r/wow • u/bornin_1988 • 28d ago
Fluff Watching my 3 year old son play WoW on a controller sitting on a couch. What a time to be alive.
456
u/Rappyfan 27d ago
imagine getting flamed so much in wow you need to pretend your 3yo son is playing. /s
60
u/battlecanary 28d ago
How does the targeting work for a 3 year old? My wife tried playing and tab targeting was a big issue for her. I know even now with action targeting, I still get stuck on dead mobs sometimes after looting. I think the native controller mode should have target clear after button press or something to make it easier perhaps.
28
u/vandante1212 27d ago
You can cycle hostile targets with R1 and friendlies with L1. I think hitting B/circle also clesrs targets.
20
27d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
→ More replies (1)4
u/imortizo 27d ago
That's awesome! I play with controller since shadowlands (when they finally gave us some support for that). I was wondering if i would play WoW Forever, i even tried to join beta (no luck so far). With this new information, i think i won't resist!
→ More replies (1)2
u/gamesterdude 27d ago
We just use view based target for my daughter. Whatever you are looking at gets targeted. As a hunter dps it works well enough for her
97
u/winewitheau 27d ago
Could it be possible that OP is playing wow and is just letting his son walk around for a little bit or smth? I bet this kid is not clocking 12 hour grind sessions over here š
35
u/Gulanth 27d ago
Yeah of course. It's a decent intro to games but reddit is brain dead when it comes to anything practical really
8
u/raised_by_toonami 27d ago edited 27d ago
Whole thread acting like because the kid played a game for a few minutes heāll be dropping out of preschool to run Mythics like they can even contextualize whatās happening on screen other than āguy moveā.
Iād bet at least half of those same people had similarly aged siblings they gave an unplugged controller to and they played like they were playing along in a single player game.
→ More replies (1)10
→ More replies (2)3
65
1.3k
u/Lopsided-Hand-6833 28d ago
Ok Iām gonna be the first one to say it. 3 years is too young to be playing video games in general and definitely wow.
196
u/gho5trun3r 27d ago
Yeah like does a 3 year old even know what's going on?
151
u/Kiu88 27d ago
I plugged in my NES mini for my 3 year old to play Super Mario Bros 1, he died to the first enemy 8/10 times. If thats a 3 year old playing WoW, dude is hella advanced.
→ More replies (6)27
18
11
3
u/OceanAfternoon 27d ago
My dad used to leave 3 year old me moving his character around a room in Ultima Online so he wouldnāt get logged out due to AFK. He gave me explicit instructions to never leave the area and heād go do a chore or make food. I became a human macro and I do have memories of thinking it was cool and wanting to investigate the walking skeletons.
6
2
u/platinumjudge 27d ago
He could be almost 4. As an uncle to a kid who turned 4 this week, 3and1 month is like 2 years different from 3and11month
5
→ More replies (3)3
u/DevilsTheology 27d ago
I started wow at 4 or 5 without any of my parents playing games. Got a laptop for learning Hebrew faster than my cousins and then ended up playing WoW.
I remember no Hebrew and have found a career that involves computers.
2
26
u/CaleoGaming 27d ago
Idk, I was 4 years old when my dad brought home a Windows 95 and I started playing Rayman 2 / Heroes of Might and Magic 3, I couldn't even read.
18
u/Sryan597 27d ago edited 27d ago
As a kid, part of my motivation to read was I would play some video games and board games where I couldn't fully understand what was going on, because I couldn't read yet. I only knew what was going on because of guess and check, and what my dad taught me. While kids shouldn't spend all their times playing video games, it can be a great motivation and fun way to engage with reading.
6
u/Various_Bandicoot437 27d ago
My kid was struggling in school with reading. He would play a game with his older brothers and they wouldnāt help him so he would tell me he is stuck. I said that it was because he needed to be able to read to move on. He quickly learned how to read. We have scaled back on game time though. If not made to do something else they wont. The weird part is they actually like being outside and riding dirt bikes or camping, stuff like that. They just wonāt do it till we pull the addiction away.
4
u/A7XfoREVer15 27d ago
This was absolutely the case with me and pokemon/square enix games as well when I was a kid.
