Gaming - Online Wellbeing
Taken from the eSafety Commissioner Gaming | eSafety Commissioner
Many people enjoy online gaming, including multiplayer gaming, however it also comes with risks.
Jacinta Vengtasamy
Mental Health Practitioner
Gaming can expose players to risks such as online abuse, scams targeting personal information, spending too much time online and online gambling.
This page offers general information. Targeted advice about online gaming is available for kids, young people, parents and female gamers.
Protect yourself from online abuse and scams
- If another player is behaving badly or making you uncomfortable, block them from your players list.
- Report poor behaviour to the game developers.
- Respect others in the game.
- Be aware of game classifications and age restrictions.
- Keep personal details private.
Read online safety advice for popular games, including voice and text chat apps used while gaming in The eSafety Guide.
Find out more about adult cyber abuse and online scams and identity theft.
Time online
The amount of time you are comfortable with spending on playing online games varies from person to person. If your gaming is beginning to affect your work, school or social life, you may be spending too much time online. If you are worried about balancing time online, consider how your gaming is affecting other areas of your life.
If you are worried about the time you spend gaming, you can:
- Try to limit your game play time.
- Make time offline for your friends, your favourite sports and other activities you enjoy.
Online gambling
Online gambling is a distinct and ever-increasing form of online gaming. It comes in many forms, from lottery tickets, to betting on sporting games and racing, to card games like poker. There are many games and social media apps that look like gambling websites, which may ask you to pay money to play or access features.
You need to be aware that some online games are actually considered to be gambling sites and are designed to make money for the company providing the service, not the user.
If you are under the age of 18, gambling is an illegal activity whether you play online or offline.
Remember:
- Gambling online is risky, and it can be addictive.
- Always read the terms and conditions of a website before paying to play a game online.
- Be aware that some game sites may look very similar to legitimate online gambling sites.
- Make sure you know what you are getting for your money if you do pay for games online.
These flyers will give you more information and tips on how to game safely online. click on each to see the content.