Ten Ton Hamster

One of the things I like to do with my 8 year old is play online games. While some children's MMOs out there are enjoyable for adults, children seem to enjoy playing MMOs that are geared more for older children, teens and adults. The problem is that the MMOs we play are large worlds, filled with many anonymous people. So how do we ensure our children play in a safe environment while they are in more adult-based MMOs?

The first and most important thing is to make sure that you play with them as often as possible. My son and I have our computers right next to each other and play sitting side by side, that way I can see everything that is going on in game from his perspective as well as my own. You wouldn't let your kids run around in a mall without supervision - the same thing should apply to the online gaming world. It can be quite difficult to manage this at all times, so here are a few tips to build a safe environment for your kids while they play:

1. Language Filters ~ Most games have these implemented now. Make sure that it is selected and turned on. This function is typically found while customizing the user interface from within the game.

2. Go Anonymous ~ Some games have this feature available. When this is selected, your character does not appear to be online. This is also a great tool to stop the continuous gold spam littering up chat channels lately.

3. Disable Voice Chat ~ Parents should be aware that their children can speak using their own voice with strangers online using a number of different programs, known collectively as VOIP (voice over IP). Keeping the computer in a central location is a start, but remember kids' gaming consoles are now voice-enabled and our children carry their own text-messaging devices and cell phones. We must teach our young gamers how to talk safely with strangers and what to do when things go wrong. If your kids are old enough to be using the voice chat options, make sure you talk to them about the possible dangers out there before allowing them to use it. Stress the need for anonymity (no sharing of personal information, at any time, under any circumstance).

4. Create or Join a Family Guild/Kin/Clan ~ having your child become a guild member stops a ton of spam as well. Many people just send out generic tells to players, especially low-level characters, asking them to join their guild. If your child is already in a guild, that will help dissipate some of the more annoying tells you can get in game. Creating a guild is usually a very simple procedure. If you don't have enough family members playing to create the guild, you can always ask for others to help create the guild, then have them step out once it is in place.

5. Have Your Child Alert You ~ My son is annoyed by tells from strangers more than anything else. This usually encourages him to let me know and I take the appropriate action needed if any.

6. Ignore Feature ~ If a person continues to try to attempt to contact your child while in game, teach your child how to add them to their ignore list. Once on the list, that character has all of their tells blocked.

7. Block Actions ~ Some games will allow you to block trades, duel requests, guild invitations, and other social tools. Make sure you have all those options blocked on your child's computer.

8. Let the Other Players Know ~ A lot of time my son and I get invitations to join in a group or fellowship, or be asked for an invitation to our group. I will normally send that person tells letting them know that my son is controlling that character and that he is a young player so they know what they are getting themselves in for. If they have no problem grouping with a child, I monitor the situation closely. Most times I find that folks don't stick around too long, usually just to complete a quest or two, then we wish them well and go our seperate ways.

Once you and your child have set these straightforward gaming ground rules, log in together and have fun playing!