Iād literally sit right next to my familyās giant dictionary while I played games. If I didnāt know a word, Iād stop, look it up in the dictionary, write down what I learned to reference if I see it again, and move on.
2
u/LewdMortal 27d ago
I agree. I was horrible at reading and writing until I started playing Roblox as a kid and I wanted to talk to everyone and understand what they were saying to me.
88
u/Hamphantom 27d ago
The kid is just farting around moving the character around. I really donāt see the problem.
→ More replies (2)-4
u/Many_Psychology_3336 27d ago edited 27d ago
Nothing like judging someone elseās objectively harmless parenting to make yourself feel superior though.
Ooh the Facebook mums groups are out.
2
u/DasQuh 27d ago
Well, according to research, screentime is objectively harmful
38
u/Many_Psychology_3336 27d ago
Excessive screen time is harmful, and more specifically when paired with a lack of other mentally and physically stimulating activities. Itās not āsaw screen = badā. Donāt over simplify just to shame someone.
4
u/Immediate_Pickle_788 27d ago
Exactly, excessive screentime. My 3 year old will play WoW, by running around (and now he knows how to fly, holy shit) and exploring for 20 mins. But kid also doesn't have a tablet or watch TV every day.
I'm far more worried about the kids who are in strollers being pushed around in malls or on walks outside staring at a tablet.
8
27d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
8
u/Many_Psychology_3336 27d ago
Wild how we all ignore the kids who use tech regularly but are well adjusted, isnāt it?
I mean no, wait, all screens are bad and parents who let their kids use tech even minimally must be shamed and vilified!
→ More replies (2)3
u/_Compulsion_ 27d ago
I might just be coping, but I'd way rather have my son play Mario Odyssey or the other video games he plays, where he has to use critical thinking and problem solving to complete puzzles than watch brain rot youtube content.
→ More replies (6)3
u/Many_Psychology_3336 27d ago
Absolutely. The fact that itās two way - input and output - rather than just garbage going into his brain is key too.
20
95
u/bb0110 27d ago
Mario kart/party once every few months is one thing, but wow?
Yeah I completely agree with you, way too young.
8
u/Tight_Jacket_121 27d ago
Very much agree, this is also a highly addictive game and could lead to some serious issues
20
u/PomegranateHairy2487 27d ago
lots of players act like 3 years old ones, so i guess there are lots of them
13
u/Ok_Challenge_8390 27d ago
i think WoW is super mild, ive been playing Dead by Daylight and one of the moms in that subreddit let her 8 year old play killer. i was thinking, if that doesn't desensitize you to extreme violence, i dont know what will.
→ More replies (3)15
u/Tk-attack 27d ago
The kid is significantly larger than my 4 year old who could in no way play wow other than run around maybe
66
u/Kincade88 27d ago
Scrolled too far for this. I hope itās just for the picture.
84
u/chushenNeji 27d ago
At most the kid is running in random directions. What a weird thing to make up.
→ More replies (1)14
u/lucki-dog 27d ago
I let my 2 year old play Mario cart and just free roam. She treats it like any of her toys and is on to shoving blocks down the farm chute or finding her dinosaur puzzle pieces. Or whatever she fancies next
Itās all about moderation
2
u/i_wear_green_pants 27d ago
I guarantee it is. And it's sad that people set up scenarios like this just to collect some internet karma.
21
u/BesticleBear 27d ago
I was playing SNES at 3-4. Definitely not too young and as long as itās somewhat controlled and not over used like everything then itās perfectly fine and normal. Video games are great for young kids. Teaches them how to read, solve complex problems, geography, directions, literally endless. Itās a beautiful moment with a dad and his kid. I had a 5th grade reading level in first grade. I owe it all to video games and also Pizza Hut reward system.
→ More replies (1)13
u/PlayfulSurprise5237 27d ago
I second this completely.
Playing music and playing more technical video games is one of the absolute best ways to keep a healthy brain when you're older, so I imagine it's good for brain development as a child too.
Those dumbass mobile games? No probably not. But something that makes them think and execute on a plan fast, that's probably great.
There's a lot of problem solving skills going on there.
