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