(My) Kids playing FFXIV, or is 9 too young?Follow

Thank you again for all of your replies. As I stated before I'm reading everything carefully as, I'm sure some of you first-time parents will attest to, it's easy to think you are making the right decision when in reality (and this is hard to admit for a lot of people) we really don't have a clue. That all being said, I appreciate everyone's responses and can't state enough how valuable your input has been in a matter that involves a community and activity that I hold very near and dear to me.

First I'd like to respond to the comment made by Darkfae77,


I appreciate your input here and by no means did I take it offensively. The reason I wanted to put this response first was because of the impact it had on me when I saw it. Initially my reaction was, "Thanks for that...", but as I thought about it those words prompted me to think again on what my motivation for her playing is. As I stated in my OP I was approached by her mother about letting her play. The thought hadn't really crossed my mind until that point. After sitting back and thinking on that for a few moments, her and I share a lot of activities in common with each other that she enjoys. We swim together a lot, we hike, jog, and play various sports together. We also enjoy the same kinds of movies, listening to similar music, etc. Normally these activities are such that she initiates which I'm more than happy to participate in as I enjoy spending time with her. She has watched my play XI and a little bit of XIV and was always interested in the "Lord of the Rings feel" that it has, which is the only thing she has to relate it to.

That being said, when I think of the end motivation for her playing, it's twofold. On one had, yes, I would love to bee-bop around Eorzea with her more or less as my constant companion. I think we could have a lot of fun together. As she grows and develops in-game and in-person and can grasp the mechanics involved in really developing her toon, I think her fluent in end-game activities could be possible in a few years. That'd be excellent. Do I see her farming for me? No. Do I see her playing when I'm not? Definitely not, that will be punishable by lack of icecream for a week (lol). If she decides she doesn't want to play, that's fine by me. That's less bottlenecking that I'll have personally. If she does want to keep playing, that's great, too. It'll be nice to share my interest with a real live human being that I can see in person.


I also can't go on with this post without acknowledging Catwho's response concerning what all she can learn from such a game,


The story you gave as a reference is fantastic. I wish I could say that I didn't go through something similar with the naming conventions during my time in XI, but sadly I have :D This has made for many an interesting collegiate discussion. This is something she can take with her, too, and learn from. I don't know that the context or foundation for the information will be firm at first. She's 9. But it'll stick with her and may inspire her to look into it again some time down the road. That'd be an excellent outcome from playing if even for a day.



In response to the replies concerning chat logs and phrases used in game, I trust her to ask me if she sees anything. Also I'd be sure to switch it over to Battle log if I'm not actively engaged in the game with her (I'll always be there supervising, but I might, say, be cooking at the time). With the scripted references I'm sure she'll ask and I'll happily answer her. She is an inquisitive person by nature, and part of our dynamic is being able to ask and have answered anything that may cross our minds, whether it's what was said in class, to what a certain reference means in a book somewhere she's reading.


That all being said, I think my decision is fairly clear. To start off with, she'll be allowed to make a toon on my account. I don't mind her playing for an hour a day just to try the game out. If she likes it and her grades this quarter are good (and they always are), she'll be allowed to use my old 1.0 account to make a new toon. If her grades ever dip, the game goes away. If she becomes sassy or anything of the sort, the game goes away. If she continues to do well, I don't mind opening up the time frame a little as we go. That'll be to the discretion of myself, though, when we cross that bridge.

A 9 year old is probably not going to get involved in an endgame raiding guild. Heck, they might not even get as far as the duty finders. Communication is not as critical if you're solo. Hence, I don't think it's an issue to let them play, even if it's just running around and smacking monsters alone and dropping into FATES.

Here's what I think, and FYI I'm married 13 years but don't have children. But I do have 6 nephews aging from 4 - 18

If you are going to have your 9 year old play, make sure you are sitting there the WHOLE time. Every minute of it. Too many times parents see computers and televisions as a babysitter while they do whatever. Sitting there and having that time together will not only give you a piece of mind as you can see what is going on, but you can make a game of it as well. Teach them counting, how to read a map, etc

If you are worried about how long to play buy yourself a timer and STICK with it. I have to do that. I can get lost in EQ2 for hours and hours on end. I have a cheap time I can set for 2 hours. It goes off, I stop playing and do work, spend time with the wife, etc. It is also a great way to teach your child perhaps that you CAN work and have fun too!

I started playing UO when i was pretty young. I cant say exactly what age, however i was never supervised at all. I actually improved my reading, typing and spelling skills considerably from the chat in online games and chat rooms. Granted this was long before people typed like they were texting on a highway.

The way i see it, its up to the parents in the long run if they feel their kid is too young or if they should be supervised. But i also figure the internet is like a gun, teach your children the dangers and the rules you put forth and they will understand. And if they get hooked, well now you have something to hold over their head when you need em to take out the trash or clean their rooms.