What needs to change
What needs to happen to raise awareness among more people?
I believe gamers must recognize that their gaming behavior nowadays often concerns more than just themselves. I find it particularly problematic that in the online realm, people of all ages can come into contact and play with one another.
A nine-year-old player may interpret insults very differently than a seventeen- or thirty-year-old player. Also, even if someone makes sexually related comments via headset or in chat within the game, it could be directed at a child. A study from Bridgewater State University in the USA conducted on elementary school children found that they made their first experiences with cyberbullying in online games.
In games with communication options, users should internalize that they should behave towards other players just like they would in physical spaces. Society must also recognize online games for what they are: One of the most successful forms of social media ever. For instance: Already 56% of 6-7 year-olds reportedly use online games, and these often serve as the entry medium into the digital realm.
Source: Young and connected: Children and youth in the digital society – bitkom.org
In the long run, we must also consider what the impacts could be on children who are regularly confronted with these negative aspects of games.
What measures would you suggest to make the digital gaming space safer?
One must be clear: Wherever people meet and can interact, offenses can occur. This cannot be entirely prevented under this premise.
I therefore see a primary need to ask whether and to what extent operators can specifically protect children. Ultimately, there are two options. Either I ensure that no children are present in my game, or I reduce the risk of children encountering critical situations in my game.
There are indeed many possible options for this, and I don’t have a patent recipe. I would link this discussion primarily with the issue of age ratings.
The lower the age rating for my game is / should be, the better protection mechanisms I should implement and vice versa. Starting from 18 years, appropriate measures could then be largely omitted.
These could include filtering systems for communication, discontinuation of telephone payment models in F2P games, but particularly the use of professional moderators.