Kingdom of Loathing

there are a few sex jokes but people have to be a certain age to even understand the jokes so they wouldn't really effect younger kids. Also the drinking isn't really that bad. You just do it to get benefits and doesn't make drinking seem cool or anything like that.

Although there is fighting and drinking in this game it is shown with positive messages. When you drink too much alcohol, nothing good can happen, you run into bad encounters and only bad. Very funny and quirky, almost any sexual reference will fly over most kids heads. Also very fun and you do not have to pay to win.

Let's be clear about a few things. First off, almost all video games on the market use some form of combat or violence. I've seen the use of green blood, or even cartoon characters to lessen the impact of that. KOL doesn't bother with animations. It's done in the fashion of the old script based games... As in, it's almost all reading. Period... If your child can read well enough to pass the tests at the alter of literacy, and can spend hours at a time solving complex puzzles that require most adults to spend many hours reading *how* to solve those puzzles, then your child is probably ready for this game. The game does not have a killing effect of any kind in combat. Instead, you beat up opponents and they slink away in shame... Or they beat you up, and you slink away in shame. The game assumes there to be one monster of a specific type in a room. And only one. You never, ever, ever kill them (with the exception of the slime in the slime pit). For example, the Goth Giant. There's only one Goth giant, and you'll fight him many times on your quest to spin the chore wheel in the castle in the clouds so that the laziest giant there will stop dumping giant garbage into your kingdom... This is a game full of quests taken from old Twilight Zone episodes, and Indiana Jones, and even the Ninja Turtles. It was made by a group of people who wrote text based adventure games and books. Remember the old choose your own adventure books? I have three Kingdom of Loathing choose your own adventure books. The developers latest game is Word Realms, where you combine basically Scrabble with RPG wizard fighting. It's very cool, and hobestly, if you care about your child's brain you may wish to encourage games that revolve around reading and puzzle solving rather than flashy expensive graphics and an over rated expense budget. This game is indeed aimed at adults in that almost everything in the game is a reference to something we grew up with. From Back to the Future, to the Fifth Element. It's all in there. Scattered throughout the game. So, Ask yourself this. Does your child have the patience to spend hours reading instead of playing their Xbox? Because, that's what Kol is. Hours upon hours of reading. With no video. Stick figure black and white graphics. No help whatsoever solving overly complicated puzzles meant to make adults frustrated. And when you beat the game, your character goes to Valhalla, makes one skill permanent, and then starts the whole process all over again. If your child has that kind of patience, and actually enjoys the game, chances are they are far too mature and developed for this to be a question. And, since I know many adults who get lost and can't even complete the first or second quest, they must have iron clad attention spans. Now, that said, your child likely won't like this game. It's too cerebral. They will likely want something expensive and colorful. Your teenager might show some interest in this game if they are going in for video game programming (that's how I found it, it's rather popular among programming students and teachers), or if your child is an avid reader with a great sense of humor and a long attention span. Your teenager may also be drawn to it for the cultural references, but it really has two major appeals. The right brain is drawn to the humor, amazing wealth of solid written material, and sheer fun. The left brain is drawn to the endless min maxing and maximizing mechanics implemented in the game. For example, I've played for almost ten years, and have built a character who can beat the game in four days, at my very beat. The bell curve to beat is two days, and the was that's likely years more tinkering with math before I get there... As you can see, a hobby of programmers, not children. The right brain appeal, however, is open to any who have the patience for the game. So, before getting worked up over how appropriate or inappropriate this game is, try to understand that your children won't have any motivation to play it unless their brain map fallows a very specific pattern, which simply won't happen for most children until high-school or college. If your child is younger than that and exhibiting signs of that brain map, I'd recommend challenging them more instead of letting them sink the hundred plus hours it takes to really get good at this game. Because, if your young child is capable of out puzzling and maximizing adults, your job is to channel that towards something productive. Not video games. On the other hand, if your child has an interest in programming... Maybe you should ask why this game is one we pass around video game programming schools. Anyway, there's my long winded before work rant about why your child won't be willing to play this game if you paid them, unless they were extremely high functioning and requiring more special attention and less play time. Oh, and for the record. This is the best video game I've ever played in my life... But, I've got a 173 IQ, and broke Skyrim in about an hour. I break every game I find. This game is built for people like me. No matter how much I break it, there's always more to do and break. Updated weekly, too... And, it always makes me laugh. So, if your a reasonably intelligent person, perhaps you'd like to try it for yourself instead of relying on the opinions of others. Your kids might not like it, but you'll probably love it.

Turns out that completing the game can be done in a few hours play time and after that it's just a chatroom with a ratio of 50 forever alone, 30 year old basement dwelling virgins for every 40 year old woman who took a good head shot 10 years ago...Some really, really, really sick pups who hide sexual innuendo in what sounds like video game chat for 10 year olds

This is one of the best games. It has the best graphics. It will teach kids about math, reading, and about the media.

