Internet Safety News
Computer Gaming Is Becoming More Popular
by Maria Montiel
A whooping 92 percent of young people in the United States own and play video games.1 "Gamers" those who play computer or online games tend to want to have the newest, fastest, and coolest computer games. During summer kids may be spending more time on their computers and video game consoles than at school, and parents may have reasons for not wanting to buy the newest game or allowing their child to play an online game.
Parents may be hesitant when it comes to their child playing a computer or an online game because they may feel that their son or daughter isn't old enough to play it or that it has no educational value. "There is a lot of debate right now about the appropriateness of violent game content for kids, and many parents are looking for games that aren't full of violence, but are still fun and challenging."2 New games are created using the latest technology making them more realistic. "The microprocessors in gaming consoles and sophisticated software in the games themselves combine for a virtual entertainment experience unlike any in the history of the gaming industry."3
Yet, despite the increasing levels of violence and adult content in the new video games, many parents would have given them either the same rating or a more lenient one than the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) did.4 The ESRB and Internet Content Rating Association® (ICRA) are two organizations that rate games as well as web sites on their age appropriateness. The ESRB and ICRA each have a set of criteria with which they evaluate computer games and web sites. Looking for their ratings on the box can tell a parent what age group the game is appropriate for and contain a key for the type of content the game contains.
While parents can control what types of computer games are purchased, they may have a more difficult time monitoring what types of games their child is playing while on the Internet. Online games are a more complex and interactive type of game that is played via the Internet. It is done on a special gaming network that contains a faster connection allowing the and action to take place faster and clearer.
The special networks needed to play most online games can be found in Internet Cafes and Personal Computer (PC) Rooms. These games are often online versions of popular multiplayer video games and can be found on networks that are sponsored by the company whose console the game is played on. A growing industry, it is believed that online gaming might reach as many as 10 million households by 2005.5 The trouble with online gaming is that children have access to online games outside of the home. At some PC Rooms players' ages often go unchecked which means that the games' ratings often go ignored.6
Not all games, however, are of this nature. There are quite a few educational games and games suitable for children or the whole family on the market. Video and computer games have also become an educational resource within many school systems. Last fall a San Diego-based company developed software that mixes just the right amount of learning and fun. Some school systems have incorporated the games into their curriculum.7 The schools have assigned students the games and the console for the school year and encourage kids to play the games over and over again until they feel comfortable with the material.8
So while your children may be playing games of their choice over the summer, perhaps come fall they'll be assigned games to play at school.
1Marc Saltzman. "Survey: 9 out of 10 young
people play video games." USA Today. March 18, 2003, http://usatoday.com/tech/techreviews/games/2003-03-18-game-survey_x.htm.
2"GameSpot Reveals the Season's Top Video
Games; Survey Helps Parents Find Appropriate Gifts for Young
Gamers." CNET.com. December 3, 2002, http://www.cnet.com/aboutcnet/0-13613-7-20708763.html.
3Renay San Miguel. "Video game ratings lend
a hand to holiday shoppers." CNN.com. February
12, 2003 (This article was originally published December 11,
2002.), http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/12/10/hln.wired.video.game.ratings/index.html.
4Ibid.
5"Cheaters threaten success of online gaming."
CNN.com. December 9, 2002, http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/fun.games/12/09/cheating.gamers.ap/index.html.
6Matt Richtel. "PC Rooms: Rated M for Mockery."
NYtimes.com. September 5, 2002, http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/05/technology/circuits/05ARCA.html.
7Marsha Walton. "Kids use PlayStation for
high-tech homework" CNN.com. September 23, 2002,
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/fun.games/09/21/playstationhomework/index.html.
8Ibid.
Maria Montiel is a staff assistant for the Parents & Educators component of the NetSmartz Workshop® at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children®.
