Online Gameplay and potential risks

Welcome back. For those who are new to this series of blogs I recommend you start with the first one by selecting it on the right side.

I hope the information on the rating system was helpful and gave you a good starting point. I mentioned the ESRB website for more information about specific games (www.esrb.org – type in the title of a game for a description of the rating and the gameplay) as well as youtube to view some gameplay footage but ran across Disney’s family center this week which offers game reviews geared towards parents. I thought these might be reviews about their own games but the site actually includes reviews of the most popular games like Halo Reach and Mass Effect 2 adding pointers for parents as to what to look for. The link to their gamereview page is: http://family.go.com/entertainment/pkg-video-games/


In this week’s blog I will focus on online gameplay, potential risks and the use of parental controls. The goal is to give you an overview of the kind of online features available to your children when they play games online and the controls available to you to restrict online interactivity. It might seem like a lot of information to digest but as I review the various consoles and their options feel free to skip directly to the console applicable to your family.

Online features are very popular and most games will now offer some form of online interaction. This can be a rewarding addition but can potentially alter the game experience as described by the ESRB rating and descriptors.
What are the risks when children play online?

• The most common risk is players engaging in behavior that might not be suitable for young people. This can include inappropriate language, bullying, cheating and tampering with the game.

• User generated content which could be unsuitable for young players and a mismatch with the rating of the game: some games include tools that allow players to create their own content and share them with other players. This can be a simple custom decal for a car or an entire level or even adventure. I’ll explain the potential discrepancy between the rated single player and the unrated online experience in more detail.

• Breaches of privacy: social games often encourage players to befriend each other which exposes children to the risk of sharing personal information.

• Links to websites with unsuitable content for young players. Any website mentioned in a game needs to be disclosed during the ESRB submission. The potential issue is that some of these websites can change/evolve and have added user generated contents and/or message boards that might not be appropriate.

So let me break down these potential risks and mention ways to mitigate them.

If online gameplay is available (ie the game can be played with or against other players online) the ESRB will include an online Rating notice warning players that the online experience could vary due to features like chat, text or shared user-generated content. An E-rated game for example with no pertinent dialogue might allow players to chat online and thus expose them to inappropriate language. Note that games that are specifically geared towards children will sometimes include a filter that will block a list of inappropriate terms. Publishers like Disney will often use these kinds of filters but you can’t take them for granted and they are not perfect.

Some games allow players to create their own content (levels, characters or other) and share them with others which could also alter the original experience. The original Neverwinter Nights game (a popular role playing game) and its sequel for example allowed users to create their own adventures and share them with the community. Fans posted over 500 modules (custom adventures) and although most were rather harmless a few included some racier encounters. So even though the game itself was rated T a player downloading one of these adventures could have been exposed to more mature content. Some games do allow players to create some custom content like a decal for their car or a new piece of clothing for their character but not to share it with others. In this case the special decal for the car for example would be visible to others during a race but they could not download it and apply it to their cars. If a potentially offensive decal is included in the game it has to be called out during the ESRB submission but if the game allows players to create their own decals and display them during a multiplayer session this is not taken into consideration during the rating evaluation since the publisher has no control over it. Hence the warning.

What can you do if you are worried about this kind of online interaction? The good news is that the leading consoles (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii) and handheld devices like the DSi, DSi XL (a slightly larger version of the DSi) and the PSP allow parents to limit their children’s online interaction through parental controls. These controls will either enable or disable certain functions like chat, the ability to browse the internet or exchange data. These controls are not perfect but will provide a decent level of protection.

What kind of controls are available and how do I set them?
The ESRB published a brochure with detailed instructions on how to set the parental controls for the Xbox 360, PS3, PSP and Wii. You can download the brochure in English at http://www.esrb.org/about/news/downloads/ESRB_PTA_Brochure-web_version.pdf and in Spanish at http://www.esrb.org/about/news/downloads/ESRB_PTA_Booklet_SPANISH-web_version.pdf


Nintendo posted detailed instructions on parental controls for the DSi, DSi XL and Wii on their website at http://www.nintendo.com/corp/parents.jsp as well as other useful information for parents. If you have a minute I recommend you check it out. www.Nintendo.com also lists information about most titles published on the Wii and DSi. Just type in a title in the search box and you’ll find the rating of the game, a detailed description of the content and goals and often some sample footage.

