Gaming: What Parents Need To Know

Gaming is a very popular pastime for adults and younger people too. A lot of games have adopted a very interactive online element, whether it is playing against other people or even chatting with friends. For younger children, gaming is essentially a way for them to spend some time with their friends and it also gives them the chance to work as a team.

Chatting

Gaming is in its own way, a social network. A lot of games have functions which allow gamers to chat with one another. Gamers will usually talk within the game to coordinate their own tactics, and in some instances, they may even leave voice messages or communicate via text. If you know that your child has received some kind of message from an unknown user, then it helps to ask them not to respond. You also need to ask them not to click any of the links that could be contained in the message either.

Risks

Playing games can be exciting, but it can also come with its own fair share of risk. You may be concerned that your child is chatting with strangers or even sharing personal information online, and although there might not be anything dangerous about this if they are just talking with their friends, at the end of the day it does open the door to them talking to strangers. One way for you to negate this risk would be for you to encourage your child to play on platforms such as TinyTap, as they have a safe environment without any kind of messaging component. That way you can leave them to play independently and in a safe place, without having to worry.

Gifts and Gambling

Some games and even applications give you the chance to make purchases. Of course, it’s important to know that gamers can easily buy tools that can give them an advantage in the game. This can include coins, weapons or even cheats. A lot of children do not have access to money to buy things like this so they may be tempted to accept help from others. You should be wary if you hear anything like this, purely because it can lead to them talking to strangers outside of chat.

Of course, there are plenty of things that you need to be aware of when you have a child that is into gaming, but if you are willing to take your time and give your support then there is no reason why they shouldn’t be able to enjoy gaming without experiencing any kind of addiction. If you want to help your child, then it also helps to talk with them so that you can get to the root of the problem they are having. If you are concerned then supervised gaming session may be required as they will help you to know what games your child is actually playing, how they are acting while playing them and even the risks that might be involved.