The industry of video gaming is massive and shows no indication of decelerating. In fact, according to statista.com, the number of gamers worldwide has reached 2,471 billion in 2019 and is expected to increase to 2,725 billion by 2021.
A big fraction of this number comprises gamers below 18 years old. This then would mean that teenagers and children are becoming more involved and engaged with video games due to the vastness and multiplicity of video games and consoles the gaming and tech industry offers.
For example, League of Legends (LOL) has become one of the top played e-sports games in the globe. Every month, this Free-to-Play game is played by more than 100 million active players. Players could create free LOL accounts, however may take a while to level up to maximum, which level 30. Many gamers struggle to attain this level so many opt to buy League of Legends account that has reached the max level.
The popularity of video games might make it quite challenging for parents to keep pace with the variety of online safety and security features offered. As parents, below are some things you could do to create a safe gaming environment for you, your children and the whole family:
To ensure safety, one thing you could do as parents is to involve yourself with the video game together with your children. Make it a family activity by playing video games together. Studies have discovered that when parents involve themselves by playing video games with their children, it brings about a positive effect on the development of the child as well as on long-term family relationships.
By engaging and involving yourself in your children’s favorite pastime activities, such as video games, you would be able to understand your children more and how they process and deal with things. There are distinctive challenges to ensure you and your family’s safety both in the physical and virtual world.
There is an abundance of resources on the internet for you to learn about popular online games as well as how to control who is permitted to communicate and connect in the online games played by your children. Know if the game is age appropriate and that the content is safe for your children. Moreover, learn to set parental controls to restrict their access to in-app and/or in-game purchases. Set clear guidelines and rules when gaming. Also, make certain that the game console is located in a shared room so you could check up on them. Track the time your children spend gaming online and pay attention to any changes in their behavior at home and in school. Talk about their gaming and encourage them to communicate to you anything that makes them unhappy or uncomfortable as they game.
