Gaming guide

Gaming is a massively popular activity for students of all ages. Online games can be great fun for your child, but make sure you can help them manage the risks.

Many games can improve your child’s coordination, problem-solving and multi-tasking skills, as well as help build social skills through online interactivity with other players. But it is also important to understand what might go wrong and have a negative impact on your child.

This page is for parents and carers. It covers:

How to create a safer gaming environment for your child
Is your child spending too much time gaming?
Grooming and bullying through in-game chat
Limiting in-game purchases
Games with gambling themes

Targeted advice on safe gaming is also available for women.

eSafety research insights

81% of children aged 8 to 17 have played an online game
64% have played a multiplayer online game with others
52% have played with people they did not know
17% have experienced bullying or abuse while playing a network game with others
34% have made an in-game purchase and this rose to 45% when they played a network game with others

Find out more in eSafety Research: State of Play — Youth and Online Gaming in Australia, July 2017.

How to create a safer gaming environment for your child

Prepare

Locate the computer or games console in an open area of your home, or if your child is playing on their handheld device, get them to do it in the family room.
Install current security software on all devices to protect against viruses, malware and other online threats.
Activate parental controls and safety features on the device or in the app or browser. These controls can help restrict access to certain content and limit spending on in-game and in-app purchases. See our advice on taming the technology.

Build good habits

Help your child to protect their privacy online — get them to use a screen name that does not reveal their real name.
Teach your child not to click on links provided by strangers, like ‘cheat’ programs to help with game play, which might expose their device to viruses or malware.
Agree on strategies to help them to switch off, like a timer that signals game time is nearly over, with consequences for not switching off.

Stay involved

Talk regularly with your child about their gaming interests and who they play with online. Help them understand the risks.
Play alongside your child to get a better sense of how they are handling their personal information and who they are communicating with.
Monitor the time your child spends online and keep a look out for any changes in their activity, school or social behaviours.
Encourage your child to tell you if they experience anything that worries them or makes them uncomfortable.

Be aware of what they are playing

Games vary in their level of violent or sexual content, and may contain themes, language and images that are unsuitable for your child.
You can check the age guidelines and classification for an individual game on its website or product packaging, or from the Australian Classification Board’s public database.
Useful information about games ratings can also be obtained from the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) and the US Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
Review sites can also be a good source of information about age appropriate content – check out the Australian Council on Children and the Media, Kiwi Families (NZ), Common Sense Media (US), Parents’ Choice (US) and Ask About Games (UK).

Empower your child

Wherever possible, help them make wise decisions for themselves, rather than tell them what to do.
Try to provide them with strategies for dealing with negative online experiences that will build their confidence and resilience. Our advice in good habits start young may be a good starting point.

Is your child spending too much time gaming?

There is no magic number of hours, but your child may be spending too much time playing games if their gaming starts to have negative impacts on them or your family.

Look out for signs such as:

less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
not doing so well at school
tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches or eye strain
changes in eating patterns
reduced personal hygiene
obsession with particular websites or games
anger when being asked to take a break from online activity, or appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
becoming withdrawn from friends and family

In some cases, setting firm limits as a family may be enough to help address too much gaming. But there may also be underlying problems like depression and anxiety that are linked to problematic internet use.

Our guide to managing time online for parents and carers can help you get things under control.

Grooming and bullying through in-game chat

Network games involve multiple players — in some cases even hundreds or thousands of players.

With these games, your child could be communicating with strangers, including adults, through web cam, private messaging or online chat, increasing the risk of contact from online abusers, or bullying from other players.

eSafety research insights

Children aged 11 to 12 are most likely be bullied by other players, with around 22% in this age group reporting a bullying experience, compared to 17% of multiplayer gamers overall.

42% of young people bullied while gaming online responded by turning off the in-game chat function, 41% ignored the bullying and 38% stopped playing a game with the person. Nearly 30% reported the bullying to game moderators.

In some cases, setting firm limits as a family may be enough to help address too much gaming. But there may also be underlying problems like depression and anxiety that are linked to problematic internet use.

Find out more in eSafety Research: State of Play — Youth and Online Gaming in Australia, July 2017.

