Report: Parents believe gaming benefits their children

by Stevie Smith - Mar 6 2009, 17:25

While it’s always worth raising a cautionary eyebrow at wholly positive industry surveys carried out by members of the core industry the survey is covering, Microsoft’s second annual ‘Play Smart, Play Safe’ report has revealed that 75 percent of UK parents believe videogames are beneficial to their children.

According to the study, 61 percent of participating parents viewed videogames as important for delivering a great social experience, while a further 52 percent said gaming brings their families together and 80 percent believe videogames are “a vital component” in gaining a balanced blend of modern and traditional entertainment.

The study also revealed a marked increase in awareness when it comes to the application of parental controls connected to videogame consoles and computer operating systems, with 73 percent of parents declaring their familiarity with such tools – a jump of 13 percent against 2008’s report.

Some 90 percent of participating parents said they actively monitor their children’s consumption of videogames, while 94 percent said they regularly check the age ratings printed on software. However, 64 percent of parents admitted to sometimes allowing their children to play games rated higher than their actual age.

“We are very encouraged to see that so many parents are using the PEGI age rating system,” enthused Simon Little, managing director at the Interactive Software Federation of Europe. “The benefit of this pan-European system is that you can be sure that the same standards apply whether your child is playing at a friend’s house down the road, or with a gamer in another country.”

And, interestingly, the report also returned that almost 70 percent of children would welcome more monitoring and checking, with 47 percent saying their parents “are not vigilant enough” in that respect.   

When commenting on the effects of online gaming, around 34 percent of parents said they worried about the faceless nature of such social interaction, while a further 42 percent revealed a concern with regard to their children playing with much older people.

In bolstering the apparent safety of online gaming, 95 percent of children said they have never encountered any worrying or frightening situations when interacting with others.

Looking to push their involvement in safe gaming still further, 45 percent of parents said they would welcome a dedicated ‘go-to’ Web site as a reliable source of information, while 65 percent said they would be willing to use a parent-child discussion forum to help establish rules for media consumption around the house.

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