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.
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