| The internet touches every aspect of your | | | | |
| children's lives. Where you might look up an | | | | FPS stands for First Person Shooter. They are |
| unknown word in a dictionary, your kids are | | | | First Person in the same since that a story |
| more likely to use Where you use the | | | | might be. That is, the player sees the world |
| telephone, they use instant messenger. An | | | | through the eyes of a single character and |
| even greater difference can be found in how | | | | interacts with the game environment as though |
| they play games. Where the games of their | | | | he were that character. Shooter comes from |
| parent's generation may have involved a | | | | the primary goal of most such games, the |
| board, cards, or at their most sophisticated | | | | shooting of whatever happens to be the bad |
| a console system, the games your children | | | | guy. FPS games are among some of the most |
| play on the net can be far more complex. They | | | | popular online. Common examples include Doom, |
| mine gold, spread empires, fight dragons and | | | | Battlefield:1942, and the X-Box game Halo. |
| aliens alone or with tens, hundreds, even | | | | From a parental perspective, these games can |
| thousands of their fellow gamers. All of this | | | | be cause for concern. They vary widely in the |
| makes for a confusing mish mash of names, | | | | amount of realism, degree of violence, |
| places, jargon and lingo that can leave you | | | | language, and general attitude. The only way |
| with no idea what your kids are actually | | | | to get a good idea of the content issues is |
| doing and a vague feeling of uneasiness that | | | | to watch the particular game. If your kids |
| some part of it might not be good for them. | | | | don't want you watching while they play, then |
| | | | fire up the game yourself sometime when they |
| What's appropriate for your kids is a | | | | aren't around. There is a sizeable variation |
| decision only you can make. How much violence | | | | in how violent and how personal FPS content |
| they are exposed to, how much time they spend | | | | can be from game to game. The single player |
| in front of a screen and how much contact | | | | portion of Halo, for example, has players |
| they have with the faceless strangers so | | | | fighting against alien invaders with largely |
| common to the net are all questions you must | | | | energy weapons and a minimum of realistic |
| grapple with and, in the end, decide for your | | | | human suffering. In contrast, WWII themed |
| family. While we can't help you make these | | | | games tend to go out of their way to show |
| rough decisions, we can certainly help you | | | | realistic violence. Given the subject matter, |
| get the information you need to understand | | | | this is appropriate for the game, but may not |
| your children's hobbies better, both to make | | | | be for your kids. Online play presents a |
| informed judgments about what they should and | | | | potentially greater concern. The goal of |
| should not be doing, and to help you reach | | | | online FPS games is almost always killing |
| into another part of their lives that may | | | | other players. While some games do have |
| have previously seemed like something of a | | | | various modes where this is a secondary goal, |
| puzzle box. | | | | all of them give the player a gun and |
| | | | encourage him to use it on characters |
| The Easy Stuff | | | | representing other people. |
| | | | |
| The simplest type of online game is the sort | | | | Simulated gore and the use of violence |
| of Flash or Java driven game that you | | | | against others to achieve goals may be things |
| generally see running inside your web | | | | you don't want your kids exposed to. Again, |
| browser. This type of game tends to be | | | | these are your decisions to make, but we |
| relatively simple compared to the stand alone | | | | encourage you to make them with as much |
| games discussed later. Common examples | | | | information as possible. Talk to your kids. |
| include Bejeweled, Zuma, and Diner Dash. | | | | Find out what they think, in their words, is |
| These games are almost universally single | | | | going on in the game. Make sure they see the |
| player and have none of the sort of violent | | | | line between what happens in the game and |
| or mature content that keeps parents up at | | | | what happens in the real world, between what |
| night. Were they movies, they would be G | | | | it's okay to simulate and what it's okay to |
| Rated, with perhaps the occasional game | | | | do. The answers may surprise you. If your |
| stretching to PG. If this is the type of game | | | | children understand the differences, see real |
| your kids are into then first, be relieved. | | | | violence as deplorable and simulated violence |
| Then, try the game out. Many of these games | | | | as part of the game then FPS games, even |
| can be very enjoyable for even the most | | | | online ones, can be a perfectly healthy way |
| casual of players. Some, such as Bookworm, | | | | to have fun and let off steam. In the end, it |
| even have genuine educational content. These | | | | falls on you to make sure that what your |
| games can be as much an opportunity for | | | | child gets out of the game is good for him or |
| bonding and learning as throwing around a | | | | her. |
| baseball in the backyard, and have the added | | | | |
| bonus of being much easier to get your kids | | | | Next time, we'll talk about RTS and MMORPG, |
| to sit down with you and play. | | | | the two other common types of commercial |
| | | | online game and touch on the twin demons of |
| FPSs: Finding Something to Shoot | | | | addiction and predation. |