During the holidays, we’re running a contest through our “12 Days of the Spiral“. The question is – what has Wizard101 or Pirate101 meant to you and/or your family in the past year? Today we have our eighth winner! Read how this Wizard realized that there are still some good-natured games out in the MMO world.
What happened to the good-natured games? When you head to your local game store, M seems to be the most prominent letter on our game boxes. Thankfully, there is a family appropriate alternative which changed relationships with my family and friends for the better. The first time I saw the rotating triangle on that arena, I imagined what would happen if I clicked the download button on that game’s website. I never imagined that clicking that button would change me this much. Wizard 101 helped me become more efficient at work and helped me create bonding relationships that I could never wish to be undone.
We do have to initially keep in mind that multitasking is an art. You can’t start doing two things at once and expect to be amazing at it. My first time flying through Unicorn Way didn’t go perfectly. As I went through the game, I ran over more hurdles, but the goal of reaching the status of my cousin’s main character, Tarlac StormCaller, was the one goal that kept me jumping. Eventually, I got more efficient in my playing style. I waited on quests to see if I could metaphorically kill two birds with one stone. I saw similar effects in my homework, and I got more done faster. In fourth grade, I had issues with homework, but I started to complete some assignments before you could beat Rattlebones.
I also became closer with my cousin. I used to usually be a timid person who didn’t mingle with my athletic cousins, so Tarlac StormCaller was and still is one of my favorite family members to be with. He was the one who inadvertently convinced me to download Wizard101 in the first place, and he’s the one who aided me in reaching my current level status. Though I have yet to return the favor to him, I have returned the favor to others. A childhood friend of mine, let’s call her Kaylee for privacy reasons, ran into the game by pure chance and started playing. By the time I discovered this, I was in MooShu and she was grinding Field Guards in the Haunted Cave to raise her levels. She even received the badge for fighting 2,000 undead in the process. I decided to help her through the game as Tarlac did for me. Currently she is in Marleybone with her other friend; let’s name her Terrie for privacy purposes as well. I enjoy playing with Tarlac and Kaylee, and I’m glad I’ve made these long-lasting relationships.
These people have also made me realize the answer to my question. What happened to good-natured games? Nothing happened to them. There’s always a clean gaming experience for you, even in a gaming genre known for profane content. I want to thank you, KI, for this awesome experience you’ve created, and I hope you continue to create experiences like these for a long time.
Joseph DarkFlame
Level 56 Fire Wizard
During the holidays, we’re running a contest through our “12 Days of the Spiral“. The question is – what has Wizard101 or Pirate101 meant to you and/or your family in the past year? Today we have our seventh winner! Read how Pirate101 helped Fishy Courtney Nightingale cope with depression and anxiety.
What has Pirate101 meant to me in the past year? I’ll tell you, but first I need you to imagine something for me.
Imagine that you’re scared to leave the house. Imagine that you can’t help crying over the smallest, most insignificant things. Imagine that you consider yourself such a disappointment to yourself and the world that you’ve contemplated causing yourself physical harm. Imagine that you were once confident, but have been crushed and battered down by your decision to bottle up most of your emotions your entire life. Imagine that the walls keeping those emotions at bay have broken down, and you’ve been left to drown in the tidal wave that follows those walls bursting open. Imagine that.
That’s what happened to me in the past year. And Pirate101 was my only escape from a world which had become unbearable—a world which I was no longer able to cope with.
I was depressed and anxious to the point that I needed medication to help me climb out of the pit of darkness that I’d dug myself into.
Pirate101 was part of the ladder that got me out of that hole. No matter what, the game was always there for me, full of characters I could aspire to be like and people who would come to be close friends.
When my world came tumbling down and I cut myself off from family and friends alike, Kan Po was my first mate, my friend, giving me invaluable advice to help me on my adventure into the Spiral.
When I felt that I had no direction in life, Bonnie Anne was on her path to becoming a better musketeer, dedicated to her talents and the crew that she had joined, never afraid to speak her mind.
When I felt that I had made an awful mistake that I would never be forgiven for, Ratbeard had been given a second chance on my crew and was finding ways to set right the wrongs he had caused.
