Kids OnLine Games

[Davie_GLA]

Evening all.

Does anyone else have a kid that plays online games?

My daughter is obsessed with a game. Massive online game that encourages the players to roam around the fictional online land.

It's fairly well built and well moderated but as you can guess it offers in game purchases, for the local currency. For this exchange they can buy horses, tack etc. I counted. I'm £1200 poorer for what i've put into it over the last 14 months.

I consider myself restrained so i'm sure i'm not the highest roller in this space, they must be making a fortune.

The reason for the post really is that she has now discovered Roblox. This too has in game purchases, this is called Robux (clever eh). Now this is a little less expensive but the games really do look like my daughter has drawn them on a school project.

I'm worried about online safety / privacy etc. I check things regularly and she only uses computers / laptops / tablets that i've configured to go through a proxy server so i can see what's what if i need to.

Am i being overly paranoid? Certainly half stupid with the cash i've put into it.

Edited by Davie_GLA on Wednesday 21st March 11:02

[AndrewEH1]

£1,200?!?!

Jesus...

Get her playing Minecraft or something far far cheaper

Edited by AndrewEH1 on Tuesday 20th March 21:28

[Davie_GLA]

AndrewEH1 said:

£1,200?!?!

Jesus...

Get her playing Minecraft or something far far cheaper

Edited by AndrewEH1 on Tuesday 20th March 21:28

She plays that too to be fair and is very good at it. She's also started looking at a minecraft coding thing that we found. It's far better for the brain!

[AndrewEH1]

Davie_GLA said:

She plays that too to be fair and is very good at it. She's also started looking at a minecraft coding thing that we found. It's far better for the brain!

I'm sure with some careful searching you can find kid friendly servers, or even set one up for her and her friends to probably play too.

[Jader1973]

I've read some rather alarming articles about Roblox.

Therefore I was not over the moon when the OH told me she'd let our son create an account. I got the "but he has to learn how to manage these things himself, it is part of life" talk. Then the next day the BBC had an article about a kiddie fiddler using it to get a kid to send him naked pics. That changed her viewpoint slightly.

So he isn't allowed on it unless she is sitting next to him.


Oh, and 1200 quid - are you insane??

[Davie_GLA]

Jader1973 said:

I've read some rather alarming articles about Roblox.

Therefore I was not over the moon when the OH told me she'd let our son create an account. I got the "but he has to learn how to manage these things himself, it is part of life" talk. Then the next day the BBC had an article about a kiddie fiddler using it to get a kid to send him naked pics. That changed her viewpoint slightly.

So he isn't allowed on it unless she is sitting next to him.


Oh, and 1200 quid - are you insane??

I know, never thought about it like that til i sat down and tallied it up. It was a tenner here, twenty here... No more though unless she's funding it herself.

My primary concern is also predators that could be anyone, Star Stable is a little harder to allow that to happen as it's more expensive but that's not to say that it's some 40 year old dude. There is a PM system that can be switched off and nothing has come through that as yet.

Roblox just looks ropey as hell. I watch that more closely.

[zarjaz1991]

The solution to this is simply “No”.

[GrumpyTwig]

Davie_GLA said:

Am i being overly paranoid? Certainly half stupid with the cash i've put into it.

Only half? That's an insane amount to pay out for any game and does nothing to teach her the value of money. Sorry OP but you're crackers spending that money on a game, all the things you could have done with her and instead splooged into the pocket of some games publisher.

Nuts.

[Davie_GLA]

GrumpyTwig said:

Only half? That's an insane amount to pay out for any game and does nothing to teach her the value of money. Sorry OP but you're crackers spending that money on a game, all the things you could have done with her and instead splooged into the pocket of some games publisher.

Nuts.

She does understand the value of money, there are multiple other areas that we teach her this. But you're right, madness. It will be reduced greatly going forward.

[KrazyIvan]

Nope for a number of reasons.

Firstly the likes of Fortinte do not bring out the best in young/early teens, you only have to look online at the language/fustration/anger/racial abuse, to see what a bad influence a lot of online gaming is to a developing mind.

We also have a rule that real money is not used to buy "fake make believe" stuff

[Davie_GLA]

KrazyIvan said:

Nope for a number of reasons.

