It's More Than A Game, It's Their Life!

     They called it Snowmageddon, Snowpocalypse, Storm of the Century, and other names.  Regardless, the Blizzard of 2011 hit the history books as one of the largest on record due to its size.  It encompassed twenty-some states and affected up to one-third of the US population.  In Michigan where I am from, some five-hundred school districts and independent schools were closed and some were closed for multiple days.  That's a lot of kids cooped up at home looking for something to pass the time, and roads were so bad that it was dangerous to travel anywhere--even to go sledding or skiing, which are typical snow day activities around here.  With the inability to get out somewhere, it is likely that too many kids turned to the Internet or video games for entertainment.

     I probably could turn the other cheek if our youth engaged in an occasional online indulgence on a snow day or vacation day from school, but that is simply not the case.  In the latest tallies, Facebook reports that it has over 500 million active users, many of whom are teens and tweens, who log more than 700 billion minutes per month in their accounts.  Additionally, according to Insafe, online gamers spend an average of 8 hours per week playing online.  

      All of this time that our youth are spending "connected" is having adverse affects on them.  First, teens today sleep an average of two to three hours less than their counterparts did ten years ago.  Second,

the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) cautions that spending large amounts of time playing video games can create problems such as:

•   Poor social skills
•   Time away from family, school-work, and other hobbies
•   Lower grades and reading less
•   Lack of exercise and obesity 

Finally, the AACAP also warns that exposure to violent video games such as World of Warcraft, which is played by over 13 million registered players and up to 250,000 players simultaneously, can increase aggressive feelings and thoughts in children and adolescents.
      Playing in "virtual reality" is not a pastime that is going away anytime soon. Sales transactions in virtual worlds of virtual goods were estimated at $18 billion in 2009.  Additionally, in 2008, Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Play Games (MMORPGs) generated worldwide subscription revenues of $1.5 billion, and have been forecast to reach $2.5 billion by 2012.

      In recognition of these statistics, Safer Internet Day is celebrated around the world each year on the second day of the second week of the second month of the year – which this year is today --Tuesday, February 8, 2011. In observation of the 8th Annual Safer Internet Day, hundreds of events have been organized for today and throughout the month of February to heighten awareness around online safety issues.  The goal is to promote safe and responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world.  The topic for 2011 is "our virtual lives" around the slogan " It's more than a game, it's your life".

      The topic 'virtual lives' encompasses online gaming – from simple games such as those on Pogo to MMORPGs – and social networking, which are the two online activities that are most popular with youth.  Kids need to understand how their real selves live through virtual experiences. In MMORPGs such as World of Warcraft, which is the world's largest MMORPG, or Second Life, which had 18 million registered users in January 2010, players are fully immersed in a world of fantasy and are totally able to escape into the game because they hide their real selves behind avatars.  In social networks such as Facebook or MySpace there is a fine and often unclear line between virtual and real.  It is important for youth to understand that using a pseudonym does not shield them from exposure to real life behaviors such as bullying, rejection, or peer conflicts.  Additionally, they need to develop a full understanding of how actions in their virtual life can impact their real life, meaning that the real self can be and often is easily and persistently misrepresented.  When working as a middle school and high school counselor, it was a daily event for me to help at least one group of students sort out and cope with cyberbullying issues or peer conflicts that stemmed from misrepresentations and/or misinterpretations on MySpace. 
      Educators and parents can easily take part in Safer Internet Day by engaging children in conversation regarding the risks associated with having an online identity.  Additionally, parents can help their children by setting boundaries around their Internet and gaming usage including time limits and parental supervision, privilege only after all homework is done, and placing encouragement and emphasis on engaging in extracurricular activities such as sports, music, artistic endeavors, or religious or community service groups.   
     If there is continued concern about the child's preoccupation or obsession with aggressive or violent video games or spending excessive amounts of time online, a consultation with a qualified mental health professional may be helpful. Log on to the AACAP website for more tips on how parents can avoid the problems associated with excessive video gaming.

Remember, it's more than a game...Help them to win at LIFE!