If you've played the game for years and can't even push yourself to a challenge because there is none then sure, it's probably not doing much, but otherwise I'll bet it's great
14
u/RedGecko18 27d ago
Do you have kids? Cause I do, and when I was a kid back in the 80s and 90s we were definitely playing videogames. There have been studies that show videogames are good for kids in small doses. There is no way to tell how long the kid here is playing. Y'all are so quick to keyboard parent. Mind your business.
→ More replies (6)2
u/Warcraft_Fan 27d ago
But not too young to hold a controller. The controller is probably not connected to the game
2
2
u/Sea_Warning_9140 27d ago
Ehh my kid plays a couple mins of mario kart, and mario oddysey (likes booting the sheep off the cliff and watching it respawn lol)
2
2
u/yycoding 26d ago
I think 3 years old is too young to be playing games in which political actors pay people to post anti-women or anti-minority messaging in general chat channels.
Tetris I'm fine with.
9
u/craigiemoe 27d ago
I'll add on to it because apparently there is some confusion on why it's bad. A three year old playing video games is a horrific idea because of how video games are wired up to release dopamine in our brains. It's a low effort, high reward pathway which makes other activities much less attractive.
When toddlers are still figuring out the world, they need to be encouraged to do hard things which help bolster independence. It has the potential to delay development as well as continue to depress natural rewards from normal development milestones.
Pediatricians agree that you should delay children getting on video games as long as possible and when you decide to cave, enforce rigorous screen time.
It's not a popular topic in subreddits like this, but I'm glad to see people acknowledging it.
→ More replies (2)2
u/A_Hippie 27d ago
Yeah, kinds shouldnāt be in front of screens at all let alone be playing video games until some critical development milestones that generally happen well past three years old. Itās obviously easier said than done but it absolutely negatively impacts their brainās development
13
u/TheStrongTaint 27d ago edited 27d ago
Yeah itās insanity
Probably had an iPad in their hands at 7 months lmao
29
u/robot-raccoon 27d ago
Do you not think he just given his kid a controller to let him have a go and has taken a picture because heās sharing his passion with the little fella?
5
2
→ More replies (38)4
37
u/philteredsoul_ 28d ago
how do you play it on a controller? im so used to keyboard mappings and hotkeys for fast actions
33
u/Khanstant 27d ago
You use face buttons, dpad + L/R for all your hotkeys. Basically like having 32 action bar slots. You have targeting with the bumpers. It's actually really smooth and feels like a natural way to play after a few days with it Im already reaching for my controller in retail before remembering I'm still on MKB there.Ā
12
u/rethilgore-au 27d ago
Itās great until you need to send mail or use a flight path haha
5
→ More replies (1)3
u/ShaunDreclin 27d ago
Does the official controller setup not have a text input mode? I remember when I used console port you'd use combinations of directional joystick flicks for each letter
took me a while but I actually got pretty quick with it, about the same speed I used to text on a T9
→ More replies (1)7
u/SuperDoubleDecker 27d ago
This will likely be what gets me to play again. I'm a recliner and controller guy
→ More replies (5)2
9
u/vandante1212 27d ago
It deffinitely needs a little improvement but its great for easy content like levelling or farming. I would still opt for mouse and keyboard for dungeons or raids though.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (7)4
u/Alimente 28d ago
In my opinion (3-3.4k all roles for multiple seasons), controller on Forever is in its first iteration, so it is very clunky and slow. Most actions require using modifiers or the dpad, so everything takes more time to do.
On retail, consoleport is very fluid and customizable, and I have been able to time up to 17s in multiple seasons (never cared to go farther). I also cleared heroic raid in TWW s3 on controller and all bosses Midnight S1 on heroic as well (and some mythic).
6
u/mephitmpH 27d ago
Itās not clunky or slow at all for me. Iām honestly having a great time with it. I encourage everyone to at least give it a try, since practice with the modifications are nothing new (alt control clickers) and eventually muscle memory will take over.
3
u/Alimente 27d ago
I have been getting 3-3.4k m+ rating and done heroic/mythic raids on retail for a while now on controller. It isnāt a muscle memory issue more that the modifiers as they are currently are clunky. I can see their reasoning for not allowing putting abilities on LB/RB or XYB, but itās not great for long sessions or group content.