So let me start with the easiest and safest platforms, the DSi and DSi XL:

In addition of having published some of the most popular children’s games (who doesn’t know Donkey Kong, Super Mario or Zelda) Nintendo always had a reputation for being kid friendly and very concerned about security, privacy and content. I’d say their concerns seem to border paranoia at times. If you decide to follow a link from their website to a website hosted by another publisher you will receive a notice asking you to confirm that you want to leave Nintendo’s site and warning you that they are not responsible for any content posted on the site you are trying to access.
Nintendo also won’t publish titles rated mature and offers various features to allow parents to restrict potential wireless and online interactions. I won’t go into details as to how to set all these controls since you’ll find step by step instructions on their website but will discuss some of the interactions that can be limited. It is important to note that all controls are set to “off” by default which means that all features are enabled until you disable them.

The DSi and DSi XL offer wireless communication as well as Internet access. I'll explain the difference. The first one which is the pre-installed ability to connect wirelessly to up to 15 other players within approximately 65 feet allows children to chat and share pictures taken with the integrated camera and play wireless enabled games. Note that players also have the ability to post their photos on facebook. Now if players are within 65 feet of each other they will most likely know each other and already be “chatting” but nonetheless this feature as well as the ability to exchange photo data or post pictures to facebook can be disabled.

To access the internet an internet connection has to be set up first using a compatible wireless access point. This process is not as easy as Nintendo would like you to believe but once set up the integrated browser can be used to navigate the internet, download games and play games online. If the online capability has been set up the following features can be disabled:

• Wireless browser
• Access to user created content.
• Chat
• Data exchange

Nintendo also offers a filter that will prevent access to websites that might be inappropriate.

On to Nintendo’s other platform, the Wii:

As for the DSi and DSi XL Nintendo offers various parental settings to limit your children’s interactions. These are:

• Highest Game Rating: this is based on the ESRB rating and will
determine what kind of games can be played on the console. If you
select T for Teen for example higher rated games will not launch.
• Online communication: sending and receiving messages through the
console and in online games where open communication is available.
• Online browser (note that the browser has to be downloaded first)
• Access to user created content
• News Channel
• Use of Wii Points to purchase items on the Nintendo online store.

Note that as for the DSi and DSi XL all these restrictions are set to “off” which means that all the features are enabled until you turn them off.

Now to the Xbox 360:

Microsoft prides itself that the Xbox was the first console to include parental controls. The Xbox 360 offers similar controls although things get a little trickier with the Kinect (a motion sensor and facial recognition device that allows you to control games and menus through body movements and verbal orders). I will get into potential security concerns with the Kinect in a future blog.

Microsoft’s website for parents called get game smart (www.getgamesmart.com) has all the instructions for the available controls. You will find step by step instructions as well as information about Xbox Live and the Kinect.
To set parental controls you will need to start with the creation of a master account. It should be set up by the parents if minors are going to be using the console. Here are the available options:

• Online gameplay: parents can control their childrens’ ability to
play online games, use text, voice or video communication. The
console has Intelligent Default Settings for Child, Teen and Adult
profiles that are applied dependent on the member’s age entered
during the creation of the account. Some online features are
automatically blocked for Child accounts (children under 13) due to
the Child online protection act which prevents the collection of
personal identifyable information and limits advertisement. Note
that the purchase of an Xbox LIVE membership is necessary to access
online features.
• Video Kinect and Kinect Sharing: Video Kinect allows video chat
with friends and family. Kinect Sharing allows players to upload
and share pictures.
• Family timer. This gives parents the option to restrict the time
family members can play either by day or week. The players will get
a warning if their time is about to expire so they can save their
progress.
• Family programming: this feature allows parents to disable mature
rated games, movies and content based on ESRB and Motion Picture
Association of America ratings. Note that the settings will apply
to anyone using the console but can temporarily be disabled by the
master account holder.

And last but not least, the PS3:

Sony’s support page for parents lists little more than the parental controls and how to access them: http://us.playstation.com/support/parents/index.htm.

As for the Xbox 360 you will need to start with the creation of the Master account that will control the settings of all the other accounts. The other accounts are called sub or child accounts.

