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Amanda Farough

What is Discord?

Discord is a social tool that allows users to build communities (known as servers) and send direct messages to their friends. It’s designed to be a much more gaming-focused, casual experience than its buttoned-up business counterpart, Slack. Since the COVID-19 pandemic severed in-person gatherings, it’s become a popular hangout spot among children, teens, and adults alike. 

Why are Kids Using Discord?

As a caveat, it’s important to note that many, if not all, online forums, services, and applications require children to be over the age of 13. This is to respect the Child Online Privacy Protection Act, which protects children from having their data exploited online. Discord also requires all accounts to be for children 13+. 

Kids are starting to use Discord as an extension of their gaming experience. It is almost like a digital playground of their own. It’s a hangout spot where they’re able to gather with friends from far away and from school alike. This allows them to connect asynchronously as well as via voice. 

Whereas group texting limits kids to the people they know in person (and have access to phone numbers), Discord allows a relative amount of anonymity and data obfuscation. There are pros and cons to this approach, which we’ll dig into later in this guide. It means that kids can join a number of different servers, both private and public. There they can meet and talk to people all over the world. 

We have a Discord server of our own! You can join if you would like!

What are Discord’s Key Features?

Discord also allows users to connect using text, voice chat, and video chat.
Discord also allows users to join Servers. There are two types of Discord: private and public. Public servers are just as they sound: they’re communities that anyone can join, although they’re still moderated. Private servers are limited to invitations from the server’s administrator(s) and aren’t listed on Discord’s public servers. Within these servers, there are channels that administrators and moderators set up to allow conversations to have their own “rooms”. These channels can, again, be public or private, which allows moderators to specify the “roles” that have access to these “rooms”. 

Every Discord server, whether public or private, has roles and permissions that are set up by the server’s administrators. These are essentially the technical governing “rules” that ensure that the average server user isn’t going off and making mischief in settings. 

Additional Features

In addition to server functionality, Discord allows direct messaging and private group chats, similar to any other social messaging platform. You can give your “friends” on Discord nicknames. Since Discord users choose unique usernames and a username isn’t quite the same thing as an actual name (especially if you know that user personally). You can give your group chats special names and icons, too. 

Discord also allows users to hook in and configure bots. These have a wide array of functionality depending on what users are looking for. The most common bots help with server administration by letting users self-select their roles and answer questions via “reaction emojis” to filter into private text and voice channels. Check out this list of the most common Discord bots.

One final bit on the functionality side for Discord is the plethora of integrations that hook in with Discord’s API (automatic programming interface). Users can hook in anything from social media (like Facebook) to Steam (to display which game a user is playing) and even Patreon. Users can stream a game to a Discord server much like one would to Twitch. However, it is on a much smaller, much more limited scale. 

Getting Started with Discord

We could, in theory, write an entire guide just to get started with Discord, including how to use some of its functionality… but Discord’s done that for us already!

Check out the official Beginner’s Guide to Discord.

Discord’s Privacy and Safety Features

There are a number of things that parents can do to help keep their kids safe on Discord using the app’s User Settings > Privacy & Safety, you can access these important tools. 

  • Parents can adjust settings to restrict incoming friend requests to friends of friends or even turn them off entirely
  • Parents can also set things up so that only friends can send DMs (preventing spam and potentially harmful interactions)
  • Kids can block people with relative ease (similar to blocking on any other social platform)
  • If content (or even an entire server) is inappropriate or goes against Discord’s Guidelines, users can report them
  • And, finally, the all-important content filter to check DMs for inappropriate content. 

Check out Discord’s guide to safety and privacy for more detailed information.

On a user level, users can mute and deafen other people in servers so that they aren’t able to voice-interact with you, even if they’re interacting with others. This is an important feature for online gaming as things can get rather, well, heated. 

Why should you let your kid use Discord?

Discord is relatively ubiquitous and incredibly accessible. It’s easy to use and it connects people of all ages from all over the world (although there are concerns there). It acts as a “third place” for kids to feel safe and connected outside of school and home, much like a physical playground or a mall might have felt to us when we were kids. 