As I progressed through the game, I eventually made friends, though it took a lot for me to even be able to talk to them to begin with. Sharing the game with my younger brother helped make me more confident about things though—if someone six years younger than me could do it, then why couldn’t I? Now I have a group of high level friends and we can all count on each other to lend a hand when it’s needed.
Pirate101 gave me a constant, a world I could escape to, a place where I could become Fishy Courtney Nightingale and sail the skyways, making friends, recruiting my crew and helping people. Pirate101 taught me to follow my dreams, to find my path and stick to it, no matter what anyone else said. Pirate101 even brought my brother and I closer together, giving us something to talk about instead of arguing constantly.
Without the contribution and beautiful storyline, characters and players of Pirate101, I would still be stuck in the deep, dark, abysmal trench which had yawned open and swallowed me, cutting me off from the world. Without Pirate101, I would still be yelling at my brother constantly, and making family life miserable.
Without Pirate101, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I’m still not quite sure who that person is, but the lessons this game have taught me ensure that I will stay on the path to finding out.
That’s what Pirate101 has meant to me in the past year.
Fishy Courtney Nightingale
Level 65 Witchdoctor
During the holidays, we’re running a contest through our “12 Days of the Spiral“. The question is – what has Wizard101 or Pirate101 meant to you and/or your family in the past year? Today we have our sixth winner! Read how Wizard101 helped Jessica SkySong live life to the fullest while she was recovering from an injury.
“Hey Mom, how are all your little wizard friends today?” asks my 25-year old son, mocking me ever so gently. Little does he know how Wizard101 has been a lifesaver for me this past year.
When torn cartilage and tendons in my hip sidelined me over twelve months ago, making me a virtual prisoner in my own home, I turned to Wizard101 while I awaited surgery. What a difference this game has made to my mood and outlook! I may be immobilized in real life, trapped on a couch, but my wizardly self gets to run, jump and “fly” in a virtual world. There are times when, after playing for an extended period of time, I close my eyes to sleep and feel myself “flying” over the cobblestones in Olde Town. Now that’s magical!
In fact, it’s Wizard101 that has enabled me to “continue” my usual activities of daily living, brightening my mood. Rather than fretting that I can’t tend to my real garden, I putter in my virtual gardens, where the pests are easier to deal with and harvests never disappoint. Unable to finish home improvement projects, I now decorate my wizard homes instead…and doesn’t that make me feel like a little girl again, playing with doll houses! How precious and rare is an activity that can make us feel young? I can no longer sit at my sewing machine, but here in Wizard101 I get to craft and “stitch” to my heart’s content. Best of all I don’t have to wait for real-world friends to return from work to socialize; I can find adult wizard friends—-some half a world away– almost any time of the night or day, ready for questing and bantering (And yes, Virginia, there are adult wizards in the Spiral!).
This Christmas I won’t be able to make the long trip home to distribute gifts to family. Instead I’ll be dusting off my wizard’s Santa suit and sleigh, ready to take my spot on the Commons and delight in gifting some unsuspecting wizards in my KI family. Wizard101 is more than a game to me now; it’s a much-needed distraction when TV bores me and pain interferes with sleeping or reading, a way to socialize I never thought possible (many thanks to all my “little wizard friends”!), a surrogate family, an outlet for creativity, a window onto a world where I can feel something like my old self again—even if I am wearing a goofy hat and riding a dragon! Many thanks, KI, for keeping me sane during some tough times.
Jessica SkySong
Level 93 Life Wizard
During the holidays, we’re running a contest through our “12 Days of the Spiral“. The question is – what has Wizard101 or Pirate101 meant to you and/or your family in the past year? Today we have our fifth winner! Read how Wizard101 helped this young Wizard connect with her new step-father and step-sister.
Wizard101 has been a great way for my new step sister and I to bond. We have always been close, but I still didn’t feel very comfortable being around her so much. She had a lap top, and my mom had let me use her lap top for things like going on YouTube and other online games, but she never let me download things.
Once my step sister and her dad started to stay at my house really often, I started to think about the game that I played when I was younger, and wanted to play it again now. I told my sister about Wizard101 and asked her if she had ever played it. She said yes, so I then begged my mom to let me download it. Eventually, I convinced her. I remembered my original account’s username and password, but I thought I would like to start out fresh and I made a whole new account. And from that account came the new me, Scarlet ThunderThief.
