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Parents in Victoria, Australia will be taken through coaching sessions where they will be taught how to prevent their children from falling into online gaming addiction and ways to limit their exposure to gambling.
The program will also teach them how to identify behavioural red flags and risky habits in internet related activities.
This program which is government funded was recently launched along with the presentation of a review by the Victorian Responsible Gaming Foundation.
The program will take place throughout Victoria and its main target audience will be parents with children in the age group between 12 to 17.
According to the chief of the Responsible Gaming Foundation, Shane Lucas, the session will help parents to recognise and prevent excessive gaming and also cyber bullying. He noted that there are also certain games associated with gambling. These sessions will give parents the necessary skills that will help them browse the online gaming market.
Lucas also revealed that 10 of the country’s 22 most popular games had red flags in terms of being associated with online gambling. These games use tactics and gameplay strategies that could lead to young players getting real cash for their winnings.
Popular games among the list included: Assassin’s Creed Origin, Halo Wars 2, Need for Speed Payback and FIFA. These games along with few others have risky elements which include small transactions and actual purchases of virtual goods or “skins”. Because these skins are being purchased with real money, they are treated as online currency.
Poor Regulation Could Lead To Untimely Gambling Exposure
The situation has become more challenging because there are now gambling websites where these skins are bought and sold like real goods in an online store. These stores are poorly regulated and even minors can access it by ticking on a box stating that they are 18 years old. There is no other verification method required.
There are also social aspects to online gaming wherein players can chat or talk with each other. This leads to a scenario where children who are skilled at the game will get monetary offers for their winnings.
Aside from providing parents with awareness on what is happening in online games, there will also be workshops on the right approach to talk about online gaming. Parents should still acknowledge that gaming has benefits, specifically, honing the child’s comprehension and problem-solving skills.
The goal is not to ban children from gaming per se, but to ensure that they are not exposed to unwholesome elements in the gaming world.
