Relooking at the ‘Gaming’, the ‘Meta’ world that we are so much in awe of…
Gaming, Metaverse seem to be today’s buzz words. Human profiles are represented as avatars which become extension of the real world, using currencies to buy and sell, visiting virtual cafes, meeting friends virtually and more. It is virtual, yet little real; your ‘virtual reality’ basically!
There are potential hazards even as these seem to be great technical advancements.
Gaming
Heard of Roblox recently? A Google search will tell you that it is an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation. Users can play and create games on this platform. There are real time chat features with online people.
A recent find by BBC reveals that there are games on this platform that are not suitable to children. In 2020 Roblox admitted that two-thirds of all US children between the ages of nine and 12, use the games. Roblox sex games are commonly referred to on the platform as “condos”. They’re spaces, generated by users, where people can talk about sex — and where their avatars can have virtual sex.
Children and adults are mixing in these rooms which is a huge cause of worry for the safety of the children.
Roblox is not the only internet game/platform which is harmful for the young children. RapeLay, a 3D video game released in Japan in 2006 centred on a male character who sexually assaults women. The game was eventually banned in Argentina, Malaysia, Thailand and other countries.
Remember PUBG? The game was in the news for all the wrong reasons — from kids falling sick to causing harm to their family members, from accidents to not being able to clear regular exams all due to the addiction. No wonder the game was banned in many countries.
There are too many gaming addiction horrors to be listed. The common outcome from these games is the distress caused to the gamer, mental and physical, followed by breakdown, and more.
Meta
Metaverse, basically is a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection. It is a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal virtual world that is facilitated by the use of virtual and augmented reality headsets.
Is Metaverse the future? Facebook’s parent company, Meta, introduced a new “Personal Boundary” feature but soon after the launch, there has been allegations of sexual attempts.
We will have divergent opinions on this as Metaverse will slowly start to influence our online experiences.
Let’s watch this space!
Gaming Disorders
Do you know what is Gaming disorder? It is a pattern of gaming behaviour which can cause an overwhelming urge to spend maximum time on gaming while ignoring other necessary activities. The psychological symptoms can range from disinterest in other social activities, withdrawal from routine activities, depression, relationship neglect to physiological symptoms like loss of appetite, Rickets(lack of natural light/sunlight), Deep Vein Thrombosis(DVT) and more.
What can be done to help our children?
- Parental Control tools can be used to restrict who children interact with and which experiences they can access
- Parents can monitor what games the children play and research these games online
- Limiting gaming/screen time can also help in exercising some control
- Speaking to the children and engaging them in discussions will give a fair idea of their gaming involvement. A questioning and probing approach may not be helpful and may lead the child to feel insecure
- Making the children aware of the potential risks and impacts, telling them about the dangers of chatting with anonymous online gamers surely will help in bringing about some awareness in the child
- Involve and encourage the children to participate in outdoor activities, sports, photography, hiking so as to reduce their screen time
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/zuckerberg-metaverse-virtual-reality-horizon-worlds/