Firstly the likes of Fortinte do not bring out the best in young/early teens, you only have to look online at the language/fustration/anger/racial abuse, to see what a bad influence a lot of online gaming is to a developing mind.

We also have a rule that real money is not used to buy "fake make believe" stuff

That's not a bad rule. I had a look at fortnite too. You land and are encouraged to bludgeon your first encounter to death with it.

[ZedLeg]

Jader1973 said:

I've read some rather alarming articles about Roblox.

Therefore I was not over the moon when the OH told me she'd let our son create an account. I got the "but he has to learn how to manage these things himself, it is part of life" talk. Then the next day the BBC had an article about a kiddie fiddler using it to get a kid to send him naked pics. That changed her viewpoint slightly.

So he isn't allowed on it unless she is sitting next to him.


Oh, and 1200 quid - are you insane??

The peado Roblox stories are internet scare stories bks. There isn't any evidence that kids are being targeted through Roblox any more than anywhere else.

[N0ddie]

Our little one (he's 6) is allowed to play online. He plays Fortnite, PUBG (only with me), Plants vs. Zombies, Splatoon 2, Minecraft and Roblox. However, he is not mic'd up ie. nobody can talk to him and the reverse.

He is not allowed to buy add-ons (other than when he gets Xbox Live gift cards for birthday or Christmas) as these can quickly get out of hand.

£1200? You are off yer heed!

[Steve Campbell]

KrazyIvan said:

We also have a rule that real money is not used to buy "fake make believe" stuff

We considered that approach but decided against an out and out ban. Teenager gets pocket money (linked to some basic chores and attitude), then it's his money to spend. Any purchases on PS4 go through my account and he has to ask, and pay up with cash, before I will add to the wallet.

I always ask what it is he's buying and why he thinks its value for money, but in the end, if he wants to spend his pocket money on ridiculous new avatars so it looks cool, and not save up for a new "whatever" which is bigger / better....that's up to him. I never fund in game purchases...its all from his money.

£1200 !! you really must be crazy ! :-) "I consider myself restrained " .....errrrr....no

[ZedLeg]

If he's happy to pay it, then fair play to the op. How do people think the developers of free to play games pay the bills? If you/your kids like the game and play a lot give the devs a bit of money.

[GrumpyTwig]

ZedLeg said:

If he's happy to pay it, then fair play to the op. How do people think the developers of free to play games pay the bills? If you/your kids like the game and play a lot give the devs a bit of money.

I used to play a LOT of computer games but the concept of asking for and even receiving something on the order of £1200 for in game items boggles my mind. I'd have never have dreamt of even asking as I'd know it was both stupid and never going to happen.

On the bell curve of 'reasonable investment' into a game £1200 is outside the reasonable median.

[schmunk]

N0ddie said:

Our little one (he's 6) is allowed to play online. He plays Fortnite, PUBG (only with me), Plants vs. Zombies, Splatoon 2, Minecraft and Roblox. However, he is not mic'd up ie. nobody can talk to him and the reverse.

6? Playing Fortnite and PUBG? Blimey.

[Davie_GLA]

I draw the line at games with death / gore. I might have paid too much but it's only pretend horses and unicorns.

That said she has murdered her fair share of creepers.

[aaron_2000]

Davie_GLA said:

AndrewEH1 said:

£1,200?!?!

Jesus...

Get her playing Minecraft or something far far cheaper

Edited by AndrewEH1 on Tuesday 20th March 21:28

She plays that too to be fair and is very good at it. She's also started looking at a minecraft coding thing that we found. It's far better for the brain!

I can't stress enough how much you need to get her into that. My biggest regret is not getting into IT/Programming earlier. There's actually good money in Minecraft too believe it or not.

[N0ddie]

schmunk said:

6? Playing Fortnite and PUBG? Blimey.

He tends not to play much PUBG because its too hard for him. Tends to land in a field, run aimlessly around and get picked off I shouldn't laugh but he's a tryer.

As for Fortnite? What 6 year old doesn't play it. Jack's probably the last person in his class to play it. It seems to be the big thing right now, theres even a dance they all do apparently?