When I gave my oldest daughter permission to use my second World of Warcraft account, I had no idea what an amazing player she’d turn out to be. She’s surpassed me in skill, strategy, and flexibility, and nowadays she teaches me more about Warcraft than I teach her. It isn’t just in Warcraft that she’s surpassed me, in the real world she has become so much more than I ever was or will be and I find more reasons to be proud of her every single day.
Some might say that because she grew up watching me play World of Warcraft, she had a head start in understanding the game. But those “some” don’t know me very well because there are still so many things about my game play that make me a “newb.” My daughter has been nice enough to play some of my toons through things I really struggled with and I’m eternally grateful that her abilities are far greater than my own.
While I get upset with issues in PUGs and people being rude to me, my daughters lets it roll right off her back or she sticks up for herself in a sassy and creative way. If/when such things happen to me, I usually shrink into myself and just want to hide. I am indescribably relieved that she wasn’t cursed with that aspect of me.
Although she’s off at college now, she still has time to pay Warcraft as her class workload hasn’t become too heavy. She’s currently leveling up a vulpera fire mage and loving it and I’m so proud of her for doing well on a class that I struggle with. She told me she wishes she’d leveled him sooner to run him in the Nya raid and I love that!
She’s really not afraid to try anything. She alternates between running random dungeons and random battlegrounds and has even done healing in some battlegrounds on various toons. The only healing I’ve ever done is when I’m questing with one or two other people and there isn’t any stress involved.
Thanks to her manageable college workload, she’s continued to join the Strawberry group for our Sunday afternoon Nya run. No matter what toon I’m playing or what item level or cloak rank they are, she still lives longer than I do with her troll rogue and his rank 4 cloak and 438 item level. She’s already done all the parts of the Nya raid on normal with PUGs and she’s certainly braver than I for doing that. She didn’t get her wings from Wrathion though until her first run with the Strawberry group and I find that fitting. She’s told me many times how much she loves running with the group and how much more fun they are than any of the PUGs she was in.
She continues to demonstrate her skills as a player with her ability to think fast on her feet and avoid getting squished. I aspire to be as great as she is someday, but I also accept who I am and that how I play is just how I play.
While neither she nor I knew what to expect when she headed off to college, we’ve both adapted pretty well. She knows the lay of the campus, she makes it to all her classes, she’s gaining a social circle, and she’s becoming self-sufficient and independent. She messages me several times a day and although I miss seeing her in person, I greatly appreciate the regular contact. The house is very quiet with just her sister and I home but we’re adjusting.
I know my oldest daughter will do well in her life and she’s already well on her way! I also know that Warcraft will be in our lives for as long as the game exists. Gaming aside, all I want and hope for in life is for my daughters to feel loved, happy, and fulfilled and I hope as their mother I’ve helped pave the way for that.
Srinity 