A free online game is a waste of time

The derivative suggestion that a free online games are simply; a waste of time, is addressed in this article below, the author, David Saltonstall has been an avid online gaming fan for approximately 12 years now. He states that ‘only after ploughing a massive amount of time into free online games such as War Craft and CS, can we begin to address both the good and bad points to the online gaming's captivating worlds.'

Now my kids are starting to get older, Saltonstall suggests that he may have simply been wasting his time. This article will address the good and bad points of being an online game addict with a hope of curtailing others stuck in the world of free online games.

Sitting proudly at level 72 my WOW character has clocked up an astonishing, continuous 4 weeks online, in turn I have lost 4 weeks of my life to mining gold and making potions, catching dragons and casting spells, I have made loads of online friends in War Craft and I actually met a few of them in the real world. This said - the time I have spent playing WOW could have been used more wisely indeed, my son now plays the game alongside me, he is only 10 years old, but he too has punched though a massive 5 days continuous play to date.

Although I have condoned his playing of the game and showed him some ways and means of making best use of his time within the free game, I do now worry that he too will commit masses of his time in the virtual world and not complete his homework, chores nor socialise in an appropriate 10 year olds manner, but I can rest easy in the knowledge he has no facebook account nor is he interested in such.
WOW provides us both with an escape, an escape from the real world, within our comfort zone both son and I can happily while away 4hours a night playing the game - I get to spend time with my son and watch him learn and grow in front of my eyes, I see him handle online tasks with ease and I try where I can to lend insight and encouragement to his quests online. Balanced against this -he doesn't hang around with his sister, nor does he go to his friends house for tea or parties, he won't invite his friends over because he states - "as soon as I get home I'm playing wow!" this from a 10 year old.

As a reader with a mind of your own - I ask you this... Should I as a parent be worried that my son is an addict at ten and only seems to want to play online games from first light to dark?

This question came to me early one morning, struggling to sleep here after - I found my self wandering into his room, taking stead of the WOW posters, playing cards and memorabilia which surround him while he sleeps, from his WOW pillow case to his WOW figurines. I found myself wondering, have I encouraged this? Have I made the rod for his back? My father encouraged me to be out of the house, playing on our bikes and so on, but times have changed - the real outside world is a scary place, the real outside world could chew me up and spit me out - am I trying to wrap my son in bubble wrap - hide him away from the perils of the real word? Have I made him this way by playing these free games myself?

To surmise, as fellow parents we are always under the spot lamp for decisions we make affecting the family home, but is allowing our children to escape to a virtual world the answer? I only wish I could now turn back the hands of time and portray a different father to my child, perhaps a father who wasn't an online free games addict himself.