How dangerous are games?

Computer games - the series, part 4

In the first three parts of this gaming series, I emphasised the positive aspects of digital gaming. And for good reason: when parents think about the world of video games, they usually only think about the negative aspects. Unfortunately, this is a very unfavourable prerequisite for starting a conversation with children.

In any case, they often have the uncomfortable feeling of having to defend themselves against parental reservations when gaming. That's why they don't buy the idea of protection, but sense an impending ban in every argument. That's what makes things so difficult.

Nevertheless, there is no doubt that there are a number of dangers associated with gaming that we want to protect our children from. However, in order to teach them appropriately, we must first earn their trust when it comes to video games.

As a parent, you need to be aware of these seven dangers:

1. beware of rip-offs
The games industry has been making huge profits in the app market for years with the unfair free-to-play business model. This type of game appears to be free and «gives» gamers a limited number of gold coins or weapons, for example. As soon as the supply is used up, which happens quite quickly, they can replenish it with little money. At my workshops in schools, children tell me time and again that they have «accidentally» spent 600 francs or more on various games. It is precisely because they don't realise that there is a system worth billions behind it that we have to explain it to them.

2. when games exert pressure
Games put pressure by sending messages that lure gamers back into the game so that they end up spending money after all. These notifications can be deactivated, but then progress and content can sometimes be lost. An almost unsolvable dilemma.

3. cyberbullying in games
Children and young people can not only be victims of abuse and malice on social networks, but also in games when they communicate with other players via headset or chat. This can be unpleasant not only verbally, but also through actions, for example when other players deliberately spoil a move and the associated success. Parents rarely notice this form of conflict.

4. games as an Eldorado for paedophiles
The online world of games is a very popular place for paedophiles. In game chats, they pretend to be gamers of the same age and gain the trust of children. We cannot warn our children often enough about paedophile criminals. Swiss Crime Prevention has addressed the topic for parents in a video («Grooming: And you? Would you have said yes?»).

5. challenges with dangerous tests of courage
Challenges are not games in the classic sense. But these challenges have a playful character on social networks. It may seem harmless when individuals pour a bucket of ice cubes over themselves in the Ice Bucket Challenge. However, it's no fun at all when it comes to life-threatening tests of courage - such as filming yourself in front of an approaching train or scaring cows in pastures. Recently, a ten-year-old girl died in Sicily after strangling herself to death in the Blackout Challenge on TikTok.

6 Violence in games
Violence in games is - just like in action films - the salt in the soup. However, many parents don't have a good feeling when their children spend their time playing violent games. And rightly so! Even if there is no scientific proof to date that violence in games automatically leads to real-life violence, there is no convincing reason for me why we should let children go to virtual war or into a zombie horror house. The motives of children and young people are clear: on the one hand, they are exploring their desire for fear, on the other hand, at the age of twelve, they think they are particularly daring when they play shooters that are banned for their age from 18. This may be understandable, but brutal games have no place in the hands of children.

7 The danger of addiction
When parents see on a daily basis how difficult it is for their children to break away from their games and find no end to them, the fear of a possible addiction is particularly great. Although the diagnosis of «gaming disorder» was included in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (OCD-11) in 2019, there is still disagreement among experts. What is addictive: the game, the way the child deals with it, the duration or the loss of control? If children game too much, their gaming behaviour is problematic to abusive in most cases, but it does not always equal addiction. Time limits are necessary, even if they are difficult to enforce. We are therefore often not dealing with an addiction problem, but with a parenting problem. I feel it is particularly important to mention another danger, which is usually insidious: speechlessness in children's media use. When children discover games as a favourite leisure activity at a young age, they are often left to their own devices. The digital game quickly develops into the ideal place of retreat. Because they find it difficult to cope with themselves. Because puberty confuses them. Because everyday demands are more difficult for them. And because the game gives them security. In order to protect them from potential dangers in gaming, we should listen to them with genuine interest when they tell us about their digital adventures and recognise their undoubtedly remarkable skills. If you don't maintain a dialogue with your children at an early stage, you won't be able to get through to a 16-year-old.