As others have said - ignore the idiot main reviewer. This is an alternative RPG where instead of fighters, mages and priests you have disco bandits, accordion thieves and pastamancers. Yes, like all RPGs there is fighting - however you are usually trying to fight things like enchanted baked bean tins, or other comical items. Yes - there are many references to alcohol in the game. However if you use any alcohol based potion, your game gets worse. Each drink makes it harder to progress and makes your adventures more nightmarish. So it actually teaches that alcohol is bad for you. There is a level of violence as in most games, but the word play is top notch. The main caveat for younger children is that there is an in-game chat facility, so if you don't approve of chat, then this may be a decider for you.

Seriously, the entire point of a double entendre is that someone who didn't already know the sexual context wouldn't get it. Unless a kid knows what the word that "Orc Chasm" conveys (and the creator said it was unintentional anyway), then it's fine. There is some obvious swearing, but not anything worse than ass. I think anyone over the age of 10 could play it and be fine. And the game will PUNISH you for drinking too much.

While it's true that younger kids shouldn't be exposed to drinking and violence, I don't feel like this game glorifies it or makes it seem "cool." I think that it's a fun little time waster that as long as the time spent is monitored, it can be perfectly fine, if a little addicting.

This game encourages kids of all ages to engage in silliness, strategy, and humor through word play based puzzles, and puns. Though there are references to alcohol and some drug usage, it demonstrates the consequences associated with binge drinking, forcing the player to lose in game currency and stat points in depressing "drunken adventures" if their character attempts to drink too much and take a turn. While some of the puns are of a sexual nature, they'd only be recognizable by someone that either is already familiar with slang of a sexual nature, otherwise would be would be too obtuse for a child under 14 (generally speaking) to figure out for themselves. Any references to illegal drugs are so vague (i.e. "a small bag of powdered sugar" dropped from accountant) that a child under 16 really shouldn't be getting the joke (otherwise it's a very good sign that it's important now to talk about the dangers of drugs, if you haven't already). The game has way more to offer than games of a freemium nature (that make money through microtransactions); the game is free, and there are zero sponsored ads. While there's premium content that may be purchased (this is how the game is supported), it is in no way integral to game play, and most of the special item drops from premium content are transferable, and can be acquired with in-game currency in the game's flea market or mall. The game teaches money management and entrepreneurship, which are important life skills for success. The violence is in the game is in no way realistic or graphic. If a player has an issue with another player's behavior, there is a way to block other players. The number of active players is usually around 600, and there's a real sense of community in the chat rooms. if a player has any issues they may ask for help in chat or for major issues, may reach out directly to the development team and get assistance in a relatively short amount of time. The game only requires internet access and a browser. The design elements are so minimalist, it is actually possible to use a computer from 20 years ago, and have the game play just fine. Whether this game is appropriate or not for your children, the nature of each child should be considered. This game would not be appropriate for a child that has a history of bullying , is violent with others, is unable to make appropriate judgement calls without the presence of an adult, or is otherwise significantly immature for their age group. This game is appropriate for children that are able to make good moral judgments, do not display a "herd mentality' (are able to resist giving in to peer pressure if pressured to act immorally), appreciate satire/parody, are generally responsible, and are able to reach out to an adult if somebody online makes them feel uncomfortable. This game is ideal for developing linguistic play, humor, strategic thinking, problem solving, lateral thinking, reasoning, logic, and skills for managing resources. As a parent, if you are comfortable with your child being around humor about modestly taboo topics, then this is mostly likely age appropriate if your child is between 9-13. If not, then I'd recommend the game for ages 14 and up. I'd recommend before allowing a child to play this game to use it as an opportunity to talk about several important topics, if it hasn't been previously discussed : 1. That people needing to drink more than 3 drinks a day every day are considered to have a potentially life threatening disease called alcoholism. An alcoholic can have severe medical and legal problems even over a short amount of time. Having more than three or four strong drinks in a short amount of time is considered binge drinking. Binge drinking is unhealthy and can have life threatening consequences. 2. Even a small amount of alcohol can impair the judgement. Also recent studies show even small amount of alcohol increase the risk of certain cancers. 3. Not only is it illegal to drink under the drinking age, it is a very bad idea. Only when someone has the life experience of living on their own for a couple years, can they be able to intuit the long term and short term consequences of alcohol abuse. Any under-aged drinking is alcohol abuse. 4. Despite the best intentions, some individuals are abnormally prone to alcoholism before ever having had a drop of alcohol. If they recognize someone is unable to stop themselves from abusing alcohol, that person needs counselling and/or medical intervention. Make sure they know they can talk to you or a school counselor if someone they know is struggling with alcohol use. Also, if someone under the drinking age is doing has alcohol dependency, immediate action must be taken to get them help as soon as possible. 5. If someone becomes violent from drinking, get to a safe place and call 911 6. If they observed someone drinking too much alcohol in a short time and that person can't be woken up, stay with that person and call 911. It may save that person's life.