Discord’s varied community servers are a huge benefit, allowing kids to find new friends in their area(s) of interest. Kids can join a local book club for teens, their favorite streamer’s server to keep up with their content and schedule, or even create their own communities. They’ll learn the importance of online etiquette in public forums. This includes how to interact with people from different cultures and age groups (although the latter creates its own set of risks); and even how to moderate online spaces so that they remain safe and inclusive for all. 

Discord’s ability to connect with others without revealing real names, phone numbers, or even locations is a big draw for kids just starting to explore the internet. They’re able to know people by their usernames and still build meaningful friendships. Kids are already connecting to one another in games and Discord is a natural technological extension of that. 

The Biggest Risks of Letting Kids Use Discord

Let’s be real: there are a LOT of risks to be aware of on Discord. Those risks apply to the rest of the internet as well. This isn’t to diminish the challenges, to be clear, but being online is probably the biggest risk of all. 

Being online, which extends to interacting with other humans that we as parents probably don’t know, is the scariest part of letting your kids hang out on Discord. We don’t know who is on the other side of the monitor, after all. 

As an extension of this is the potential of our kids being exposed to inappropriate content (whether that’s sexual, violent, or hateful). There are ways to report it, of course, and the DM filters will help mitigate this from popping up in a child’s messages. However, filters aren’t perfect. They’re built with machine learning, which allows them to get better over time. 

Potential Serious Risks

There have, of course, been large edge cases on Discord about grooming and human trafficking, and it would be folly to dismiss these concerns outright. Discord’s servers aren’t moderated by Discord itself, just the community’s mods and administrators. Grooming isn’t relegated to sexual misconduct either. Although they’ve been largely driven from the platform, large far-right and white supremacist hate groups set up shop in Discord for quite some time. These people are likely still lurking in Discord. 

Children mixing with adults in Discord servers is of great concern as well. When kids talk to adults out in the world, they’re usually accompanied by a trusted adult. In Discord, there isn’t always a trusted adult to be a buffer. 

Finally, there’s cyberbullying and harassment, which is probably the most prevalent concern for all parents letting their kids go online. Kids can be cruel to one another and the internet continues to be a breeding ground for hateful communication. And, unlike simply walking away from a bully at school, cyberbullying follows kids everywhere they go on the internet (and Discord is no exception). 

EFG’s Discord Recommendations for Parents

It isn’t easy being a parent these days, especially with all of the technology to keep up with. So let’s recognize you, parent, for doing your best and embarking on this learning journey. It’s important and you’re doing great!

The first, and best, defense in ensuring that your child stays safe in this digital playground is keeping the lines of communication open and incredibly transparent. Talk about online behavior, appropriate (versus inappropriate) content, and spotting trouble in servers before it becomes a larger problem. 

Talk with your child about who they’re talking to, as well as which servers they’re actively participating in. Have frank discussions about parasocial relationships, especially if your child is in a streamer’s Discord server. While it is okay to interact with a streamer or content creator, these people are not ever to be misconstrued as “friends” because of the parasocial nature of the relationship, as well as the likely large age gap.

Make sure that there are rules for the age group that your child is allowed to interact with. The rules can be as stringent or as relaxed as you wish. The best practice for 13-year-olds is usually interacting with other kids that are a maximum of three years age difference. However, it’s always ideal to encourage interacting with kids their own age for emotional maturity and safety concerns. Children need to be reminded that others may or may not be telling the truth about their identity. They must always proceed with caution. 

Review privacy and safety settings are a fairly regular basis to ensure that your child has a bit of control over who they talk to or how. 

And, finally, make sure your child understands the importance of keeping personal information (such as last names and location) private. Sharing age is fine, of course.

It’s Your House, Your Rules, Your Choice

Discord is a great connectivity tool, especially in a world where global friendships are possible to maintain. There are a great many benefits to letting your child hang out on Discord, but there are risks to mitigate to ensure that they remain as safe as they can. 

