The ‘Get Smart about P.L.A.Y’ campaign provides parents and care-givers with a four-step process to help set parameters around play

For more information, visit: https://www.askaboutgames.com/

Policing vs Parenting: Get to grips with gaming

With concerns about online gaming, it can be tempting to lock down video games to limit their negative impact. While some sensible boundaries are helpful, they are only a short term solution for how we guide children towards gaming health. There is a National Online Safety (NOS) Guide for Parents and Carers (below).

FIFA 20 Online Safety Guide

Age Restriction 3+

In this National Online Safety guide (below), you will find tips on a number of potential risks such as gaming disorder, overspending and scams. It is likely that you and your children will have heard of FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) - the governing body for football and the video game series bearing the organisation's name is one of the most successful ever. The lure of this football series is that offi­cial licensing gives your child the opportunity to play games in the role of their favourite players. They can either work through a story mode version of the game or play online in competitions against other players. 

Minecraft

Age Restriction 7+

Minecraft is still as popular today as it was when it was first released. The block building game has developed a significant following and has millions of monthly active users playing across different platforms. Minecraft is relatively safe, however, as per any game; it pays to be mindful about the main features that children may encounter. 

Roblox

Age Restriction: 7+

Roblox allows users to create their own gaming experiences using Roblox Studio: building levels and games then allowing other people to play them. Similarly, players can play each other’s creations, either on their own or with other people online. While it is a tool that can help foster creative thinking when used safely, Roblox is also intermittently in the news amid concerns over young users’ safety. In the National Online Safety guide (below), there are tips on a number of potential risks.

Fortnite Battle Royale Online Safety Guide

Age Restriction 13+
In this National Online Safety guide (below), there are tips on a number of potential risks such as gaming addiction, gaming with strangers and overspending. Fortnite is an online multi-player “battle royale” game developed by Epic Games and can be played on a range of different devices. It gained popularity in late 2017, which has since become the biggest game in the world.

Grand Theft Auto

Age Restriction: 18+

In this National Online Safety Guide (below), you'll find tips on a number of potential risks such as violent content, profane language and playing with strangers. Grand Theft Auto is an action-adventure video game series where players control criminals and enact illegal missions, in order to progress through the game. During the early stages of the game, it solely focused on completing missions to go up a level.