When is a Pet Game not Good for Kids

As parents are increasingly aware of the dangers of letting kids loose on the internet, more of them are taking an effort to understand what their kids are doing online. However, for many parents, this understanding is still limited. Parents have some idea of what to look out for, but often miss out on other areas. This article focuses on some of the overlooked concerns regarding online games for kids.
 

Take the popular genre of pet games for kids. These games are generally understood to be for young kids, and the theme is often kid-friendly. The games revolve around adopting pets, caring for them and looking after their needs. Kids can often play fun games with these pets and go on virtual adventures with them. At the surface of it, these games seem pretty harmless. However, that doesn’t mean your child is not at risk when playing pet games. Here are some of the other things you need to look out for.

1.       Disproportionate costs

Teaching kids about the value of money is a very real and increasingly difficult task. And if your child is playing an online pet game where they are asked to buy an expensive membership to enjoy most of the features or if they are frequently presented with innumerable in-game purchasing options, it makes your task even tougher. That’s not to say that your kids should only play the games that are absolutely free. For good quality pet games, you may have to shell out some money. But it’s better for you to make that decision beforehand and then allow your child to play the game rather than allow the game to market their products to your child and then find yourself either giving in to their requests or trying to appease disappointed kids. You don’t want young minds to be exposed to the idea that anything enjoyable must be paid for. Read up about the game to understand the costs involved, including the hidden costs. You may not find all the information you’re looking for on their website. Online reviews and forums are a good place to glean additional information.

2.       Exposure to strangers

Yes, even pet games for kids sometimes allow players to interact with strangers. However, many of them have controls in place that prevent players from sharing sensitive information or using inappropriate language. That said, you must be aware of what options are available to your child, what controls are in place and whether your child is ready for those kinds of interactions. If you choose to let your child interact with strangers, make sure to discuss the dangers involved, what type of behaviour is not acceptable and when to talk to an adult. (Remember that there is no way of guaranteeing that every person playing a kids’ game is actually a kid.)

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3.       Exposure to bullying

Even if the pet game that your child is playing does not allow players to interact with strangers, your child can still be exposed to bullying. Yes, bullying can happen online and yes, it can be as harmful as bullying in the real world. Very often, the bully is known to the victim and can include classmates and even people in the victim’s friend circle. If the pet game allows chatting and sharing of information between acquaintances, make sure to talk to your child about cyberbullying and how to prevent it. Also discuss what should be done if it does occur.

4.       Unsupervised forums

Many pet games have official forums where players can interact with each other and discuss topics that are of interest to them. These forums are usually supervised to prevent users from sharing sensitive information or using inappropriate language. However, the really popular pet games may have fan sites and other unofficial forums where users are free to post what they like. Make sure you know if your child is visiting any of these places, and be aware of the kind of conversations that happen in those places.

This list is not meant to discourage you from allowing your kids to play multiplayer online games. To the contrary, kids can learn many useful skills from playing the right games and socializing online. However, it is important to speak to them about the dangers that come with the internet, and to teach them how to behave online as well as how to respond to unacceptable behaviour. Most importantly, take time to play the games your kids are playing and understand from first-hand experience what the games are about. Make friends on the game, join the forum discussions, do it all and then you can share really meaningful conversations with your child about the online games they play.