Warning issued to parents of gamers

RESEARCHERS from Loughborough and Newcastle Universities and the national charity Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM), have teamed up to issue vital advice for parents of young gamers about risks of in-game purchases.

They have urged parents and carers of youngsters who play video games to take steps to control addictive in-app purchases, like loot boxes and now YGAM has launched a new ‘Parent Hub’ website providing families with resources, information and activities to help build digital resilience and safeguard their children.

Measures they recommend include:

• Disabling pop-ups

• Enabling in-app and

on-device parental controls

• Set passwords for ingame purchases

• Restrict and disable inapp purchases

• Set boundaries – for

example setting a monthly spending limit

The advice builds on research at the universities which explores children and young people’s experiences of in-game purchases and the effects this has on their wellbeing.

Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the research investigates the blurring between gaming and gambling in digital games, specifically around the purchase of loot boxes. Loot boxes are digital items that are bought with real-world or in-game currency and contain random items of unknown value. They have come under increased scrutiny as games of chance, with debate focusing on whether they should be regulated to protect gamers, especially children and young people who access them.

YGAM has responded to the concerns of many parents during lockdown, as children are spending more time playing digital games online, and insists it is more important than ever to understand the potential risks associated with gaming and gambling.

The new website helps parents to understand why children are drawn to purchase loot boxes, from enjoying the surprise and suspense of opening a loot box and the desire to win something rare; to receiving specific items that give an in-game advantage or boost their social status. It also covers the potential harm loot boxes can cause, such exposure to and normalisation of gambling-style systems, emotional harm, such as feeling anger or rage in response to opening a loot box, and financial harm from repeat spending.

The advice also shows how parents can take important steps to safeguard their children, including the use of parental controls and identifying potential signs of harm.

Dr Sarah Mills, Reader

in Human Geography at Loughborough University and Co-Investigator, says: “This research values children and young people’s first-hand experiences, and reveals how they make sense of these gaming systems in their everyday lives at home.

“These views are important to capture, especially when working with relevant charities that support children, young people and families directly. The educational work of charities such as YGAM is more important than ever during the current challenges of lockdown.”

• Parents can access the

advice at www.parents. ygam.org