Gaming

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Young people spend a lot of time playing digital games, whether on smartphones, PCs or consoles. Which is not a bad thing per se. Digital games have many positive effects on young people. For young people, gaming is not just a pastime, but a way to engage with themselves and their environment and to stay in touch with their peers. Gaming gives them freedom and strengthens skills such as strategic thinking, spatial orientation and memory.

However, parents often find it difficult to correctly assess digital games and their suitability for their children. And with the abundance of offers, it is easy to lose sight of the big picture.

Your task as a MediaParent consultant is to give parents the appropriate support to better orient themselves in the gaming world.

At the end of the module, you will know the children's gaming world better and be able to give parents valuable tips and advice on how to deal with digital games in the family.

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Fascination with the world of games

The fascination of digital games for young people has several reasons. Of course, the gaming experience itself is at the centre. But the gaming culture in connection with social networks and streaming platforms also have a decisive influence on the appeal of digital games. Why digital games are still so popular among young people is very well summarised on the page "Good things about Video Games".

Getting to know the world of games - the different genres and platforms

Digital games are available in large quantities. Young people in particular already play games in various genres and on a wide variety of platforms. It is therefore useful to know these types of games and game systems in order to better understand and assess what young people play. On the link "Video Game Genres: Everything You Need to Know" you will find a good overview of the best-known genres. On the right-hand side of this page, you find also "A Guide to the Different Types of Video Game Platforms".

Let's Play(s)

To get an insight into young people's games and to understand them better, you no longer have to play them yourself. A good recommendation to parents can be to watch Let's Plays. In Let's Plays, you can watch other people play digital games and comment on them while they are playing. This is then published on YouTube or live on Twitch, for example. This is explained again in the video "Lets Plays explained - Why do we have lets plays?” on the right.

Mastering challenges, recognising risks

For young people, gaming means one thing above all: experience and self-confidence! They can always learn something and train their cognitive and motor skills. In order to avoid disputes in the family and not to neglect compensatory offers, firm rules in the family help. What can these rules look like? And what tips and advice can you, as a future MediaParent consultant, give parents?

On the website mediasmarts.ca on the right side of the page, parents can find everything that is important on the topic of games and internet use. What rules can be set up in the family and what can be used to guide the age suitability of a game can be found on the page "Video Games".

Gaming is a sociable and fun way to spend time, play in a team and develop various skills. All very positive things. But there are, especially with online games, a few risks for parents to consider so that their children have good gaming experiences. The most important risks of online games, such as cybergrooming, cyberbullying, in-app purchases and data protection are clearly presented on the page "Online gaming - The risks" by internetmatters.org.

Can digital gaming be addictive?

At a parents' evening about games, the question of whether gaming is addictive is bound to come up at some point. Here you can first reassure the parents. The probability of developing a so-called "gaming disorder" is very low. You can find out which factors speak for an addiction in the video "WHO: Gaming disorder: questions and answers (Q&A)". As long as young people pursue their hobbies, meet friends and go to bed at a reasonable time, there is no reason to worry.

Provide balance

Even for young people, digital gaming should only be a supplement to other leisure activities. However, alternatives to digital gaming, such as outdoor activities or analogue game nights, should also be offered.

Exercise

Describe in your own words what is the fascination for young people to play digital games. What motivates them to play games?
Compile a list of the most important criteria that parents look for when playing games and what rules can be established within a family. You can then give these to the parents as practical tips and concrete help to take home.
What do you see as the biggest challenges and risks? Write down the most important points.

What you learn in this course

You will be able to describe what role digital (online) games play for young adults between 13 and 18 years of age
You will be able to explain which learning possibilities and opportunities digital games offer for this age group.
You will be able to name game genres and distinguish them from a selection as well as name different platforms for digital (online) games.
You will be able to explain what Let's Plays are and why they are so popular.
You will be able to identify risks and challenges of digital games for this age group (e.g. cybergrooming, advertising/app purchases/cost traps, data protection, problematic content, excessive gaming) and develop ways to reduce and avoid them.
You will be able to name features for the assessment of digital (online) games (e.g. age limits, advertising content).
You will be able to examine unknown contents for their suitability for this age group and to classify them according to characteristics and to classify them into genres.
You will be able to explain if and when young people between 13 and 18 need guidance in selecting and assessing content.
You will be able to clarify how this guidance can take place and give examples of what it can look like.

Get ready: Tips for MediaParent consultants

As a future MediaParent consultant, you are now steeped in the world of young people's games and can give parents helpful advice to take home with them.

The topic of gaming is particularly suitable for actively involving parents at your parents' evening and presenting the topic in a fun way. Just pick up the parents in their past and let them become a child again themselves. For example, watch the video "10 Secret Reasons Why Playing Video Games Is Good For Your Brain" together at the beginning. This loosens the atmosphere and you get a first impression of the parents' knowledge on the topic. Afterwards, look back to their childhood together with the parents. Many of them already played digital games themselves. Ask the parents: "Who played digital games?" "Who still plays today? "What did you find so fascinating about them? "What do you yourself look out for in games"? etc.

When talking about Let's Plays, briefly watch a few clips from popular Let's Players on popular games played by young people. This way, parents not only learn what Let's Plays are, but also get a first impression of the game world presented.