The following options are available:

• Chat: block the ability to send or receive text or voice/video
chats. There are two kinds of chat options. The first one is
through the Playstation Network using the built in message box and
chat option. This kind of communication is done outside of a game.
The second type is in-game chat through text or voice where players
are able to communicate during a game. This ability has to be
included in the game to be accessible and not all games offer it.
Note that the default setting for chat is “block”.
• Content restriction: The default setting is “On” which means that
all content will be restricted based on the entered user age.
Games rated higher can not be purchased or played by the user unless
this restriction is set to “Off”.
• Spending limit: The default value is $0,00 which means that the sub
account can not purchase any items.
• Ability to report and block users


Parting words:

I know that this all seems like a lot of information but the sites I listed will give you step by step instructions and explain each feature being blocked. The three main points I would like you to take away from this blog are:

1. The online experience might differ from the rating of a game due to the ability to chat and exchange data. So look for that online notice.

2. Some games allow users to create custom content that can be shared with other players. This content can be a new item for THE SIMS or an entire level or adventure. Console games usually offer simpler tools to create or alter any kind of content. Some PC games come with very complex tools that allow players to design their own level or story. Such tools will be part of the selling point of a game since they are a major feature. You’ll usually see some kind of description like “create your own track, adventure, level etc.”

3. Consoles offer parental controls that can restrict certain online interactions to mitigate the risks. (like chatting, exchanging data and browsing the internet)

It gets trickier with PC games where parental controls are not as readily accessible. I will discuss available options and Microsoft’s attempt to introduce some regulations and standards for PC games with their Games for Windows platform in my next blog,

In the meantime try playing a game with your children and let me know how it went by emailing me at dorianrichard@gmail.com. Don’t fret if they kick your b…. After all, it’s just a game.

And don’t forget to log back on next week.

Welcome to all of you who might be lost in the maze of FPS, RTS, RPG’s and MMO’s and are confused by your children’s references to WOW, MoH, CoD or GTA.

This is the first in a series of blogs to introduce parents to the complex and sometimes confusing world of videogames and help them make informed decisions as they try to navigate through the daunting choices of titles. I will address concerns about the kind of content children could be exposed to and explain the resources and tools available to evaluate the age appropriateness of a given title and restrict certain online interactions.

But allow me to introduce myself. Besides being a gamer and writer, I am also a videogame producer. I worked on various PC and console titles ranging from simple puzzle games to licensed sports and role-playing games. Some of my shipped titles include Neverwinter Nights 2, Mission Impossible: Operation Surma, Tetris, Need For Speed: Nitro X, and Surviving High School (DSiWare). Each of these games had a specific audience we were targeting which meant that the gameplay, level of difficulty and art style had to be designed accordingly. Surviving High School for example was a casual adventure game set, you guessed it, in the High School environment and aimed at young adults. Players had to make dialogue choices as they navigated through their schoolday and complete various challenges.
 

 

Neverwinter Nights 2 on the other hand was a complex role-playing game aimed at a more mature, hardcore audience.

As a producer one of my many tasks was to ensure that the style and gameplay would appeal to our target audience but also that the content would fit the requirements for the appropriate ESRB rating. The ESRB and its rating system will be the topic of my first blog.

Upcoming topics will include:

- Online gameplay and social gaming
- Parental controls
- Mobile games
- Privacy concerns
- Foreign rating systems
- Videogame addiction
- Can games actually be good for your kids?
- New trends
- Answers to the most common questions

I will also talk about current and upcoming consoles, handheld devices and accessories, provide a glossary of the most common gaming terms and discuss some of the hot new releases your children might be excited about. So how bad are videogames and what should parents be aware of?

We’ve all heard horror stories about games filled with blood, sex and violence where players get rewarded for killing cops, running over pedestrians, stealing cars and blowing up buildings. Game ads and trailers seem plastered with “sexy” female characters and guys showing off their big guns. Titles like Doom, Grand Theft Auto, Gods of War, Dante’s Inferno, Dead Space, Assassin's Creed and many others only reinforce the image of videogames as tools of violence and destruction.

Understandably parents often worry about the kind of content their children might be exposed to when playing games. The reality though is that games vary widely in genre and content and that many of them are perfectly suitable for children. The question is how do you distinguish the ones that are, versus the ones that aren’t and where to start.

For console and PC titles released in North America the answer is: start with the ESRB rating.

So what is the ESRB and what does its rating mean?

