Project Lore

Have you ever made fun of the Alliance for having to go to bed early, or being kicked off their computer by their mommy? Or dealt with someone who had a squeaky, barely pubescent voice on Ventrilo? Rejected someone from your guild for being under the age of 18? When I think of age discrimination in WoW, these are sort of my "go to" examples, but then I came across a post on the official forums that made me stop and scratch my chin. It was a badly-worded, not to mention obvious, attempt at trolling; something not worth recreating here. But it did turn the issue on its head and resulted in a heated firestorm all too typical of internet zeitgeists. Pulling from my dubious inspiration, I pose the question: are we too old to be playing this game?

From those of us who have just entered college to those of us who've earned tenure for teaching it so long, are we playing a game meant for tweens? For the zit-faced, brace-grinning stereotype that has represented the child-like "gamer" for decades?

Let me speak in simple terms: Most of the people I play with are in their mid-20s or older, some have wives or husbands, and just as many have kids. These are men and women with families and jobs and other obligations who nonetheless take a period of time out of their day to get online with a bunch of other yahoos from around the world to yak in guild chat or take on raid bosses.

The obvious answer, of course, is that you're never too old to play games. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that there are more people 18-and-older playing WoW than there are under. Though the research dates back to the game's launch period, Nick Yee's 2005 study posits that the average player age is 28.3, well above the legal standard of adulthood. And don't take online bloggers like Gaming Granny (50+, has probably played/tested more MMOs than you have) or Old Grandma Hardcore (73, mostly into console fare, but as into the hobby as they come) for granted.

Grandma Hardcore probably isn't the only retirement age gamer kicking your hairless tush out there.

They're the real deal and not to be trifled with! It goes to show that age is not the restriction, perception is.

Instead, there is another, deeper issue lurking just below the surface: why World of Warcraft? What power, what draw does it have on older generations of either lapsed gamers or those that have never touched a controller in their life?

WoW, for all of its hardcore playerbase, is probably one of the greatest casual gaming phenomenons this side of Nintendo's Wii. Now, that's being somewhat disingenuous, considering that some of the best and most experienced players I know are some of the ones I mentioned leading the family life, but let's face it: a good chunk of the game's 11.5 million+ subscribers fit snugly into the mold.

WarCraft has several things going for it. First, it's computer-based, which is instantly attractive to a population increasingly familiar with the way these machines work. Console gaming offers a more "closed" experience, but in doing so, divorces itself from overlapping with other daily activities like surfing the internet, typing e-mails, or doing grunt work at the office. It takes time to figure out the more complex aspects of WoW, but an active understanding of the keyboard and mouse makes easing into the control scheme a heck of a lot more managable.

In my travels around the internet, I've also found that older geeks, programmers, and technophiles tend to be hardcore computer gamers, sometimes at the total exclusion of their console bretheren.

Second, it's a replacement for a social life. It's a sad fact of reality that when you work as hard as most adults do, there's little time or desire to go and hang out with friends (assuming you actually have any you consider that close). Your WoW buddies, however, are always there. Both in- and out-of-game communication tools make it easy to hold conversations and the convenience of running a 5-man dungeon with a few pals often outweighs the effort needed to round up real-life acquaintances for a night on the town. World of Warcraft serves as a portal to a sort of social life not easily afforded to folks post-college.

And that's not even taking into consideration the latent competition aspects. After all, socializing is as much about contest as it is getting along. PvPing, or simply racing to the level cap with a friend, can be just as rewarding as playing a game of one-on-one basketball. For those adults unable to leave the house due to physical disabilities or family/spousal obligations, Warcraft can serve as a great substitute for scratching that competitive itch.

Third, it's a good distraction! With it's wealth of content and cheaper entry fee, WoW is a wonderful substitute for more traditional past-times like watching CBS' primetime lineup, and when you're not raiding, it doesn't make undue demands on your time. It's easy for people log on to chat or run a few dailies while they do house-chores or take care of the kids. And speaking of the younglings, playing Warcraft can be an excellent way to connect with your kids. That's right, questing together to replace tossing the ball back and forth in the front yard as the primary way for a dad to spend quality time with his son! Heard it here first!

When you add these three aspects to WoW's innate fun factor, it's not hard to see why more and more adults are turning to MMOs as a way to spend their free time. Ageism may be alive and well, but I believe there's absolutely nothing shameful in being an older player. There is nothing in the game's lore or content that suggests outright catering to a teen-specific crowd.

As for the younger people reading this? Showing just a little bit of respect can take you a long way with your gaming elders. After all, you don't magically become a mature adult on your 18th birthday, no matter what the government might think. In fact, I've played with many-a-married-couple who've stormed off and ragequit a guild for the silliest, most purile reasons. Certainly, age is only the basest of factors in determining who is capable of being a reasonable person!

Readers, do you agree or disagree? Have you ever encountered family members, co-workers, or other people your age that have questioned why you spend so much time playing "stupid computer games?" Ever caught lip from a younger player online? Or, quite simply, as an older individual, what about WoW has drawn you in so much? The discrimination works both ways, so younger players feel free to chime in with your own observations! But, let's try and keep it civil, OK?