With more and more kids playing games
online for entertainment, the market for online kids’ games has grown
drastically in the last few years. The number and quality of kids’ online games
has also increased accordingly. Kids as young as three years of age are playing
virtual
games targeted at their age group. Yes, that’s right. Games modelled on
virtual worlds like Second
Life are now being developed exclusively for kids. Naturally, parents have
cause to be worried. If kids are allowed to meet and chat with strangers
through these virtual games, how can parents protect them from predators,
mature content and cyber bullying? The answer is not to ban them from playing
virtual world games, but to make informed decisions about which virtual games
are good for them to play. Here are the parameters parents must keep in mind
when rating virtual games for kids.
Online
safety – Naturally, safety tops the list when
you’re evaluating a virtual world game targeted at young kids. Many virtual
games for kids offer parental control settings where the game can be set to
single player mode or multi player with canned chat mode according to the age
of the child. Free chat modes usually have safety features like filters and
moderators that remove sensitive information and inappropriate language from
online conversations. This allows kids to familiarize themselves with the model
of virtual world games without being exposed to the
dangers of unrestricted chat. Other virtual games targeted at kids have
full-time adult moderators who monitor the online activity of players and take
immediate action against members who violate the safety rules of the game.
Check what kind of safety features the game has to protect your child from
online dangers. If your child is in preschool or younger, you should navigate
the game with your child and not leave him playing the game unattended.
Updates
for parents – Some virtual games for kids provide
parents with information on what their kids are doing online. This is good for
kids who are new to virtual worlds and aren’t yet adept at practicing online
safety. Parents can use these updates to talk to their kids about their online
activities and start conversations about staying safe on the internet. The updates
also let parents know how much progress their child is making in various
aspects of the game.
Activities
in the game – You don’t want to okay a virtual game
that your child has no interest in playing. Check to see what kind of
activities players can engage in in the game. Age-appropriate online games,
puzzles and virtual world activities like virtual shopping, avatar
customization and in-game exploration are all activities that kids enjoy on
virtual worlds. For older kids, pay attention to social elements like safe chat
and safe social networking, without which a virtual world game will fail to
hold their interest.
Virtual
game theme– Each virtual game is usually built
around a specific theme, like zoo animals, fairies, monsters, dolls, etc. See
whether you can find a good virtual game with a theme that your child is sure
to enjoy. The activities and virtual environment in the game revolves around
the theme of the game, so if your child likes the theme, you can be pretty
confident that he will have a great time playing in the virtual world.
Educational
content – Some games offer educational content like
learning games and other activities that teach important scholastic skills.
Finding a great virtual game with educational content ensures a win-win
situation for you and your child.
When evaluating a virtual world game for
your child, all you need to do is visit the game’s official website and you
will be able to find information about each of these parameters on there. If
you still have unanswered questions, you can check online reviews from other
parents or from trusted websites like Common Sense Media to make sure you are
making the best decision for your child.