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is a self-regulatory organization founded in 1994 to assign age and content ratings for games. Their rating system is similar to the Motion Picture Association (MPAA) rating system as it calls out potentially offensive, sexual or violent content inappropriate for younger audiences.

With the growing popularity of titles like Mortal Kombat (players could finish opponents by ripping off their heads) or Doom (a dark first person shooter with plenty of blood and gore), came an onslaught of negative press against the videogame industry and a call for some sort of industry regulation. The ESRB(formerly Interactive Digital Software Association) was created to introduce a rating system that would allow parents to evaluate the age appropriateness of a given title. Although voluntary most games are submitted for this rating since chains like Walmart won’t carry them without it.

The ESRB rating includes two parts:

1. The rating symbol. Currently there are six rating symbols ranging from early childhood (ages 3 and up) to Adults only (18 and over). Here’s the list along with their description.

EARLY CHILDHOOD
Titles rated EC (Early Childhood) have content that may be suitable for ages 3 and older. Contains no material that parents would find inappropriate.

EVERYONE
Titles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older. Titles in this category may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence and/or infrequent use of mild language.

EVERYONE 10+
Titles rated E10+ (Everyone 10 and older) have content that may be suitable for ages 10 and older. Titles in this category may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language and/or minimal suggestive themes.

TEEN
Titles rated T (Teen) have content that may be suitable for ages 13 and older. Titles in this category may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language.

MATURE
Titles rated M (Mature) have content that may be suitable for persons ages 17 and older. Titles in this category may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

ADULTS ONLY
Titles rated AO (Adults Only) have content that should only be played by persons 18 years and older. Titles in this category may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity.

RATING PENDING
Titles listed as RP (Rating Pending) have been submitted to the ESRB and are awaiting final rating. (This symbol appears only in advertising prior to a game's release.)

2. The content descriptor found on the back of the box. The descriptor gives more specific information about a game’s content. The ESRB evaluates six areas:

- Sexual content or references
- Violence
- Gambling
- Dialogue and lyrics
- Humor

Depending on the severity and the context of these instances the ratings board might assign one of the following descriptors:

Alcohol Reference - Reference to and/or images of alcoholic beverages
Animated Blood - Discolored and/or unrealistic depictions of blood
Blood - Depictions of blood
Blood and Gore - Depictions of blood or the mutilation of body parts
Cartoon Violence - Violent actions involving cartoon-like situations and characters. May include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted
Comic Mischief - Depictions or dialogue involving slapstick or suggestive humor
Crude Humor - Depictions or dialogue involving vulgar antics, including “bathroom” humor
Drug Reference - Reference to and/or images of illegal drugs
Fantasy Violence - Violent actions of a fantasy nature, involving human or non-human characters in situations easily distinguishable from real life
Intense Violence - Graphic and realistic-looking depictions of physical conflict. May involve extreme and/or realistic blood, gore, weapons and depictions of human injury and death
Language - Mild to moderate use of profanity
Lyrics - Mild references to profanity, sexuality, violence, alcohol or drug use in music
Mature Humor - Depictions or dialogue involving "adult" humor, including sexual references
Nudity - Graphic or prolonged depictions of nudity
Partial Nudity - Brief and/or mild depictions of nudity
Real Gambling - Player can gamble, including betting or wagering real cash or currency
Sexual Content - Non-explicit depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including partial nudity
Sexual Themes - References to sex or sexuality
Sexual Violence - Depictions of rape or other violent sexual acts
Simulated Gambling - Player can gamble without betting or wagering real cash or currency
Strong Language - Explicit and/or frequent use of profanity
Strong Lyrics - Explicit and/or frequent references to profanity, sex, violence, alcohol or drug use in music
Strong Sexual Content - Explicit and/or frequent depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including nudity
Suggestive Themes - Mild provocative references or materials
Tobacco Reference - Reference to and/or images of tobacco products
Use of Drugs - The consumption or use of illegal drugs
Use of Alcohol - The consumption of alcoholic beverages
Use of Tobacco - The consumption of tobacco products
Violence - Scenes involving aggressive conflict. May contain bloodless dismemberment
Violent References - References to violent acts

