woman's 13-year-old daughter. 'And when she's not at the computer she's like a lost soul. She just looks straight ahead and says nothing.'" There are also a lot of scammers out there who like nothing better than to find retirees who they can sucker into get-rich-quick schemes involving real-estate, stock options, and convincing the neighbors to be part of a "downstream" for MLM marketing ploys.
I've never played WoW. I've got a few friends who do. One told his wife he'd quit after he got to level 70. He's achieved level 70 and now he's going for all upgraded gear and getting "epiced" (or something). Is there any end? Or is the game built so you never really become king of the hill? Is there always another carrot out there to keep you coming back?
You can't win the game... it's like a never ending soap opera or comic book. Actually providing resolution so people walk away is not in the plan.
There's always another carrot.
Erik
I don't have a parent with an "internet problem", but my DM does. He is always looking to stop the game so he can play WOW and get that slack jawed look.
He told me he has 7 70's.
Is this a problem?
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
I guess that's... better than nothing, right?
Property is theft.
All that is happening is people are discovering the internet and exploring it at different periods of their lives. Most people, when they first get connected, end up in a chat room and/or some IM program within the first few days of using it. Just like when many of us discovered it, we were amazed and used the same sort of things these people are using in their early internet life. Games, porn, chat rooms and IMing are often the extent that people use the internet for on a regular basis. They are comfortable with the technology and seem content with what they have found, at least for a bit.
:)
As the years go by and you expand your personal scope of/for the internet, you ditch all the things you did when you first got on and really get down to business finally. Call it internet puberty if you wish... these people are just exploring things just like we all did at one point. Honestly, I think it is funny to see friends of mine who just finally get online and start talking about chat rooms or some flash game they found. It takes me back to the days when all the internet was there for was to entertain me. Now I am connected to the/a network nearly all the time, I make my living from it and if it went down for more than 6 hours, I might get the shakes.
Invexi - a Phoenix, AZ based web design and web development company.
When your online life is more stimulating than your offline life, you tend to stay online longer. Join a team of something (softball, volleyball, swimming, debate, soup kitchen, crafts, etc). Get yourself *involved* with your offline life. Unlike an MMO which is designed to keep you involved with the online life, offline you sort of have to choose your own density. I mean...destiny.
>> So WoW not having an "ending" is hardly an issue -- people can get addicted to anything that offers escapism, and the fact that this mother is addicted to WoW is not a cause to point fingers at WoW.
> People can, and do, quit MMOs. I quit WoW not long ago. No big reason, no epic struggle, I was just kinda bored of it.
The question is, did you quit WoW because you found a more interesting way to escape, or did you no longer need an escape ?
People say that alot, but... I went through a few phases... I was completely addicted to my family and my job til a friend convinced me to do a 30 day trial of wow. Then I became addicted to that and only that. Sure, maybe I'm just one depressed son of a gun. Maybe I just needed an escape, sure.. But I kinda liked my old escapes better than when WoW was my escape.
I did manage to quit wow, and have since turned my addictions to spending time with my kids... but I gotta tell you... It was hairy there for a while...
Modding Trolls +1 inciteful since 1999
I've found that the real humor in quitting WoW is in their 'last gasp' message. I decided that school and money came before a silly game, so hit the unsubscribe reason and picked "I need the time for school". They helpfully displayed a little message that went along the lines of, 'You don't have to go! A lot of other people who pick this reason found that they have lots of friends they want to talk to in WoW!'
Irksome that they do it, but yeah, they just don't want to lose any subscribers.
There are plenty of studies that show an exposure to 'hard core' pornography at a young age has ill effects latter in life.
heh, pownography.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
>And that, good friends, is SecondLife in a sentence. You may think there's more to that game, but it's all a
>scam.
I myself operate a Zen meditation house, and a live music venue, and do quite a few things not mentioned in your sentence, and you've basically just accused me of "scamming."
-fb Everything not expressly forbidden is now mandatory.
When I read this a situation that I ran into in January came to mind.
A couple of our regular customers come in to upgrade both of their machines (each parent had one - neither of the two low-end by any means). They priced out about 1500 dollars worth of parts and openly debated about maxing their (only) credit card out on the parts..
Normally, this wouldn't bother me - not any of my business how they pay, so long as they do.
Then, however, after deciding to go ahead and buy the parts - they start going on about how the husband was laid off in December and still hadn't found work - AND THAT THEY HADNT BEEN ABLE TO AFFORD ANYTHING FOR THEIR KIDS FOR CHRISTMAS less than two weeks before.
They're reason: If they dont keep up with WoW they may get kicked out of their Guild!
It may be none of my business, but I'm a parent myself and this just sickens me. I finally ended up having sudden 'stock shortages' and found a way to talk them out of the parts, but still...
Thats it! I'll never try WoW, I was thinking in giving it a try but when a game tries so desperately to get on to your life you sure know It can be really addictive. Is this just by the monthly fee? Theres is no other way of playing? Set your own server? On a PIII machine like good old Quake2? Guess I'll never quit on Q2. --
:) Make them part of it and teach them that it's just a game and that you like to play too, as she. Kids need to understand that their parents need time for themselves otherwise you're just raising basement dwellers.
More on topic, I agree that kids get concerned by parents staring at a monitor, even my daughter gets mad at me when I start to play or I'm working, She tries to get my attention and she's just 1yo, Sure they know or they can associate the fact that you're "face to face" = giving attention to something that is not even a tall-speaking-hugging-something-daddy, on the most basic sense as for a 1yo girl.
If you have kids, and you can't just quit on gaming... at least bring them to the clan