Intro

It is important to understand that my family is entirely made up of gamers. My poor mother (and my mother in law) is probably the odd duck. My dad played strategy games growing up, those board games that evolved into today's popular RTS and 4X games. My family grew up on Hero's Quest, Final Fantasy, D&D, and any other type of game you could find. My wife's father played Dungeons and Dragons when it was called Chainmail and came in a green box. She can remember being a small toddler, sitting in her daddy's lap, rolling his dice for him.

Now a days, I find myself playing World of Warcraft instead of table top games. Why? Convenience. Sure, I have a monthly subscription fee, but ask any gamer how much they spend monthly on video games, and I guarantee it'll be less than $15. I know that during my hey day in Magic: the Gathering, I used to drop well over $300 a month on cards.

But back to the convenience of an online game. I don't have to put the kids to bed to do a couple of quests. I don't have to find a babysitter to do a couple of dungeons with the wife. Sure, it can be monotonous to do the same raid week in and week out, but if you're with a good group of people, chances are you're having fun.

This works great when you're kids aren't old enough to care whats going on. A 2 year old is gonna be more interested in the plugs behind your computer than in the video game you're playing. But what about when they get older? What about when they turn 5, or 6, or even 12?

A friend of mine has started doing an after-school D&D campaign with his three boys, the oldest being 10 and the youngest 5. My 5 year old, I know, wants to play D&D with us on the weekends and was devastated when we made her stay home with the babysitter. So, what to do?

Over the next few weeks, I'll be discussing ideas on how to help bring your family closer together through gaming, as well as influence their education and social skills.