When I was in my tweens and teens, there were no massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) for me to play. I was satisfied with Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?. I didn’t get into MMOs until Ultima Online came out in the mid-90s. Gamers today not only have numerous options for MMOs, but game designershave now designed MMOs especially for the kids and teens.

For younger children, there’s Club Penguin and WebKinz. And for adults there is, of course, World of Warcraft (and numerous others). But what about the teens who have outgrown the Club Penguin level games, but aren’t yet ready for WoW? That’s where Wizard 101 comes in.

Wizard 101 is a game that combines elements of World of Warcraft, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Magic the Gathering, Harry Potter, and popular mini-games to create an entertaining and challenging MMO for the tweens and teens market.

The Wizard 101 Universe

The game begins with an introduction to the character Merle Ambrose, an elderly wizard headmaster (seeing some Harry Potter parallels already?). Merle gives each new player a quick interview to see what kind of wizard they will be (there are seven different schools of magic in the game). The player is then taken through an easy-to-use tutorial before transporting them to the game’s world, where they can interact with others.

The look of the game is whimsical and fun, despite the fact that players are challenging skeletal pirates, dragons, and other ghouls. But that’s part of the magic of Wizard 101, and why it is such an appealing game for the younger crowd. It balances the element of danger and intrigue with a universe of bright colors and humorous characters (like my personal favorite, Diego the Duelmaster).

Why Wizard 101 is Ideal for Tweens/Teens

There are two main reasons why World of Warcraft is out of reach for some tweens: it has open chat and it’s highly technical. Wizard 101 tackles both of these issues successfully.