My Child Left For College, But World of Warcraft Is Keeping Us Close

I played World of Warcraft before—and after—my daughter came into the world. What I didn't expect was to end up playing it with her.

I’m open to running—and paying for!—more pitches at Crossplay, even from those without a byline. I’m more interested in life experience than work experience. Drop me an email. -pk

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World of Warcraft celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024. 150 million players have ventured through a portal into Azeroth. Countless friendships have been forged in those digital realms, but and for me, World of WarcraftWoW has become more than just a game—it's a bridge between generations.

If you have teenagers, then you know that finding common ground can be challenging. My "elder millennial" interests are worlds apart from my kids' modern preferences. But World of Warcraft has become our meeting point, and it has never been more valuable than now, with my child off on their own at college.

My first child was born on a raid night. My wife sent me home shortly afterward to get one last night of sleep, and to bring back some of the things she needed in the morning. I also… logged into World of Warcraft when I got home. I was too wired to sleep, and too excited to share the experience with my friends. It was a wonderful celebration that I’ll never forget. 

My first trip to Azeroth was almost an accident. I still remember standing in GameStop months after World of Warcraft’s launch. I held up the game box to show my wife as a joke. (She had made it clear that an MMO subscription wasn't in our future.) But something about that Night Elf on the cover caught her attention. This led to an earnest food court discussion that felt more like planning to adopt a pet than buying a game. We debated monthly subscriptions, playing schedules, and the complications of an online game that doesn't pause…

In the end, she relented, and we brought it home. 

Photo by WTFast on Unsplash

But what started as a solo adventure quickly evolved into something more meaningful. 

After a false start with a guild full of trolls, I met the Night Elf warrior Sagev. He was offering free gear to new players and I’m never one to turn down a bargain. He welcomed me to his guild, Legacy of the Illuminati (LoTI), and that guild quickly became my digital home. My guildmates became a family. Sagev became a lifelong friend. 

Our weekend raids in Molten Core weren't just marathon gaming sessions. They were bonding experiences filled with shared struggles, victories, and even celebrations of each other's real world milestones. 

We cheered as players graduated from college like we would when we took down a new boss. We congratulated each other for landing new jobs like we would for gaining a new level on an alt. We took group photos in front of Ragnaros and eventually took those same group photos in real-life gatherings that we fondly dubbed “LOTICons.”

It was a wonderful experience that highlighted the power of digital connections. Over time, we all grew older, just like the game did. We got married. We got promoted. Eventually, I celebrated becoming a parent with them, too!

Those early parenting years required creative solutions: special pillows to hold the baby on my lap while questing, and a baby carrier that let me maintain my raid schedule while keeping my little one close. I still look back on those precious moments and smile. It’s a rare treat to enjoy two of your favorite things at once. Holding my newborn while battling evil and healing my friends was glorious!

Time passed, and my oldest turned from a sleepy newborn to an active toddler. I would hold them up and let them smash their hands on the keyboard to “chat” with my friends. Without fail, everyone would respond.

A few more years passed, and I had to hang up my digital boots. We had our second child, and I just didn’t have the time. But I always dreamt of returning someday, and I never stopped telling the stories of my time helping save Azeroth. Those stories took hold in my oldest because every time I watched an announcement trailer or talked about it with friends, they popped into the conversation, as well. 

Years later, during the pandemic lockdown, I returned to find the old guild still going strong. But this time, I brought a curious teenager within tow. My oldest was curious about the game that had been such a big part of their childhood—even though they had never played it. Thus, Snoozbutton the mechagnome hunter, aka my daughter’s character, was born. It was slow going at first. We were at the tail end of the Battle for Azeroth expansion. There were lots of systems to learn and a ton of story to consume. 

But Shadowlands changed everything. My kid—sorry, Snoozbutton—found his way to the level cap during the first season, and even popped into a raid with us during the Sanctum of Domination raid.

Father and child, together in raiding and looting.

I’m pretty sure everyone in the raid that night sprouted a few more gray hairs when we realized that the kid who was BORN during one of our raids…was now in one. It was awesome to be able to watch all of those milestones in such a short period of time. I even had the chance to help with another big one—changing mains. Snoozbutton, the hunter, became Felbutton, the Night Elf Demon Hunter, and has remained that way ever since. 

These days, my oldest is off on a different adventure at college in New Hampshire, so we need to preserve all the connections we can. We share a World of Warcraft account, so we collaborate on collecting mounts and transmog gear. We shout about patch notes, class nerfs, and raid strategies on Discord. The kid even finds occasional time to raid with my old group, LoTI, between mad scrambles to turn in schoolwork.

World of Warcraft might not have all of the gloss and glamour of new console and PC games, but for us, it’s history, family, nostalgia, and time to bond all in one game. 

That shared account helps keep us connected, proving that sometimes important family bonds can be forged in unexpected places—even in Azeroth.