Gaming is a huge phenomenon, with 70% of children in the UK playing online games. World of Warcraft alone boasts 8 million registered players. According to
Wikipedia, "a computer game is a computer-controlled game where players interact with objects displayed on a screen for the sake of entertainment." Games can be made for a variety of platforms: PCs, consoles (e.g.
Nintendo Wii,
Sony Playstation 3), handhelds (e.g.
Nintendo DS Lite) and mobile phones.
They can range from the most simple, e.g. the classic
Tetris, where the player re-aligns blocks to complete lines, to the most complex massively multiplayer online role-playing games (
MMPORGs) e.g.
Star Wars Galaxies where the user plays the role of a character in the Star Wars universe, builds a career and can even become a mayor of a virtual city. In many ways, games are also social networking platforms, particularly in the case of
Second Life, a 3D game-like environment which has few of the typical game objectives.
Games often receive negative press, particularly due to their violent content but
sales data indicates that strategy games are typically the highest sellers. Educators and cultural commentators argue that games encourage analytical thinking, flexibility, problem-solving, spatial awareness and adaptability, and can be a useful component of the learning process. They allow parents and children to interact on an equal level, and encourage children to learn to act within a given rule-set and acquire self-discipline to reach their goals.
Examples of online games include:
- World of Warcraft – online fantasy game, one of the most popular games worldwide.
- Sims 2 – highly popular on and offline role-playing game simulating life of a family in a wider community.
PEGI Online PEGI Online is a new EC funded project that aims to address risks associated with real time interaction between players of online games. Game providers who meet the standards set out in the PEGI Online Safety Code will be licensed to use the label. The label will appear on packaging and websites with a hyperlink to a dedicated information site for parents and children.
