Being an educator and a technology specialist, I have a unique standpoint on the use of technology. I can see the benefits and I can also see the hindrances it may cause. Enter the online gaming community. I see great potential in the online gaming community and social networking community eventually merging into a conglomerate over the next five years, a la Second Life or Sony’s Home. The integration of gaming and learning is inevitable. However, I was recently startled to find the current online gaming environment an unwelcoming community plagued with sexism, racism, vulgarities and a downright lack of respect.
I had recently purchased a Microsoft XBOX 360 console and XBOX Live account. XBOX LIVE allows the gamer to play against other players competitively in an online environment. Every XBOX360 comes with a headset microphone that allows players to chat during the game. This works very well for team based games and tasks. Coordination is a key to success in the game. In the particular game I was playing, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare I found that more often than not verbal communication was used to berate the other team or the teammates during the game. Being of a veteran of online games, it is expected to be “hazed” when you are a n00b (newcomer to the game). However in the past, these comments were less frequent and only at the end of the game. The main reason was that players had to stop their game in order to type to the other players. Communication was limited, so only vital text was sent. Now with headsets and verbal communication is it very easy to bully another player in a game with constant verbal assaults. I fear that these types of communication are the next form of cyber-bullying.
I particularly find this form of bullying interesting, because I am proponent of the iSafe program and a certified instructor. Perhaps, what was more startling than the topics and the use of language on the XBOX Live system was the ages of the people on it. The game I was playing was a game that required the purchaser to be 17+ years old. Microsoft also limits XBOX Live to users that are 18 or older. However, most of the players on Xbox live were much younger. One of the users claimed to be an eight year old, and based on his vocabulary and voice I do not doubt it. How are children playing these games? A few things could be happening: 1) the gamer lied about his/her age when signing up 2) The child uses another family member’s account that does not have the age restriction 3) The Parents let their child play online regardless of the restrictions.
Not even considering the game content, the material from the verbal conversions that these preteens are exposed to is scary. In just an hour of listening to the conversation, the topics ranged from sex, racist hate groups, drug use, back to sex, Antisemitism, hate against people in other countries or States, and back to sex again. Throughout the conversation, arguing, yelling, and bullying occurred most of the time. In fact it was difficult to play the game with all the bickering and name calling. Luckily you can selectively mute other players. Either way, children are being exposed to a community that is geared towards adults at a very young age. Some parents think that kids are just playing games and it is harmless fun. Xbox Live is not a babysitter, that can be paid merely 4000 Microsoft points ($50 USD) a year. The things that kids are learning in these online gaming communities might be harming them socially and emotionally.
To be fair, Xbox Live is not the only community and Call of Duty 4 is not the only game with this problem. In addition, there are some positive qualities to online gaming. It allows people to learn the value of cooperation and competition, working towards a common goal. It also helps foster problem solving skills and decision making. However, I find that the gaming community is not mature enough to merge with the learning community just yet.
Posts
