For some children, online gaming provides a social network through which they can also just talk to their friends, regardless of whether or not they were actually playing. Children consider the shared experience of gaming to be just as important to their friendships, as other non-digital experiences. In a world where children are less and less likely to be allowed out to play with friends outside of the home, for many children, online gaming and their social lives are closely intertwined. “If a lot of people like it at school, you think you’ll like it as well” Children choose to play games they know their friends are playing in order to cement their friendships and bond over common shared interests. Most online social interactions are with people the children already know outside of online gameplay, such as school friends, and gaming provides a chance to build on these connections. In this way, online gaming extends normal play into the digital landscape, and children play by the same social rules that they apply offline.

These can include socialising with their friends, learning new skills, and above all, having fun. A form of play: the positives to online gamingĬhildren say there are benefits to playing online.

We spoke to children aged 10 to 16 to better understand what they love and what they dislike about gaming and how gaming could be improved for them. The possible link between gaming and gambling, and the concurrent risk of addiction, is also a source of concern. A growing concern is around the potential for children to be negatively affected by violent imagery and other inappropriate content. There are worries that over-exposure to video game content may have a damaging effect on the development and socialisation of young people, something compounded by concerns about the length of time children spend playing. Many of these concerns tend to stem from more general concerns about child safety online rather than actual experiences of gaming. While children can get great pleasure from playing games, either alone or with their friends, the widespread popularity of gaming and the evolution of gaming from offline to online has raised a number of concerns, such as children being able to talk to strangers or becoming the target of bullying. Yet despite its popularity, the culture of ‘gaming’- its rules and its rituals, the varying profiles of players, the risks they face – tends to be spoken of by adults, whether they be policymakers or parents, as if it were an alien landscape. The overwhelming majority of children (93 percent) in the UK play video games.

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