Help your child maintain their privacy

Encourage your child not to share personal information like their full name, birthdate, address, phone number, school name or identifiable photos.
Suggest they use an avatar or other image with a screen name that does not reveal their real name.
Warn them not to talk to another player in private chat or game chat mode.

Be alert to grooming behaviour

Tell your child to notify you immediately if a stranger tries to start a conversation about something inappropriate or requests personal information.
If you suspect your child is being groomed online, you should report this to your local police or Crimestoppers.
Read more advice in our guide to unwanted contact and grooming for parents and carers.

Support your child if they experience bullying

Encourage them not to respond or retaliate.
Keep a record of the harassing messages.
Help them block, mute or ‘unfriend’ that person from their players list, or turn off the in-game chat function.
Help them report the behaviour to the game site administrator.
Read more advice in our guide to cyberbullying for parents and carers.

Limiting in-game purchases

Some games may be free to download but require payments to advance beyond a certain point or to access additional content not available in the free version — like special powers for a character. Similar incentives to buy may also be offered in paid games.

eSafety research insights.

34% of children aged 8 to 17 have made an in-game purchase and this rose to 45% when they played a network game with others.

Find out more in eSafety Research: State of Play — Youth and Online Gaming in Australia, July 2017.

Talk to your child about costs

Point out that games, apps and extra features can cost real money.
Set a reasonable weekly or monthly spend for apps, games and data, and help your child track their usage so they can make good choices.

Use parental controls

Ensure you have set the parental controls on mobile devices and gaming consoles to limit in-game and in-app purchases, so your child has to ask to buy additional items. See our advice on taming the technology.
Consider keeping passwords for the App Store or Google Play to yourself so your child cannot purchase apps and add-ons without you knowing or set up ‘family sharing’ so any purchases must be approved by you.

Gambling themes in online games

Games that feel like gambling or with gambling-like elements may make gambling more familiar and ‘normal’ for young people.

Be aware of games with gambling-like elements

Games that simulate a gambling activity such as poker, slots, blackjack or roulette do not offer the opportunity for your child to bet, win or lose real money, but they include actions similar to real gambling and often look and sound the same.
Some games incorporate ‘loot’ boxes (‘bundles’, ‘crates’ and ‘cases’) containing items like in-game currency, equipment, tools, weapons or ‘skins’. Players can earn or purchase access to a loot box without knowing the value of what is inside, like a lucky dip. There is concern that this feature can make it seem normal to pay for something whose value depends on chance, and may potentially lead to gambling.
‘Skins’ — used in some games to alter the appearance of a player’s weapon, equipment or avatar — can vary in value depending on how rare and popular they are. Although they cannot be exchanged for real money within the game, they may be used to gamble and be converted to cash on third party websites.
The Australian Classification Board database includes relevant consumer advice such as ‘simulated gambling’, gambling references and gambling themes.

Talk to your child about gambling

Help your child understand that some features in online games are used to encourage more play and spending. Talk to them about gambling, what it is and its consequences both online and in the physical world. You can find some helpful conversation starters on the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation website.
Ensure that any in-game and in-app purchases are first discussed with you so that you know when and why they need to use an account, and how much they are spending.

Use parental controls

Ensure parental controls are activated on mobile devices and game consoles. See our advice on taming the technology.
Guidance on in-app purchases from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) may also be useful.

Report where relevant

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) takes complaints about certain types of interactive gambling services.

How can I tell if my child is gambling?

The Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation lists some signs that can indicate a young person is beginning to gamble (associated with online games or otherwise):

spending time talking or thinking about gambling
obsessing about simulated gambling apps and games
obsessing about odds when watching sport instead of focusing on the game
borrowing money from family and friends
being secretive about their activities
having mood swings or appearing stressed
suffering forms of depression, including isolation from friends
skipping school or not doing as well as usual

If you think your child might be gambling online, or is about to try it out, make sure they cannot access any accounts you have linked for payment of music, app or game downloads.

This article is from our CyberSafety page here https://myasc.ascollege.wa.edu.au/ICT/DigitalCitizenship/SitePages/BigIssues.aspx

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The link to book a time is bit.ly/asctechbooking

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