Make gaming safe for children

Over the past 25 years, the video gaming industry has moved from being a hobbyist market to one that makes more money than Hollywood. Most homes in the UK now have a device that can play games ­ whether it’s a games console, PC or laptop ­ and many people consider gaming an enjoyable hobby.

If you’ve got children, you might have a few concerns. For one, you’ll want to stop them playing games that are unsuitable. You might also be concerned about them playing games online. What’s more, many modern games consoles can also surf the web, so there is a possibility of the console being used to access inappropriate websites.

Fortunately, there’s an answer: parental controls. This technology restricts what children can do with a games console or PC, and you’ll find controls included with Windows Vista as well as the three most common games consoles ­ the Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. In this article we explain how to enable them and how to configure them to suit your needs.

Gaming PCs
Many desktop and laptop PCs are also great for playing games, and if you have Windows Vista you’ll find it has a great set of parental controls built in that can limit video gaming and internet access.

To access the controls, follow our step-by-step guide, 'Set age ratings in Windows Vista'. Chief among the options is the facility to set a maximum PEGI or BBFC rating (see 'Games ratings explained' below) so you can bar access to games that are unsuitable for a child’s age. Another setting allows you to specify time limits ­ perhaps the PC should only be accessible during daylight hours, or only at weekends.

There’s also a flexible internet filter. This denies access to inappropriate websites, either via a pre-set restriction level or rules that you define y ourself. Additionally, you can create a list of sites that are allowed or blocked. You can also disable all downloading, or keep and view logs of everything a child looks at online.

Vista’s parental controls don’t include an effective way to allow games but prevent them from being played online, where other players might say inappropriate things. The only way to prevent this is to use the parental controls to block all internet access ­ this will stop online gaming and web surfing.

Some games do include useful parental controls of their own, however. Look for games labelled ‘Games for Windows ­ Live’. These games provide the same Family Settings as found on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console. That makes online PC gaming about as safe as it gets. An existing Xbox Live profile can be used, but if a child doesn’t have one, a new profile can be created in-game. For more information, visit the Games for Windows website.

Unfortunately, Windows XP does not provide any parental controls of its own. There are, however, a few ways to add them, and we’ll explain how to do this later on.

Nintendo Wii
Compared with the PC, gaming on the Wii is much safer. Around 90 per cent of Wii games carry a PEGI rating of 12+ or lower, and the handful that offer online play usually allow players to compete only against people they already know. Kids can exchange a ‘friend code’ to play against a schoolfriend, for example, but won’t be matched against random players online.

If you need them, the Wii provides plenty of parental controls. At the main Wii Menu click the Wii icon in the bottom-left. Next, select Wii Settings. Click the arrow on the right to advance to the second of the three available pages, then select Parental Controls. First you’ll need to set up a four-digit Pin and also a secret question and answer that’s used if you forget the Pin. To enter these click inside the text box and type with the onscreen keyboard.

There are two groups of controls. With the first ­ Game Settings and Pin ­ you can edit the Pin and secret question and answer. More importantly, you can configure the highest game rating that can be played on the console. Click this option to choose from a list of PEGI and BBFC ratings. With the second group ­ Other Settings ­ you can prevent kids from spending Wii Points to buy new games, disable in-game communication (for games that support it) and deny access to the internet and news channels.