Deciding if a game is appropriate
There are four main things that you can consider to help you decide if a game's appropriate for your child to play
Check the content of the game and any chat function
Content within games is regulated and rated into age groups based on elements within the game such as sex, violence, gambling, drugs, in-app purchases etc. There are lots of different age ratings around the world, such as PEGI used in the UK. Always check the age rating to help you decide to allow your child to download or play a game - this is normally visible next to the game title within gaming and app stores.
Consider who your child could have contact with whilst using the game
Consider any communication channels and if there are settings to turn off or limit chat functions. There can be different types of communications, e.g. group chat or private chat.
Communication in a game can increase the risk of bullying (sometimes referred to as being ‘griefed’ within gaming), being contacted by people they don’t know and potentially groomed or exploited. Many games have a means of communication which includes private messaging and private chat. Look out for:
words like ‘whisper’ or ‘private’ next to messages if your child is playing in multiplayer games (especially if they are playing with people they don’t know offline)
and any suggestion of taking the conversation to other messaging platforms.
Does the game affect your child's behaviour?
The behaviour of your child could be affected by some games, it can include bullying or ‘griefing’ others, trolling or other inappropriate behaviour. Very intensive games can result in short-term bad behaviour such as poor temper or ‘ragequitting’, which is getting so upset they stop playing immediately. Ensuring a game’s suitability can help, as can limiting playing time.
Does the game have in-app purchasing
In-app purchases normally enhance the game or gameplay, for example skins (design of the character or weapon) or loot boxes (treasure chests, but you don’t always know what is in them). There can often be considerable pressure on children to be unique within their games (new skins) or to be better than others (purchasing power-ups). You should consider settings to turn off in-app purchases, or set a spending limit on the device or app.
Children need to be aware of scams involving free in-game currency (e.g. V-Bucks in Fortnite, or Robux in Roblox). Scam text messages, forum posts and videos may have content advertising free in-game currency. But they’re often scams, designed to coax the player into revealing their gamer tag (username) and password in return for currency. This is known as a ‘phishing’ scam.