I was so happy to get my account, but I wanted to talk to my sister when she was not around. I knew that I could just use menu chat, but I wanted text chat instead. I did not like my new step dad very much at this point, and I was worried that I never would. Eventually, my sister also wanted to talk to people without menu chat, and we both knew that if we had our parent’s permission we could get text chat! She asked her dad if she could get crowns and he said yes. I was a little disappointed because I knew my mom couldn’t afford to get me crowns at that time…
“Daddy, could you get her some too?” My sister said, hugging me and looking at her dad.
“Sure, why not!” he said, pulling my lap top to him, which I already had the Wizard101 website pulled up. After he added crowns to my account, I asked my mom if I could get text chat, and my sister asked her dad the same thing. They both said yes and I was overjoyed to hear that not only would I be able to unlock more areas for quests, but I would also be able to make new friends! Me and my sister immediately got on our computers and started to make friends. Eventually, we both had our friends lists full, and we had some really good friends. With how much we played together, I started to trust my sister more and feel like I could talk to her without holding back.
I am very glad that this one, multi-player game has brought not only me and my sister together, but now I like my step dad better than before! I cannot imagine how long it would take me and my sister to bond without this wonderful game. And now it is time for me to get my sister’s lap top charger, even though she doesn’t need it right now! ☺
Scarlet ThunderThief
Level 20 Death Wizard
During the holidays, we’re running a contest through our “12 Days of the Spiral“. The question is – what has Wizard101 or Pirate101 meant to you and/or your family in the past year? Today we have our fourth winner! Read how Wizard101 helped this family through a tough time.
When most people think about the word family, the ideas of parents and siblings come to mind. Sometimes grandparents may be included or maybe a distant cousin. In my life, my family consists of not only my nuclear family but my extended family as well. Growing up a predominantly Hispanic household, it was never unusual to have aunts/uncles and 25 cousins around for every family function. I wouldn’t change anything about my family. It may be loud and crowded at times but I love them dearly. But like anything in life, time changes things. Some of my family moved to a different cities, some have gone to college and some are no longer with us in body but are in spirit.
When I stumbled across Wizard 101, my family had just suffered a terrible setback. We lost both my grandparents on my mother’s side to cirrhosis in less than a year. We were all brokenhearted and I decided to leave college to help my parents. Needless to say it was a hard year for all of us. I spent hours poured out on my computer, trying to forget the pain and heartache that I was feeling from losing two significant people in my life. Wizard 101 acted as an outlet for me to live in another world and allowed me to escape my real one. Well time moved on and my family began to heal but I continued to play the game.
My younger cousin Jared however was not adjusting well without my grandparents. He had problems in school, trouble concentrating, and reading difficulties. I began to tutor him in reading after school. It went nowhere. He wasn’t interested in any part of reading. He needed something to grab his attention. That is when I decided to make him a Wizard 101 account. He was amazed by the game and couldn’t wait to play. I set some ground rules though. He could play as long as he read his quests out loud to me. After all, he couldn’t do much without knowing what to do or get in the game without reading. Before long, Jared ended up progressing to a whole new reading level in class, all with the help from Wizard 101. His teacher and my aunt were absolutely floored when they saw his immediate improvement and Jared now actually enjoys reading. That is when my family began to take an interest in the game as well. I’d show my cousins all the new spells I attained, new worlds and soon my cousins and siblings began to play.
As I stated earlier, my family is close still but we are further apart. Wizard 101 has allowed us to stay close and catch up while still having a great time playing. To most, Wizard 101 might just be a game. To my family, it healed us from terrible loss. It helped my younger cousin Jared read and catch up with the rest of his peers. It has brought us closer even if we are far apart. I’m able to stay in contact with cousins from all parts of the USA and my siblings away at college. This year, Wizard 101 has been nothing short of a blessing to my family and I. I can’t imagine this year without the game. It has given us so much joy, relief and happiness over these past couple of months and years and we are so grateful that it is still going strong. Thank you KingsIsle for making our family grow and keeping us connected.
Samantha RubyDreamer
KingsIsle Blog 