Over the past few weeks, we’ve been encouraging everyone to help protect children from mature games by supporting the EveryonePlays initiative and head down to their local GAME store to sign a petition supporting the introduction of an R18+ rating. As we have explained previously, there are massive holes in the Australian Classification System, where the majority of the 570 adult-rated games released in Europe since 2003 have been released here with an MA15+ rating.
As such, many parents and relatives have been misled about the potential appropriateness of game content. Through PALGN and EveryonePlays, the most pragmatic solution would be the introduction of an R18+ rating. This would not only send a clear message to everyone that the content is not suitable for children but will bring other benefits such as aligning all the classification systems in Australia and cleaning up any existing ambiguities. As stated by Dr. Andrew Campbell of the University of Sydney on a recent edition of the 7:30 report, most parents don’t even know that games could possibly have inappropriate, nor that Australia doesn’t have an R18+ rating.
However, while the introduction of an R18+ rating is the most pertinent way of protecting children from mature games, there are several other existing measures that parents can apply to help protect children from mature games NOW. These range from utilising technology such as parental controls common to modern consoles to very simple tips from one of Australia’s leading child and adolescent psychologists. In this guide, we’ll provide you with some of the existing ways that you can protect children from mature games, with tips from Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg, some facts that you probably didn’t know and information and pointers on how to access the parental controls on all current consoles.
Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg.
Tips from the top
Renowned Australian child psychologist, Dr. Michael Carr-Gregg has the following tips for helping parents and other responsible entities protect children from mature games:
- Set limits and controls:
Dr. Carr-Gregg recommends that parents set limits on the amount of time that children are allowed to spend playing video games per week. As stated in the Professor Anderson study on violent video games and aggression, ''If you have a child with no other risk factors for aggression and violence, and if you allow them to suddenly start playing video games five hours to 10 hours a week, they're not going to become a school shooter''. It is also recommended that parents take an active interest in the consoles in the home and learn how to set the parental controls. Modern consoles have an unprecedented amount of parental controls, and while a lot of parents may be worried about the ‘new-fangled technology’, they’re not all that hard to access. Below, we’ve listed the parental control features on each console, as well as where you can find information on how to set them.
What a lot of people probably didn’t know, is that the Xbox 360 has a ‘Family Timer’, which can help parents actively regulate the amount of time that kids can spend playing during a week. iGEA’s Ron Curry also recommends something called the ‘off switch’ or ‘power button’ when all else fails. For parents overall, it’s no longer just their word that will dictate what kids can and cannot access during their play sessions. The tools are there for disposal, they just need to be applied. And as consoles look to become more user friendly and accessible, parents shouldn’t be scared about taking a plunge into the unknown.
- Monitor your children’s purchases:
In conjunction with the above point, Dr. Carr-Gregg suggests that parents take an active interest in their child’s hobby, and this includes monitoring their purchases. If your child asks for you to buy a game for them, get active and do some research on it. Is it appropriate for your child? Do you think it may be too violent or contain inappropriate content? All this information is readily available on the Internet - from sites such as PALGN, to community sites such as Gameparents - there are plenty of places that will outline the content of games. It’s up to the parents then to decide whether they think it is suitable for their child or not.
- Talking to your children:
Inevitably, if you block a purchase or prevent your child from playing a game that you may consider too violent or to contain inappropriate material, the likely question to follow will be ‘why?’. Psychologists explain that sitting down with your child and explaining to them why something may not be appropriate will more than likely put them off playing the game in the first place.
But there is no need to stop at your children. Talk to other parents and other children to see their take on a game if you are unsure about it. If you feel as a parent that you’re unsure in your understanding of games, that doesn’t mean that others are unsure as well. As an offshoot, you may end up finding out about games that do happen to be appropriate.
- Keep the bedroom door open, or have the game consoles in an open area:
According the Professor Craig Anderson study that we examined in a previous feature, he raises claims that the Japanese have a higher amount of violent media than Western societies. Yet, they have lower crime rates and aggression effects. Aside from cultural differences, one of the attributable factors is that less Japanese children have their own TVs in their rooms and that they’re much more likely to play their games in open, common areas.
Furthermore, where parents can watch what their children are playing and get more involved with what their children play, Anderson found that these children are less likely to have violent media affect their behaviour.
Taking an interest in your kid's hobbies is one of the best things you can do.
The following two sections have been extracted from an earlier PALGN article: An R18+ rating would protect children, by Jason Picker.
The R18+ rating offers additional protection
Currently, the MA15+ classification is the only legally enforceable one for games in Australia. Each state and territory has its own legislation in regards to penalties for selling MA15+ and R18+ rated material to minors. However, penalties are generally greater for the sale of R18+ rated material to minors than for MA15+ material.
For example, in NSW the maximum penalty for selling an MA15+ rated game to a minor is up to $5,500 for a person and $11,000 for a corporation. For an R18+ rated film the maximum penalty is double that. In Tasmania, the sale of a MA15+ game to a minor can attract up to a $2,200 fine, but for an R18+ rated film, it is up to $5,500 and/or a 12 month jail term.
It makes sense that an R rating for games would offer the same punishments that the R rating for films currently offers, providing a greater deterrent against retailers doing the wrong thing and keeping potentially damaging content away from minors.
