Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 119 www.bewebaware.ca VIRTUAL WORLDS Habbo Hotel, for example, describes itself as an online environment that provides companies and brands “with a completely new and exciting way of building their brand value among teenagers.” Tip: Look for virtual worlds that don’t encourage consumerism – ones that promote charitable giving or civic engagement. For example, Global Kids aims to develop global citizenship and community leadership skills in young people. Online multiplayer games The main difference between virtual world games and “traditional” video games that are not played online is that the former allows players to create and play within real online communities, with both their offline friends and players from all around the world. Popular examples are RuneScape and World of Warcraft. The community aspect of these games provides players with valuable opportunities to learn and practise important social skills such as helping or guiding a newcomer and organizing groups or guilds, and learning how to make moral or ethical decisions about how a community, city or nation should be run. When confronted with extreme situations that they are unlikely to encounter in the “real world”, youth can also learn the skills to manage the unexpected and deal with crisis situations. According to a 2008 study, teens who have these civic gaming experiences report much higher levels of civic and political engagement than teens that have not had this kind of experience. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games are intrinsically time-consuming.They are sometimes referred to as persistent worlds because they continue to evolve, whether or not the player is online. This can be very addictive for players, who feel the need to constantly check back into the game to see what’s happening. In some games, the avatar disappears if the player hasn’t clocked a certain number of hours per week. Tip: It’s a good idea for parents to check whether there are a minimum weekly number of hours of play required before their child registers with an online game. Because the storyline is developed by interactions between players, it is difficult to estimate how much time a session or game will take. Knowing this, parents can better understand why their child may not be able to “disconnect” from the game come mealtime. Tip: Discuss time management with your child and plan game playing for times when gaming won’t conflict with other priorities. Tip: If you’re a gamer yourself, monitor your own playing habits – after all, you’re your child’s main role model. ...continued from page 117
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