Talk to your kid about all of it and do it often, which should go for any and all time spent on the internet. The scariest bits of our online culture die when they’re exposed to light… and conversation. 

Ultimately, the choice is yours. You make the rules.


What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!

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Minecraft is well known for its plethora of amazing mods (and not-so-kid-friendly mods like Jenny) for the Java version. For more information about the Jenny Mod check out our article here. Remember that Minecraft Java is not the same as Minecraft Bedrock, which is the version that you can launch from the Xbox app on PC, modern consoles, and mobile. 

Many of the most well-known mods tend to be available via CurseForge, which means that they’re not available for Bedrock players. Bedrock mods are vetted and approved by Mojang (the developers) and Microsoft (the publisher). In order to access the Cave Dweller mod, players will need the Java editor and GeckoLib. 

A new mod that’s taken Minecraft content creators by storm is the Cave Dweller mod, created by Gargin. The Cave Dweller mod is inspired by another mod, CaveNoises, which creates creepy sounds in caves to give some not-so-serious spooks to Minecraft players that have it enabled. The Cave Dweller mod is akin to the Enderman in its potential for being frightening. Rexus, a Minecraft content creator, has a great narrative dive into the Cave Dweller for the brave among us. 

So, beyond the Cave Dweller being labeled one of Minecraft’s most terrifying mods, here’s what we need to know about the mod itself. 

Is the Cave Dweller Mod Okay for Children?

First, unlike Jenny, Cave Dweller is harmless for children to encounter. It’s just creepy. It will definitely scare children who don’t have a strong affinity for the darker side of kid-friendly horror tropes. If your child is sensitive to frightening images or sounds, please advise them to not play on servers that have the Cave Dweller mod enabled. 

The Cave Dweller will only spawn as a mob in the Cave biome in Minecraft, which means that it will not show up in any other biome. If you’re expecting a Cave Dweller in the ocean, you’ll either be disappointed or relieved, depending on your fear tolerance. 

There are a number of issues (as of this article’s writing) with this mod crashing servers as it requires Minecraft Java version 1.19.3. Anything newer with certain shaders enabled may end up crashing the server it’s installed on. 


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There are plenty of examples of board games gone digital or digital games coming to tabletop. For mechanics-driven video games like Dorfromantik (“Village Romance”), porting over to physical board games is a natural fit. 

This idyllic city-builder puzzle game got its start in early access in 2021 on Steam before a full release in 2022. Alongside the full release, Dorfromantik also released in board game form. And finally, in 2023, Dorfromantik was awarded the Spiel des Jahres (a special tabletop award for family-friendly games) as Game of the Year. 

But what even is Dorfromantik?

Both versions of the game, have the player (or players) work to fulfill the people’s wishes for population concentration, forest composition, fields, and even rivers and tracks. Creating expansive rivers and long tracks is an important piece of succeeding in Dorfromantik. Your tiles will only continue to unlock as long as you’re generating points. If your “Village Romance” stagnates in its point-generation, you’re not going to be able to proceed to unlock the next biome. 

Flags

Another important piece of Dorfromantik’s mechanics is to keep “flags” in mind to optimize points. The flags demarcate “enclosed areas” that encourage players to keep closed with tile placement. In the board game version of Dorfromantik, you can replay the campaign and unlock new tiles from “secret” boxes. 

It’s a hexagonal tile-placement game in both its forms, encouraging players to optimize their tiles in relation to the game’s current objectives as well as building out Dorfromantik’s biomes. In digital, Dorfromantik is a single-player experience. In board game form, you can play it alone or with up to six players. 

Final Thoughts

Dorfromantik has a gentle learning curve but gets progressively more difficult depending on how players choose to optimize their tile placements in both versions of the game. 
The video game plays best on handheld. So pick it up on either Nintendo Switch or Steam (if you have a Steam Deck). The board game’s recent Spiel des Jahres win will show up on the new board game versions starting this year, but will mostly be available in brick and mortar stores (as opposed to Amazon). 


