Video Games and Responsible Parenting – Never Discount the Online Interactions
We have already talked about the tools you can use to determine if the content of a video game is suitable for your child or not. One of them is ESRB rating system, which provides guidance when it comes to age-appropriateness, content, and interactive elements of the video game. However, there is a catch. While ESRB professionals do their best to evaluate every interaction a child can have with the game, sometimes it is just not possible. When that happens, the game comes with an “Online Interactions Not Rated By the ESRB” warning. The worst thing you can do is ignore it.
More and more games let your kids play with others online, and almost all of them allow for some sort of player interaction. Some of them are limited to pre-defined gestures, others allow for text-chat, while some provide full-featured voice chat. Most of these interactions are uncensored, and pretty much none of them are strictly moderated. This means your kid is, via the tools provided by the game, communicating with a large number of anonymous, unknown people.
Cyber-bullying is huge in voice-chat enabled games. If you are not careful about the game’s online features, not only will you put youngsters in an environment where they will be cyber-bullied, but the same environment will, over time, encourage them to bully others.
Most games will allow you to turn off voice chat functionality. Gaming consoles will let you disable voice communication for all the games on your kids’ account or let you create lists of friends that they are allowed to play or communicate with. If you cannot find this option in console’s parenting options, try looking for it in the privacy section. These features are sometimes dispersed around system settings and not well discussed, but with a little effort and help from Google, you will be able to limit the online exposure your child gets.
Again, the best thing would be to join in and try the game yourself. If you are not a gamer, or just don’t have the time, supervising your child’s interaction with the game from time to time also helps. That way you will make sure they are not subjected to dangerous behavior, or if something unwanted does happen, like your child being verbally attacked, you can help them deal with it in the best way. Either way, talk to your kids, let them explain what is the game about and what values and virtues they find in game’s characters. This is a perfect way to make sure you understand how your child perceives the game.
