Achtung! WolfensteinGaming: How much is too much?

Who am I? why should you listen?

• Played games excessively for 33 years and have bronze swimming badge• It means I have kept my head just above the waterline in the real world!

• Chairman of the Chartered Institute for IT (Jersey Section)• 280 Members includes 50 chartered professionals, 20 Fellows.

• Gave up most gaming time to do something else. Sport, writing and editing courses and books. Book out last week, nothing to do with gaming, just buy it!

• Have 3 children 2 of which are obsessed with computer games.

Agenda

• Defining video games• brief history, market value, how we interface, understanding game genres and

their content type

• Busting myths, reviewing gaming benefits and identifying the hooks• “My kids are addicts, my husband has a problem”. Why are they like that?

Question from a 4th dan black belt “in CANDY CRUSH!”.Your turn – HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH???

• Building a social and acceptable play strategy• What works for you and I, may not work for them. Lets layout some basic rules

we can monitor, review and adjust.

• Take advantage of the passion• Convert to creativity, enable and inspire the next generation.

Defining video games - history

• The history of video games goes as far back as the early 1950s, when academics began designing simple games, simulations, and artificial intelligence programs as part of their computer science research. Video gaming would not reach mainstream popularity until the 1970s and 1980s, when arcade video games, gaming consoles and home computer games were introduced to the general public. Since then, video gaming has become a popular form of entertainment and a part of modern culture in most parts of the world. As of 2014, there are eight generations of video game consoles.

Defining video games – global market

• Mobile could drive total games software industry revenue to $100B by 2017

• Games dominate mobile app usage and revenue Games took 32% of 2013 mobile app usage (blended iOS/Android tablet/smartphone) - 67% of tablet usage

Games took ~74% of 2013 mobile app revenue and ~40% of mobile app downloads

Source: Digi Capital - Global Games Investment Review 2014 Q3 Update

Defining video games – interface

• Video games generally involve human interaction through an interface, we play games on devices such as:• Smart TVs, incar or inflight entertainment systems, arcade machines,

tablets, mobile phones, consoles and PCs. We use devices ranging from mouse, keyboard, joystick or whole body (e.g. wii and Kinect)

• Augmented reality is coming back, wearable devices are here and printing 3D objects to interact with games is on our roadmap.

• A great read on the evolution of interfaces -http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/video-games-ui-evolution/

Defining video games – genre / content type

• Action / Action Adventure

• Adventure

• Strategy

• Simulation

• Strategy

• Sports

Busting myths

• "Annual trends in video game sales for the past 33 years were unrelated to violent crime both concurrently and up to four years later. Unexpectedly, monthly sales of video games were related to concurrent decreases in aggravated assaults and were unrelated to homicides. Searches for violent video game walkthroughs and guides were also related to decreases in aggravated assaults and homicides two months later. Finally, homicides tended to decreasein the months following the release of popular M-rated violent video games."

• "Finding that a young man who committed a violent crime also played a popular video game, such as Call of Duty, Halo, or Grand Theft Auto, is as pointless as pointing out that the criminal also wore socks.“

Source - Violent Video Games and Real-World Violence: Rhetoric Versus Data

Are there some benefits?

Games –

• help children who are ill or have injuries

• are known to improve hand-eye co-ordination

• induce decision making

• create team players and enhance social skills

• known to enhance creativity

• Improve language and math skills

• help children gain self confidence

• teach players problem solving, motivation, and cognitive skills

Source - http://www.ocmodshop.com/10-benefits-of-video-games/

Identify the hooks

Games are designed to be just difficult enough to be truly challenging, while allowing players to achieve small accomplishments that compel them to keep playing. In that respect, the design of video games is similar to the design of gambling casinos, which will allow players to have small "wins" that keep them playing. There are several "hooks" that are built into games with the intent of making them "addictive":

Source - http://www.video-game-addiction.org/what-makes-games-addictive.html

Identify the hooks

The High Score

• Whether you've tried out the latest edition of Grand Theft Auto or haven't played a video game since PacMan, the high score is one of the most easily recognizable hooks. Trying to beat the high score (even if the player is trying to beat his own score) can keep a player playing for hours.

Beating the Game

• This "hook" isn't used in online role-playing games, but is found in nearly every gaming system. The desire to beat the game is fed as a player "levels up," or finds the next hidden clue.

Source - http://www.video-game-addiction.org/what-makes-games-addictive.html

Identify the hooks

Role-Playing

• Role-playing games allow players to do more than just play - they get to actually create the characters in the game and embark on an adventure that's somewhat unique to that character. Consequently, there's an emotional attachment to the character, and the story makes it much harder to stop playing.

