Safe Online Gaming Tips for Parents

More games than ever are now played online. Everything from Scrabble to World of Warcraft can be played online over the internet and against other human opponents - playing against real people rather than computer-controlled opponents is invariably a lot more fun.
 
To play against other people online in multiplayer games means more choices. Players can usually communicate with each other, either by using text messages that are typed during the gameplay or more likely via fully-fledged voice communication that is as commonplace and relaxed as a phone conversation.
 
Do

  • Do explain to your children how the online environment differs from home or the school playground. Online your children will meet total strangers – some who may not be who they say they are. Often the chat will be uncensored, so they should be cautious about what they say and be careful not to give out private details such as their name, address, email address, passwords, telephone numbers or the name of their school.
  • Do know what games your children are playing online. There are several different game genres today – including sports games, strategy games, role-playing games and first-person shooters.
  • Do get involved with what your children are playing online. Ask them to show you any new games they want to play and, better still, join in yourself.
  • Do encourage your children to take regular breaks. Some games can be very absorbing so it is recommended that people take a 5 minute break every 45-60 minutes.
  • Do take advantage of any available Parental Control settings available. These are wide ranging controls on consoles and PCs that can allow you to limit gameplay options. You can decide which games are played by age rating and PEGI descriptors or whether online interaction is permitted at all. For more details, please visits www.pegi.info
  • Do be aware of your children’s online contacts. Make a point of asking who they are chatting to online, how they know them and so on.
  • Do ensure that you know how to report inappropriate behaviour or content to moderators or customer support teams on the game websites that your children use.
  • Do make sure that your child plays games as part of a balanced and healthy lifestyle – you should suggest that they take a five minute break from a game every 45-60 minutes.

Don’t

  • Don’t take your children’s safety for granted when they are playing online. Apply the same precautions that you would if they were playing outside the home and interacting with others.
  • Don’t allow your children to meet up with ‘friends’ they have met while playing online – remember not everyone is who they say they are online.
  • Don’t downplay the seriousness of Cyber Bullying. If your children are being harassed by a classmate or any other player online, follow a game’s grief-reporting procedures and log a complaint as well as turning on appropriate user-blocking controls.
  • Don’t be ‘blinded by science’. If you don’t understand how online gameplay works or what it involves, ask your children to show you.
  • Don’t assume that all online games are suitable for children. Some are suitable only for adult players – and may contain adult themes, imagery and language – so check the age rating of what they want to play. Only games rated PEGI 3 are suitable for players of any age.
  • Don’t let your children download anything without your express permission. Sometimes cheat programmes are offered that claim to help players get more from a game – but these could be malicious and carry Trojans and viruses or damage your computer some other way.
  • Don’t let them download any content illegally. Not only will they be breaking the law but illegal file-sharing programmes can expose users to unsuitable content, and viruses. There are lots of legal ways of legally accessing the latest games online.

For more advice and further reading check out the following:

Download the guide here.
 
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