2
u/mephitmpH 27d ago
To each their own! I donāt play m+ so I do not have a basis for comparison, but again, I donāt find the buttons clunky. If they are for you, Iām sorry. This here is only the beta, so maybe you can put in suggestions for a more streamlined implementation.
2
u/Alimente 27d ago
Yup! Thatās why I am playing so much so I can leave in-game feedback and post on the forums for certain toggle options. Controller can be super smooth with the right configurationsāin m+ and in raid. The UI management Blizzard has made is great, though.
In retail using consoleport, you can have a toggle for raid frames on dpad, but on beta, itās always on with a modifier. Swapping quickly from LB + dpad to LT/RT + XYBA is where I really want a toggle option.
Doing 14s as a prot warrior using only 1 hand and face buttons is also really nice with consoleport.
35
u/Kickin_shells 27d ago
3 is too young dawg
6
u/AresReddit 27d ago
yeah, poor kid, but most kids these days don't have a chance due to their parents just feeding the digital crap into them right after birth.
57
16
u/Remarkable-Release62 27d ago
Wtf my 5 years oldās hand too small for controller yet.
→ More replies (1)
26
12
u/Key-Piglet-410 27d ago
Just donāt give 3year old kid more 30min screen time. Play wow at the evening like we all do
→ More replies (3)
5
6
19
u/Alvar6938 27d ago
Screens are bad for toddlers
6
u/Smokey_Bird 27d ago
Not sure if youāve realized this but screens are bad for adults too
→ More replies (3)5
24
u/ToothCompetitive640 27d ago
I remember, when I was 3, my dad sat me down on his lap and showed me how to create a character. I didn't understand anything but I was pointing at what I wanted. That's how Mitwhamisgmsh was born, blood elf priest. 16 years later still love this game and still play as elf but night now. The funniest part, my dad's main race are trolles. Good that you're making memories together :]
59
11
u/CakyMint 27d ago
3ā¦. Manā¦ a 3y old should have zero 0ļøā£ connections to the internet.
And video games and television and shit ? Why???
Thereās no benefit other than sitting around and getting hypnotized by the screen.
13
12
u/Ill_Scarcity4650 27d ago
Your 3 year olds brain is getting flushed by those graphics, homie. Stop doing this.
89
28d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
27
7
1
→ More replies (1)-9
27d ago
[removed] ā view removed comment
→ More replies (4)9
3
3
u/Born_Wolverine9878 27d ago
At 3 I was watching my grandfather play. He didnāt let me play with him till I was 5. Iām a bit jealous lol.
3
8
5
u/sirfannypack 27d ago
The game is rated T for toddler?
3
u/kennpacchii 27d ago
Wait people actually wait until theyāre a teen to play wow? My friends and I were hooked on it back in elementary school lol
2
u/BloodandBourbon 27d ago
The game came out my senior year in high school and it was kinda bad for me, but good thing I took two study halls to do homework in the morning. I was already play Final Fantasy 11 online and WoW took over everything.
7
7
u/WarcraftTeam Official World of Warcraft 27d ago
Boars, an ancient rite of passage for all young orcs!
→ More replies (1)
8
u/CelebrationDue55 27d ago
Wait a couple of years before turning him into a digital heroin addict no?
9
u/SadieLady_ 27d ago
That is a HUGE 3 year old
looks a lot closer to 7
2
u/BudgetSignature1045 27d ago
My son is 3 and he's the biggest among his friends and peers at the kindergarden of same age.
These feet and legs don't belong to a 3 year old.
12
u/LibrarianWaste 27d ago
No. Bad idea. Children need to get out and know the world they actually inhabit and experience it, not develop an addiction.
Also he's too big for a 3 year old.Ā
2
2
2
2
u/Constant_Bench_7057 27d ago
Makes me wonder about the age of some of the pug dps Iāve seen in keysā¦
2
2
u/Time_Temporary6191 27d ago
Wish i had the time to play wow forever full time job + 2 kids aint never gonna reach 60 so i just stick ffxiv š¤£
2
2
u/Academic-Decision-33 27d ago
I give my six-year-old daughter a Xbox pad and she is now doing skinning for me.
I always knew that I wanted to have a daughter but I didn't know that that was always the reason.
