We don't want to give you the wrong impression about online play, it's much safer gaming from the protective environment of your home than venturing out to the school yard. We have yet to get a bloody nose from being online. However, going online can expose a young gamer to inappropriate subject matter so there is good need for simple rules to safeguarding those minds. If you are concerned about online safety, please read them completely. These rules our based on our experience playing online.
1. There is only one foolproof protection for online play - you! Pull up a chair, sit beside the gamer and watch what goes on. Video game equipment is not an electronic baby sitter. Video games are a powerful interactive medium presenting opportunities for discovery, learning and discussion. If you take part in gaming, just by being there, you will safeguard the gamer, share in their joy playing and (we kid you not), you will be presented with many opportunities to contribute something educational. It's not a bad idea to locate game equipment in the living room and not the bed room. Every time you walk by game equipment stop and look at the screen.
2. Teach the gamer to never give out personal information. Clearly instruct the gamer not to give out their, name, home address, telephone number, or e-mail. Curious and friendly gamers frequently ask age and home town. Nobody is offended if you don't give out your age. We feel that hometown, state or county is o.k. because it's informative to meet people from all over the world, but never give out a street address. Teach the gamer that if they want to take an online friendship to the next level, they have to speak to you first.
3. Don't Rely Solely on Game Violence Ratings. Violence ratings can be excellent for a game when it is not being played on the Internet, but once you go online those ratings are no longer completely accurate. The average age of video gamers is somewhere in the 30s, and online gamers sometimes use salty language, berate players who fall below their expectations and occasionally say something completely inappropriate. Remember, the best rating is you.
4. Take advantage of controls built into video games to limit violence, foul language, and chatting. Take a little time to familiarize yourself the controls built into the game. Find them in the game manual, look for them in the various option screens in the game, don't feel shy about turning them on. The best games don't rely on nasty content to be fun, they are fun because the the game designers are brilliant and creative. Pay special attention to any controls that let you limit online chat. You will find profanity filters and ignore lists that limit foul language and permit you to block conversation from players you don't like.
5. Don't be afraid to ask another player to tone it down. If you encounter a gamer repeatedly using bad conduct or language, ask them to stop. Nicely, let them know you are a parent and that a younger player is online. In most instances you will be pleasantly surprised to learn how polite and accommodating most online gamers are. They are a community with something in common that they enjoy, and for that reason alone they appreciate each other. However, you should report the really bad ones to the online game-master or whoever oversees online play for that game.
6. Teach the gamer how to block offensive players. If a game has an ignore list, make sure you teach the young gamer how to find and use that valuable tool. It can also be used to block chat from a person who is merely obnoxious, and doing so can make the gaming experience more pleasant at the cost of a few simple keystrokes.
7. Be particularly wary of the early levels of a multiplayer online game. Most massively multiplayer online games offer demo or free game time for an introductory period to attract potential customers. Serious gamers don't linger on the entry levels of a game for very long, they progress to higher levels. Users of a game who aren't really interested in playing may lurk in the early levels. Therefore, be especially wary of the first levels of a massively multiplayer online game.