Discovery

• The exploration or discovery tactic is most often used in role-playing games. One of the most popular online games currently is World of Warcraft, and a good portion of the game is spent exploring imaginary worlds. This thrill of discovery (even of places that don't really exist) can be extremely compelling.

Source - http://www.video-game-addiction.org/what-makes-games-addictive.html

Identify the hooks

Relationships

• Again, this is primarily an online "hook." Online role-playing games allow people to build relationships with other players. For some kids, this online community becomes the place where they're most accepted, which draws them back again and again.

Source - http://www.video-game-addiction.org/what-makes-games-addictive.html

Interlude

How much is too much?

Building a social and acceptable play strategy

• Know the risks of online gaming

• Kids might download the bad with the good. When kids download games from less-than-reputable sites or through links in email, instant, or text messages, they might also be getting offensive content, spam, or malicious software.

• Some “free” games may require an extensive profile, and then the game owners could illegally rent or sell the child’s data.

• Kids might bump into bullies. Some gamers play simply to harass and taunt other players using bad language, cheating, or attacking them inappropriately.

• Bad people might befriend kids. Some adults may try to earn the trust of gamers by pretending to be kids, sharing tips on how to win, or giving gifts like points. They may be trying to run a scam or angling for a phone call or an in-person meeting.

Source: - http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/family-safety/gaming-about.aspx

Building a social and acceptable play strategy

• Teach kids rules for safer gaming

• Keep personal information a secret. Advise kids never to share personal information about themselves or their family with other players—their real name, email or home address, age, gender, pictures, and the like.

• Protect game accounts with strong passwords:

• Strong passwords are at least eight characters (longer is better) and include a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols. Learn how to create them.

• Cheaters and hackers most often gain access because they were given a password, so teach kids never to share passwords with anyone (except parents).

• Make up a safe gamer name. Help children choose screen names and gamer tags (such as Kinect ID) that do not reveal anything personal, are not suggestive, and do not make kids easy to locate.

Source: - http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/family-safety/gaming-about.aspx

Building a social and acceptable play strategy

• Explore online games together

• Play with your kids or sit with them while they play. You will have fun and learn about their gaming, too.

• Check the ratings of the games your kids want to play. In the U.S. and Canada, most games sold at retail stores are described and rated by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Use these ratings as you discuss the most appropriate games with your child or teen.

• Stick to well-known games or those from reputable sites. If you use well-known gaming sites like MSN Games, Xbox LIVE, or Yahoo! Games, you reduce the risk of downloading viruses or being scammed.

• Review the game’s terms of play:

• Find out how the game service monitors players and responds to abuse. Xbox LIVE, for example, helps gamers protect their identities and report objectionable content and behavior.

• Read the site’s privacy policy to learn how it will use and protect kids’ information. No privacy policy? Play elsewhere.

• Agree on rules of play. Work together to create family gaming guidelines that fit each child's age and maturity. For ideas, see Microsoft’s sample agreement, the PACT (a PDF download).

Source: - http://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/family-safety/gaming-about.aspx

Building a social and acceptable play strategy

What do I do? For kids under 10?

• School time 2.5 hour allowance per week!• Only on Sundays after sport.

• Everything else is a bonus.• Xbox in kitchen, lounge and office, ipad in kitchen or lounge. PC and laptos

in kitchen or lounge.

• Kids have own logins and get about 5 hours PC per week in addition to gaming, mostly homework, scratch or online educational activities.

• Have around 30 minutes TV on average per day but generally it’s 2 film a week with perhaps a little more on Sat am

What do I do? For kids under 10?

• Yes that’s 2 boys during term time of 7 & 9 with less than 10 hours screen time a week between them not each! And it gets reduced based on behaviour, i.e. loose 30 minutes gaming for swearing.

• How????

• Rugby, cycling, swimming, martial arts, cello, violin, piano, singing, drama

• When out of term we give bonuses but we get grief no matter how much we give so the 2.5 hour thing tends to work.

What do I do? For the adult gamer?

• Work hard, do housework, do childcare, do sport and have a good crack at favourite games. Tends to be about 20 hours in week on a big title (once a year) but usually when it’s past 9pm and too tired to be useful at anything else! That drops down to about 5 hours after a couple of weeks and subject to completing a game disappear until the next big thing!

• Allow gaming in lunch break at office.

• Arrange social gaming nights with friends 2-3 times a year

• Probably go online to chat to mates as much as to play the games.