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World Of Warcraft

World Of Warcraft

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World Of Warcraft is simply a stupendous, jaw dropping, eye popping, hugely expansive role playing game. Words can not properly describe this game. You must try it out and take a week or more to experience it. A monthly fee is required. To get started takes a lot of software loading and it is intimidating for most people to get started. We recommend that you find a friend who goes on line to help you begin to level up. We have two complaints. Our principal complaint is the fee structure and logon does NOT encourage family members to play together which, in our opinion, flaws an otherwise perfect product. The second complaint is this game eats up a LOT of time. I can think of better things to do with your time, like read a good book, coach a girl’s soccer team, take the family out to a good restaurant.

Note: This article originally written for the Product Reviews web page and has been lifted into this separate article.

World Of Warcraft Billing Problem

World Of Warcraft Billing Problem

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My past reviews of World of Warcraft has rated this game very high.  As I find with a lot of very large companies, as they grow larger they get less customer friendly.  I recently found out that my WOW account credit card information became inaccurate because my credit union issued me a new card and they change some of the account digits and the account expiration date.   I was notified by Blizzard that my card was no longer working and gave me a web site link to update the card information.  The link did not target my account information but was a generic World of Warcraft Battlenet log in web page.    I selected the account that was having problems and was taken to a page that said my game was frozen and it also showed that World of Warcraft Remote was unsubscribed.  I went to Account Settings at the top of the page and chose Payment Options.  I then changed my credit card information.  I noticed a message to the side of the page:

“To manage World of Warcraft subscription fees and paid services, return to the Account Management homepage and click on the World of Warcraft license that you wish to manage.”

I went to the page specified and only found one option and that was to set up a whole new game subscription.  You go to be kidding me.  Every other subscription service that I use, notifies me that my card will not work in so many days or months and to please update the credit card in advance of expiration.  Every other subscription service allows me to update my credit card information in a direct friendly manner.  My e-mail account for this product showed no warnings that my credit card was to time out with this subscription.  What is going on with WOW?

I submitted a ticket.

I later (June 30, 2012) received a notification that my ticket “has been successfully created”.   A most interesting part of the message reads as follows:

You can view your ticket details and check its status by clicking the link below:

If you can’t click the link above, copy and paste the entire URL into your browser.

As you can see from the text above, there is NO link provided.  So how am I to view the status of my ticket?  This is getting even more lame.

Much later during June 30, 2012, I received a reply to my ticket to my e-mail account.  Here is the gist of the message:

        The primary billing profile is used for our online store (also paid services) and is separate from the recurring subscription. You may need to head to your game management page for XXXXXXX and select “Set Up Game Subscription” to reactivate your account.

Oh, that is nice.  I upgraded my credit card for the on line store?  So I did have to make a new account and waste a lot of my time!   And, they added this little gem that is meant to wast even more of my time:

To reactivate your Diablo III account, and add the Tyrael’s Charger mount back to your World of Warcraft account, please contact Customer Support.

Conclusion:  WOW is a terrific game.  The business side of this company is either lame or immensely disrespectful of the customer (probably both).

Why Computer Games Might Be Good For Young People

Why Computer Games Might Be Good For Young People

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Let me cover some viewpoints and offer perspective to counter some of the negativity aimed at gaming.

Gamers are escapists.  They certainly are which is an important attraction making computer games a successful commercial product.  Why might escapism be good?  One answer is that some of our young people live in homes that are troubled.  One in eight adolescents may be suffering from depression.  One factor that may lead to depression includes family problems.  I was utterly shocked to learn about one local high school child after another that was experiencing problems at home based on parents not having it together for a variety of reasons.  Depression may also lead to suicide.  In a lot of games, success is almost guaranteed and this just might give a young person a sense of accomplishment when their own personal real life home experience is deficient.

One person proposed that young people should learn a musical instrument  to gain a sense of achievement instead of mindless computer game killing.  Besides that fact that not all children are pushed to play an instrument by their parents or even have any self motivation to do so, let us look at the opportunities to play an instrument.   Some schools have dropped their music programs which can be a huge negative factor.  School music programs give powerful peer support.   Personal music lessons range around $20 a hour and thus can cost $80 to $100 a month if you buy one lesson a week.  Instrument rental or instrument purchase, insurance, maintenance, sheet music, parental taxi costs vary but my point is that a Playstation 3 with a few games is a much cheaper cost.  Some families just can not afford music instrument lessons.

The viewpoint that gaming is pointless can partly be refuted by science.  Studies have shown that playing certain types of games can improve mental agility. (Newsweek, January 10 & 17, 2011, Article: Can You Build a Better Brain.)  Video games improve vision (ScienceDaily, Sept. 13, 2010: Video Games Lead to Faster Decisions That Are No less Accurate).  See also NPR Video Games Boost Brain Power, Multitasking Skills (http://www.npr.org/2010/12/20/132077565/video-games-boost-brain-power-multitasking-skills).

One game, in my mind, stands out being superb in refuting arguments against gaming (except cost) because it demotes the killing and adds so much ancillary aspects that seem in many ways to run parallel to our real lives.  In some ways, it is an alternate universe to our own but where the rules are easily understood and the ladder to success is well defined.  In many ways it prepares our young people to cope with our current real world because it does not minimize the complexity that these young people will need to face.  That game is World of Warcraft.  This game does use killing but for purpose that rewards.  The game is over the top complex which in itself might help cognitive function.  It also teaches economics, government, collaboration, (contrived) history, wants vs needs, sharing, and much more.

As a parent I soon discovered that giving important child possessions is one of the most significant if not important mechanisms to get your child to do a chore.  Tell your child that they will not be allowed to play a game until their room is cleaned is a powerful control.

Spores Computer Game Just Might Hit The News.

Spores Computer Game Just Might Hit The News.

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A new computer game (Sept 08) called Spores from Electronic Arts, costing about $50, just might be the future focus of any of the following possible news events.

  • Conservative portions of the United States, political landscape, just might become upset that a game based on evolution and not creationism is being offered to impressionable young people (and adults that need to be impressed).
  • A lot of up tight parents might ban their children from playing this game and one can expect they will attempt to promote this attitude with other friends to help create a bubble of justification.
  • Education leaders just might embrace and encourage playing this game because it seems to teach, at a gut level, some basic principles of biology and evolution.
  • Some religions might work to ban this game at least amongst their card carrying followers.
  • The science community, who have seen their viewpoints eroded by the poor national educational system, conservative viewpoints, religious groups holding on to medieval doctrines, just might start playing this game in their closets.
  • This game just might get a well deserved educational award(s).
Team Fortress Computer Game Promo Movies.

Team Fortress Computer Game Promo Movies.

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Following is an e-mail sent to us from Sirusblk.

“Alright here’s the videos…

An early promotional piece (a lot of stuff has changed since then):
http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=app&AppId=931&cc=US

Meet the Heavy (first look at the extremely cool facial animation
system):
http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=app&AppId=960&cc=US

Meet the Soldier:
http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=app&AppId=985&cc=US

Meet the Engineer:
http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=app&AppId=987&cc=US

Meet the Demoman (My Favorite):
http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=app&AppId=997&cc=US

Meet the Scout (The latest one):
http://steampowered.com/v/index.php?area=app&AppId=5032&cc=US

As you can see they all have a distinct cartoon look, and everything
you see is actually in games stuff albeit a little custom animation.
It may look a little like chaos but … we all have a blast.

The nice thing is this game has something for everyone no matter how
good of a player you are. Each character plays differently. Anyways I
hope you liked the little movies.