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There’s no doubt that Barbie is the hottest movie in theaters right now. Who doesn’t want to paint their whole world Malibu Barbie hot pink and hop in their bright pink convertible like it’s 1994? 

Barbie’s glossy glamor may be the pink wave that every little girl dreams about, but it got us here at EFG wondering: where are all of the good Barbie games? Sure, we have Star Stables, but that’s hardly Barbie material. (Although it’s a great game.) In the early 2000s, we had a deluge of Barbie games that tied in with (sometimes surprisingly good) Barbie movies and television shows. These games were often nonsensical license cash grabs that were the very definition of garbage. 

All Barbie games aren’t made equal, mind you. 

There have been a number of low-key, enjoyable, and downright gender-critical Barbie games that have come out over the years. 

Barbie and the Three Musketeers was probably the last truly great Barbie game and it came out way back in 2009. Since then, Barbie games have mostly turned to mobile for their fanbase and their content ideas. 

Barbie’s Dreamhouse Adventures (mobile) and Barbie Fashion Closet (mobile) are both social simulator games that allow Barbie fans to live out their hot-pink drenched Barbie dreams on their phones. Dreamhouse Adventures is a bit more narrative-driven, allowing players to really immerse themselves in Barbie’s Dreamhouse world. Barbie Fashion Closet is all about dressing Barbie up in digital spaces (without needing to buy all of her clothes… because that adds up pretty quickly).

There are also a bunch of web-only Barbie games, but tread with caution there. These are either very old games or are not official Mattel titles. 

New Game Coming?

With all of the success that Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie is garnering, perhaps we’re heading towards a new Barbie game that will give Barbie fans, new and old, a fresh set of adventures into that world. 

Imagine a Barbie rogue-lite where Barbie and her friends “dungeon dive” in Malibu to unlock new outfits and new careers together. Or perhaps a party-driven RPG for Barbie and friends. Honestly, the options are endless. We hope that some innovative studio somewhere with the cash money for a licensed project will embrace the hot pink messiness of Barbie and friends to give us what we deserve: a Barbie game that is just as subversive as the movie itself.


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STONKS AND TORNPS

Playing the actual stock market is a magnanimous task and, quite frankly, isn’t really for kids. But hey, since the Fire Nation is currently attacking the world at large, it’s a great time to understand microeconomics and how investing works… but on a much, much smaller scale. After all, how else are you going to pay off Tom Nook’s multiple home loans in Animal Crossing if not by gaming the system?

Let’s begin!

What is the Stalk Market in Animal Crossing: New Horizon?

Once your island reaches a place where your Resident Services is no longer operating out of a tent and is, in fact, in a proper building, in addition to Nook’s Cranny moving into a building of its own, the stalk market will open up. Every Sunday morning, from 5am and 12pm, Daisy Mae (sounds like Fanny Mae, for those of us who remember that nonsense) will visit your island and sell turnips for anywhere between 90 and 110 bells. 

You’ll be able to spot Daisy Mae by the turnips on her head. She’ll wander your island from early morning until noon. 

After you’ve purchased your turnips for the week, the Nook boys, Timmy and Tommy, will buy them for you for a wide range of bells (I once sold my turnips for 560 bells per stack of 10). If you’re looking to store your turnips, you can put them in your house (in stacks of 10) or somewhere on your island, but it will affect your island rating as turnips count as “random” items. 

They will rot on Sunday morning, if you don’t manage to sell them by then. Or, if you decide to “time travel” and artificially move time forward to a week (or more) in the future.

What’s the purpose of the Stalk Market?

Put simply: to earn some bells and pay off your Nook island mortgage(s), in addition to putting money away for island infrastructure (bridges, inclines, and decorations). Beyond that, it’s a “push your luck” kind of mini-game that teaches folks to pay attention to patterns in turnip prices on your island. 

How do you know when to sell your turnips?

There are a few different ways to determine when is the best time to sell your turnips. If you’re curious about how the turnip price patterns may work on your island, Polygon has an excellent guide to understanding what turnip trends are in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

If you’re looking to track turnip prices on your island, you can use Turnip Prophet. Turnip Prophet allows you to input your turnip prices throughout the week and will help you to better understand the Stalk Market patterns on your island. There’s a graph with labels on what every data point means, too. 

