Saskatchewan Federation of Police Officers 121 Online gaming has never been so popular. According to an Ipsos Reid survey, more than half of young Canadians say they visit gaming sites and play online games several times a week. Parents have concerns about online gaming which are mainly related to multi-player games. These include the amount of time kids spend playing these games, problematic content such as violence and sexual stereotyping, and exposure to nasty behaviour from other players. Multi-player games Multi-player role-playing games (also referred to as "virtual worlds") like Club Penquin, RuneScape and World of Warcraft allow players a shared gaming experience. Players interact with others and share adventures in real time (through their avatars) with people from around the world. (For more information see the Virtual worlds section.) Violence Over the past decade there has been considerable debate on violence in video games. Notwithstanding, during this period, video game popularity and real-world youth violence have been moving inopposite directions. Research shows that not all children are affected and for those who are, not necessarily in the same way. When multi-player games contain violence, the most important aspect is how violence occurs within the gameplaying scenario. Even though there is debate about the effects of video game violence generally, research is pretty conclusive that gratuitous and inexplicable violence is more psychologically damaging than violence that occurs as a response to a situation. GAMING Where violence is a logical part of the storyline, players need to consider whether or not the game provides opportunities to avoid or limit the use of force. Discuss this with your kids and talk to them about how media sometimes trivializes violence. Even though youth may understand the differences between real world and virtual world aggression, it's been shown that violent games may desensitize gamers. Some parents have found creative ways to help their kids think this through: for example,one father agreed to let his 13-year-old son purchase the war game Call of Duty, but only on the express condition that his son fight according to the rules of the Geneva Convention when he played. Sexual stereotypes Sexual stereotypes are another aspect of video games parents find worrying. The bad news is that physical appearance is often stereotyped for both male and female characters but the good news is that female characters are getting much more diverse. Presumably, this is the result of a demographic evolution in gamers. In Japan and the United States, the percentages of male and female players are virtually the same when it comes to multiplayer online games (like World of Warcraft). Excessive playing Online multi-player games such as World of Warcraft can become habit-forming, and excessive playing is an issue even with very young kids. The social aspect of these games is attractive to introverted children or teens because they can assume roles that are different from their offline personalities and interact with others in ways they can't offline. However, when playing becomes excessive, kids run the risk of becoming further isolated from friends and peers. These games can also have a serious impact on kids'; health by depriving them of sleep and replacing more active, physical play. (For more information see the Excessive Internet use section.) continued on page 123...
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