Recently, a media investigation uncovered that retailers have been lax in their application of the MA15+ rating, where support has now been thrown behind the R18+ rating introduction in order to place a greater onus on the retailers and to help prevent ignorance and confusion.
More parents understand the R18+ rating
The only survey we could find on the level of recognition and comprehension of the classification system was a 2002 report from the Office of Film and Literature Classification titled ‘Australian Consumers’ Understanding of Classification Information’. The report found that the MA15+ symbol is not well recognised or understood in either movie or film classification. The report found that:
“There is obvious confusion with regard to the MA15+ symbol. It is most commonly interpreted (40%) to indicate a film is for mature audiences. Consumers are failing to distinguish the “accompanied” and legally restrictive elements of MA15+ from that of the M15+ classification.”
While the recognition and understanding of the MA15+ rating has probably improved over the past seven years since this report was issued, it still would not be as recognisable as the R18+ rating which has been around since 1971.
With regard to the R18+ classification, the majority (65%) of people recognised it and understood it according to the survey. A further 23% gave responses that indicated they knew the symbol meant that the material was for adults, and not children. The Classification Board concluded that there seems to be "little confusion with this symbol".
So if an R18+ rating was put on games with high impact content, such as those just scraping in under the MA15+ classification, parents would better understand it and know that they shouldn't be letting their young children play it.
This rating gets recognised.
Parental Controls
While some may argue that there are an unprecedented amount of violent games, an irrefutable fact is that there are more parental controls available on modern consoles than ever before. Some parents may not be too technically minded or too good with electronics, but as we’ve discussed in previous features and as Dr. Carr-Gregg recommends, taking an interest and learning how to deal with the machines will definitely help you to protect your children from mature games. The following is a list of the security features on each of the current consoles and we’ve included links to the support sections from each company, because they can be a little tricky to find sometimes. For a quick and easy guide on how to use these parental controls, check out this article from Digital Trends.
Nintendo Wii
Upon setting a 4-digit PIN, the Nintendo Wii has one set of Parental Controls per system. It offers the following Parental Controls:
- Access to Wii Software and Related Content – this will allow parents to set access to Nintendo Wii, Virtual Console and WiiWare games and related content based on the Classification Board game classifications. This will not apply to Nintendo GameCube games though.
- Internet Channel – controls access to the browser
- New Channel – controls access to the news channel
- Wii Message – systems updates will still come through
- Use of Points – controls how the Wii Shop ‘currency’ is used
Full information on how all this can be accessed, can be found here: In the Nintendo Wii manual on page 48-51.
Nintendo also released a Corporate Social Responsibility Report addressing Parental Control and many more issues in 2008.
Nintendo support in Australia can be contacted on: (03) 9730 9822
And the site for all other support is: http://www.nintendo.com.au/support/index.php?action=help
Right at the top and easy to access.
And all the warnings are there too.
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 offers parental control on all ‘local content’. This includes digital content stored on the hard disk, content on storage media (SD cards, USB) and discs – so games, DVDs and Blu-Rays. It should be noted that while these settings do not restrict access to online content (such as individual websites), whether or not the Internet browser can be accessed at all can be controlled. All Parental controls are setup up through the ‘Master Account’. So it’s recommended that parents create the Master Account that is password accessed and that their children take sub-accounts, where they will have no access to Parental Control.
In order to satisfy numerous regions and Classification systems, the PlayStation 3 classification control is segregated into numbers from 1-11. The diagram below illustrates just how these numbers work for Australia (and NZ).
Full information on how all this can be accessed, can be found here: In the PlayStation 3 manual.
More information on what the PlayStation 3 Parental Controls cover can be found here at: Stay in Control and Play Safe Online.
Sony support in Australia can be contacted on: 1300 365 911
And the site for all other support is: http://au.playstation.com/support/
Again, fairly close to the top to access.
From 1 to 11, here are the categories covered in the PS3 classification controls. But, something doesn’t fit, does it?
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 possibly has the most comprehensive set of parental controls, which in this case are known as ‘Family Settings’. At a glance:
- You can decide what your kids will play, both online and off.
- Set levels of protection for games, DVDs, and Xbox Live. This is similar to the PlayStation 3 controls.
- Use pass code to protect you own Family Settings.
- Control access to all the features of Xbox Live.
- Set levels of protection for gameplay and friends lists.
- Decide who your child can communicate with online.
- Use a pass code to protect your Family Settings.
More information on the Family Settings can be found: On this site.
More information on the online Family Settings can be found: On this site.
More information on the Family Timer can be found: On this site.
And iGEA provide a fact sheet on the timer: On this site.
Microsoft support in Australia can be contacted on: 1800 555 741
And the site for all other support is: http://www.xbox.com/en-AU/support/contact/
Plenty of control options.
And even a timer to help out.
Conclusion
While we still advocate that having an R18+ rating is an essential way for protecting children from mature games, we hope that you managed to find some useful hints on how children can be protected right now and learned a fun fact or two. If you haven’t already done so, head down to your nearest GAME store and sign a petition today, and that will further help to protect children from mature games.
Head to the new Everyoneplays website here.
Find your nearest GAME store by clicking here.
And don’t forget to spread the word through our social media pages:
Become a fan of EveryonePlays!
Follow EveryonePlays on Twitter!
Loading...