How accurate and reliable are the ratings and descriptors? Due to the very strict submission process the ratings give a strong indication as to the kind of content included in a game. Publishers who do not report all pertinent content run the risk of getting fined and having to recall all products and reprint all boxes and marketing materials with the updated rating. A very costly process that they will not willingly undergo. Has this ever happened? The answer is yes. The most famous case is the “hot coffee” incident surrounding Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. The title included a minigame (a short game within the main game) that portrayed a sexual encounter between the main character and his girlfriend. Although this minigame had been deactivated for the original version the later released hot coffee PC mod (a modified addition to the main game) allowed players to access the hidden minigame. The name of the mod was derived from the girlfriend’s invitation to come up and have some coffee, a euphemism for having sex. Console players then found ways to “hack” their consoles to access the hidden minigame. The ensuing controversy caused the game to be pulled from the shelves and re-rated as Mature. The developer later re-released the game with all the assets from the minigame removed and the original rating restored.

The good news is that such incidents are extremely rare. To put things into perspective, even Disney had inappropriate content snuck into their movies. Think of The Rescuers where during a scene depicting the two mice flying through the city in a sardine box a topless woman could be seen in one of the passing windows. Since the image was only embedded in two frames it could not be viewed without stopping the tape but Disney recalled the title shortly after the incident was made public.

As strict as the ESRB submission process is not everything falls into clear black and white categories and ratings and descriptors, although extremely helpful can still leave you wondering how bad a certain shooter, role-playing or adventure game really is. There are a few options to get more information about a specific title. The first one is to check the ESRB site at http://www.esrb.org/index-js.jspfor a more detailed description. Here’s an example for Mass Effect 2, a popular game rated Mature.

BioWare's "Mass Effect 2"

Platform: Windows PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Rating: Mature
Content descriptors: Blood, Drug Reference, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
Rating Summary:
In this action role-playing game, players' objective is to defeat an alien enemy that is silently abducting entire human colonies. Players must assemble a team of henchmen, command a space ship, and travel to distant planets across a futuristic galaxy. At its core, the game involves a combination of conversation/interaction with characters, and ground-based (i.e., "run-and-gun") space battle: Players use assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, and pistols to kill humans, robots, and aliens in the frenetic third-person firefights. Some enemies emit large splashes of blood when shot (particularly with "head shots"); several enemies lie stagnant in pools of blood—factors for the Mature rating. Henchmen are able to freeze and shatter enemies, engage in melee attacks, set robots on fire, and use telekinesis to disable aliens. A handful of cutscenes depict dramatic interrogations in which human characters are threatened, punched, kicked, and shot (in the leg) by alien creatures. The game contains themes of illicit drug use, addiction, and trafficking—often focal points to the branching storylines; for example, "Morinth likes dancing while on a drug called Hallex," "Narcotics flooded my veins when I attacked," and "The asari injecting so many drugs into me was terrifying." During the course of the game, players may enter a bar where alien pole dancing exists (choreography highlighted on big-screen monitors) or hear suggestive comments such as "krogan sexual deviants enjoy salarian flexibility" and "if this is just about sex, maybe you should just f**king say so." [Italics added] Players can also choose to have "romantic encounters" with the alien/human henchmen characters; this involves watching a guided cutscene in which two characters flirt, kiss, and/or embrace: clothed alien/human characters may prop a partner on top of a space console, clear away the clutter from a bed-slab, unzip a future-blouse, or just talk it out. Though an alien/human may gyrate her hips while on top (fleeting—one-to-two seconds), actual sex is never depicted—the camera cuts away to space furniture and ceilings.

Here’s the description for Tetris PSP, an E-rated game I worked on:

Platform: PSP
Rating: Everyone
Content descriptors: No Descriptors
Rating summary:
This is a puzzle game in which players arrange falling block shapes to pack them into contiguous horizontal rows. Players compete against themselves or others to earn points based on how many perfect rows of shapes they are able to clear.


If you would like to get additional information about a game youtube is a good source to view actual gameplay. Fans will often post footage of their favorite games to either brag about their performance, share strategies or give a review. Just type in Mass Effect 2 for example and you’ll get a variety of hits with game excerpts and examples of the brief sexual encounters mentioned in the ESRB description.

As helpful as the ratings and other resources are be aware though that the ratings do not apply to potential online experiences.

More about online gameplay in my blog next week. In the meantime, feel free to contact me with your questions at dorianrichard@gmail.com.