My youngest daughter, now 13, has been playing Wizard101, the online all-ages MMORPG, for over four years now. So I paid attention when she came to me a couple of weeks ago and announced that she liked Pirate101, a new all-ages MMORPG also from KingIsle, better than Wizard101.
When I quizzed her on why, she said it was because she could acquire crew to help her in gameplay, whereas sometimes she became stuck in Wizard101 and had to wait or call for help.
That seemed valid enough but I knew there must also be other differences in the games and other reasons why this world of sky pirates attracted her, along with at least 1 million other players who've signed on since Pirate101 was launched last October. I spoke to three KingsIsle officials last week about the game's development and the differences in gameplay between being a pirate and a wizard.
I spoke to Ben Conrad of Public Relations; Tom Perdue, the Pirate101 Community Manager; and Fred Howard, the Vice-President of Marketing. The new game, they said, was almost three years in development, from the engineering/platform work to the content. The idea was to provide a different experience from Wizard 101.
"We felt the Spiral worlds lent themselves to the concept of flying airships and we had a desire to tell a different kind of story," Howard said. "With Wizard101, it's more the hero's journey. The Pirate game is the somewhat darker side of adventure, the rogue's side. As the wizard is more Luke/Jedi, pirate is more Han/rogue."
"In Wizard101, you are the hero," Perdue said. "In Pirate101, you work your way through to what your role is. You decide who and what you are," he added. The new game's classes include Buccaneer, Witchdoctor, Privateer, Swashbuckler, and Musketeer.
And the style of the game is different as well.
"Wizard is more like a card game, while Pirate is more of a board game, more like chess," Perdue said.
Howard pointed out, as my daughter noted, that instead of obtaining cards, as in Wizard101, players obtain crew in their quest. Both games are set in the Spiral but they only have one area in common, the Asian-influenced Mooshu. New realms in Pirate101 include Skull Island, Cool Ranch, and Valencia. The pirates must sail their airships through the skies between the worlds, and these skies include shipping lanes, so they can be, well, pirates.
It's designed to be kid-friendly, of course, but all three KingsIsle officials emphasized that it is truly an all-ages game, pointing out the company's designers create games they themselves would like to play. They've received numerous emails and letter from families where everyone plays together, including grandparents. Especially if the relatives live far apart, the game can connect them.
As someone coming at it from the non-gamer perspective, my biggest concern as a parent was the social interaction allowed between players. Not just for the worry of other gamers hassling my kids, either. My twins particularly like to find ways to skirt around rules, as 13-year-olds do, but the software and community management of Pirate101 make that extremely difficult.
For instance, the social chat.
"The social chat dictionary contains no words can that are not in the dictionary of the game. If it's not needed for gameplay, it doesn't exist," Conrad said. It's not perfect, as my daughter pointed out that kids will develop their own slang inside the game by using game words but Conrad said the company is constantly watching for those too. "We play catch-up to monitor things are that mildly offensive, as kids can get creative."
"For instance, players were using caps to spell certain words so we eliminated capital letters," Howard said.
The social chat for younger and older players isn't only safe, it can be extremely effective in teaching kids with special needs social skills. My daughter is special needs and her twin is autistic, and computer games, especially social ones, have been helpful in teaching them proper interaction. Howard said that's not unusual among the game's players.
"We've had feedback from parents of an autistic child who has been able to learn social skills from the game," he said. "Engaging the mind has a tremendous amount of value."
Not to mention the value of having fun as a pirate.
The game is free to play initially and the free trial lasts as long as the player wants but, as they get into the game, players are likely going to want a membership that allows them access to other areas. A full-year (12-month) membership will cost $59.95, a one-month membership is $9.95, and a six-month membership is $49.95. The regular price of the yearly membership is usually $79.95 -- the lower cost is a special that runs only until March 3, 2013.
Crowns to unlock premium game worlds or buy items inside the game are also available, with prices ranging from $5-$80.
