Online Safety in Video Games
Video games are a constantly growing industry that evolves and changes over time. As a result, how we should approach video games and how we stay safe can change as well. When I grew up my parents would limit my time on video games and check the ratings on the back of the box before they let me get a game. Nowadays it can be quite a bit different. Physical games are almost entirely a thing of the past and most games are centered around being online with ratings saying “online interactions not rated by the ESRB”. So how do we know if it's safe to play a game if we can't even trust the rating system?
That is one of the reasons why I created this ministry. I want to go in and get a feel for online communities and also teach people how to be safe online in the gaming world using the experiences I have had over the past 20 years gaming.
Now depending on which devices you have in your house will depend on how you can set up boundaries. For example a console has family settings you can set up that will limit play time automatically and even prevent them from playing games above a certain rating. You can even set spending limits on some platforms like playstation.
But this doesn't protect them from everything, not every game out there is safe even if it has a safe rating, and that is because of online play. When you play an online game now there is most likely going to be voice chat. If you have a child that is not in highschool or older, I would actually recommend turning this function off if the game or console allows it. That way they can play the game but they won't be able to interact with the people on the other end.
The reason I would recommend doing this is because you have no way of knowing how people they meet are going to act and potentially influence your child. They could be cussing, or talking about nasty things, or worse. Now not everyone online is like this but this is about protecting them while setting boundaries and helping them understand how to deal with these online encounters.
The online space is essentially the new way for teens to hang out at a mall. You can have a group of your own friends that are safe to be around in a public space but there is always a chance to run into others that are a bad influence. So teaching them when and how to act in those situations is a key component in navigating the online world. If they do have voice chat enabled, know who they are hanging out with. Check in on them. But try to make it casual and insert yourself into that world more so that they will be more likely to accept your advice when something happens. For example if you have a child who is playing with an online friend, instead of just out right asking who they are playing with you can try to be nice to the other people on the call as well. “Say hi to your friends mom for me” or “Hello, __ hope you are doing well”
By interacting with them more in that space they will be more likely to be open to who they are playing with online.
Maybe try and find a game to play with them. That will bring you into their world and create some common ground.
When I was playing with my roommates from college while I was home, we would constantly call out to the parents whenever we heard them enter into the room saying things like “Hi mom” to their parents or even asking them for a snack as a joke even though we are 2 states apart in distance.
You don't want to be overbearing in this instance but you do want to show interest. Learning what they do in these games and seeing why they are interested is a great way to connect with them and will in turn allow them to open up to you and be more mindful of what you have to say about safety.