2
2
2
u/TheWorldIsSquare1 27d ago
My daughter is 4 and plays Stardew Valley and watches me play FFXI sometimes. Bond with your kid however you feel works, don't listen to these backseat parents.
2
u/Wolfguard-Halfdan 27d ago
It's crazy, 13 year old me would have been blown away knowing that today I'd be able to lay in bed playing WoW on basically a Gameboy (Steam Deck)
2
u/YYCHumdrum 27d ago
āPlayingā
Mashing buttons with no idea whatās happening and losing interest in a minute is more like it.
2
u/Gerasik 27d ago
I was playing Sega genesis games like road rash and mortal Kombat at 3. By 4 I had my first game and system: SNES and donkey Kong country. I beat DKC before I turned 5, and there were some challenging levels that involve patience and timing. Wow by 3 sounds like not much gets done but I'm sure the kid is building unique dexterity. There's complex things like modifier buttons and critical 3D decisions to make, including controlling a camera. It seems very challenging but at the same time a big opportunity to learn.
2
u/bornin_1988 27d ago
I was having so much fun watching him listen!
"Go to the left around the mountain"
"We got level 2!"
"See that yellow thing? That's called an exclamation point."
Lots of fun learning moments :)
→ More replies (1)
2
2
2
2
u/bluecubedly 27d ago
What I'm impressed with is that you still have a working Xbox 360 controller with no stick drift.
2
2
u/Fun-Advice605 27d ago
damn my child is 2 yo would be bad to teach him how to mine and herbalism to help me craft :V
2
2
2
2
6
5
3
u/Lupinthrope 28d ago
Wow with a controller is a game changer, Iām a more solo story player anyway
3
u/UnionJack1989 27d ago
Love it, but no chance that kid is doing any more than wiggling the character back and forth. He's toast if he pulls that boar.
I've got a 3yr old son and he can't even play the Untitled Goose Game. But looking forward to introducing him to Wow, GW2, and other games I love.
3
4
u/cmaxim 28d ago
Didnāt retail get controller support years ago? I used to play it on steam deck years back. Everyone is talking like this is a brand new innovation. Am I missing something?
6
u/mazi710 28d ago
No official support but ConsolePort addon has been a thing for a long long time and I can't remember exactly when but many years ago, at the latest at DF launch blizzard changed how targeting and interacting worked with buttons presses so ConsolePort has felt basically native since then yes.
So something new as a concept or function, not at all. But something that's now officially supported, yes.
6
3
u/adventthragg 28d ago
It's been done through console port.
WoW Forever is the first instance of native controller support.
→ More replies (3)→ More replies (1)2
u/KrustiKrabPizza 28d ago
It has it in the sense that the game will recognize a controller is connected and you can bind things to the controller, but there is no ui support or plug and play functionality so most people have resorted to addins until now.
→ More replies (2)
3
u/TheViking1991 27d ago
All the judgemental bullshit in here is ridiculous. A few minutes on WoW isn't going to cause any developmental issues whatsoever.
Gaming is great for hand eye coordination and problem solving skills. As long as the kid is touching grass too and getting exercise + a healthy diet, there's nothing wrong with this.
My son is turning 8 tomorrow and gaming has been great for bonding and we have a fantastic relationship, he's well behaved and is doing well in school.
→ More replies (1)2
2
u/Cutlass0516 28d ago
I've tried the controller thing. Didn't feel good.
6
u/bornin_1988 28d ago
Felt surprisingly good to me!
2
u/Alimente 28d ago
Foreverās controller settings has a long way to go. Hoping it improves a lot before official release on Nov 4.
2
u/CasaSuprNova 28d ago
Take him out of kindergarden, and teach him how to mine rich thorium and herb black lotus.
2
1
2
1
u/Accurate-Skirt9914 27d ago
I got introduced to the game young. It permanently messed me up when growing up with a video game addiction, especially to WoW.
Starting him this early is actually insane to me. Youāre going to have a kid that does nothing but play WoW.
Please make sure to put on parental controls and not let him binge video games all day every day when he gets to that point.
1
1.2k
u/ChipHappens96 28d ago
3?!?!
What are you feeding this kid? Pretty sure I was shoving crayons up my nose at least until 11