This summer, our camps saw a record number of participants, many of whom were experiencing guided gaming education for the first time. During these camps, we observed what kind of needs children have when transitioning to online gaming. This article will interest you especially if you are considering letting your child play on open game servers or have been thinking about your gamer's online behavior and safety.
Unsupervised Game Servers are Breeding Grounds for Toxic Gaming Culture
Many newcomers to School of Gaming clubs or camps are surprised to learn that on our servers, you are not allowed to:
- Attack other players
- Bully or harass fellow gamers
- Steal from other players
- Destroy others' creations
- Cheat
- Write any kind of trash in the game chat
- Kill other players' pets
And that you will be caught for any infractions because our servers are equipped with extensive tools to detect wrongdoing.
Our gaming educators have a toolkit full of measures and a disciplinary ladder to teach offenders a respectful gaming culture and online behavior. Moreover, all actions are communicated to the parents.
One first-timer, who had destroyed a fellow camper's house and stolen everything from their chest, remarked in a discussion that such behavior is common on other servers.
That might be true. On unsupervised servers, such mischief often goes unpunished. In the absence of rules, anything is allowed, and the only consequence might be some harsh feedback from fellow players. The cycle of revenge is a common behavior we have to help gamers unlearn.
Because everyone looks like a game character, children often forget that behind that avatar is another child who genuinely grieves for their killed pet pony, stolen hard-earned treasures, and destroyed home base. On School of Gaming servers, our gaming educators make offenders face their victims, return stolen items, and rebuild the destroyed properties together.
Overcoming Toxic Behavior
Not all first-time gamers are wild and unruly. We have watched with joy and pride as our seasoned campers and club members demonstrated the basics of respectful and inclusive online gaming in this year’s camps. They understood that mischief and being a general “Dementor” have consequences, and they also knew that helping out and being inclusive leads to much more enjoyable games than chaos and anarchy.
The essence of Minecraft is in the online multiplayer environment. Adventuring and building together unlocks a whole new dimension of the game. Together, you can go further and accomplish bigger projects.
Without common rules, adult supervision, and the understanding that wrongdoings have consequences, gaming descends into the anarchy familiar from "Lord of the Flies," where tyranny, the laws of the jungle, and cycles of revenge take center stage. You don't want your gamer to end up on the same island as the children in the book while playing their favorite game online, do you?
How can you, as a parent, guide your child towards safe and good online behavior? And if your child has already been exposed to toxic gaming culture, how can you help them unlearn these behaviors?
-> Read more: Important! Three Tips to Guide Your Child Towards Safe, Empathetic, and Developmental Online Gaming
Did you like this blog post? Then maybe you like School of Gaming too!
School of Gaming offers online gaming education for families. When your child engages in gaming under the guidance of our trained and adult gaming educators, you can rest assured: They are in good hands, in a safe environment, and becoming more civilized digital citizens thanks to their hobby.