If you’re looking to branch out and look to other people and their islands for turnip prices, both for purchasing and for selling with the Nook Boys, you can use Turnip Exchange. Hosts open their islands with Dodo Codes — special codes that you type in to visit people who aren’t on your Animal Crossing friend list — and you can join a queue to visit and sell at a higher price than what you might be able to sell on your own island. 

What’s the purpose of being a “turnip host”?

If your turnip prices spike, opening up your island to family and friends is kind of a no-brainer. Share the wealth and everyone ends up happier as a result. Opening up your island to strangers is a bit more of a risk, especially if you don’t want people harvesting your fruit or you don’t have it set up with fences to funnel people where you want them to go. 

And. 

Sharing the wealth often means that folks will leave you tips in bells, which means that when they sell for big money, you may get a slice of that. It’s really up to the folks that are visiting. 

What happens if the turnips “go bad”?

You lose them. They’re gone. You make no money off of them. 

The most important thing to remember is it’s better to take a major hit to your investment than for you to make zero return on your investment. So, when it comes to Saturday afternoon, make sure that you sell your turnips for something, rather than let them rot in your inventory or your house.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts and strategies!

Make sure to keep your eyes on Engaged Family Gaming for all of the latest news and reviews you need to Get Your Family Game On!

Looking for information about how multiplayer works in Animal Crossing? Check out our guide here!

Our new player tips for Animal Crossing are here!

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Every week the EFG staff will be defining a gaming term that is either confusing or ill-defined. Please leave a comment with any terms you find confusing and we will try to include them in future editions!

The gaming definition this week is a series of terms that is applicable to video games:

What are Cozy/Wholesome Games?

A wholesome game is a little difficult to pin down because there are so many different kinds of wholesome games. The one underpinning piece of what makes up a wholesome (or cozy) game is that it is non-violent. Some wholesome games are bright and vibrant. Others are a bit more muted. Some cozy games are social simulation games like Animal Crossing or Cozy Grove or chill, low-key match-three games like Spirit Swap or even spatial awareness games like Unpacking

A picture of a player standing in front of their house in Animal Crossing New Horizons.

Wholesome games are more about how they feel rather than what genre they are. If a game allows for a player to comfortably exist in that digital world without violence or high-stakes competition, it’s wholesome (in some way). The biggest strength of what defines wholesome/cozy games is in how subjective it is. Its breadth and depth allows for developers and players alike to define what wholesome means to them.

Cozy (wholesome) games are considered a trend, but an entire digital conference presentation has popped up around these games called Wholesome Games’ Wholesome Direct. The Wholesome Direct is a presentation that usually happens during June (around E3, whatever form that happens to be) and features a wide array of games that are considered “wholesome” in their “vibe”. The Wholesome Direct was also shrunk down to a “snack-sized” presentation in the lead-up to the Game Awards in 2022.


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Minecraft is primarily either available via Bedrock (a safer, more secure version of the game available on all major gaming platforms) or Java (more customizable with more mods and modes available). There is a new (old, really) version of Minecraft that kids are starting to use more and more: Eaglercraft. 

What is Eaglecraft?

Eaglercraft is an instance of Minecraft 1.5.2 that players can access on any modern web browser. It supports both single-player and multiplayer gameplay. By putting Minecraft in a web browser, as opposed to a standalone application like with Java or Bedrock, effectively changes how the game will be moderated in work or school settings. 

We’ve all experienced some kind of content blocking as we’ve worked and studied in different environments. Chromebooks and computer labs are locked down to within an inch of their digital existences so that students focus on the tasks in front of them. Schools have instituted these rules partly to protect themselves from liability (in case someone accesses something deeply inappropriate) and partly to ensure data protection and privacy. 

Why Kids Use Eaglecraft and Issues Which May Arise

Kids are using Eaglercraft to get around the content blocking. On the one hand: good for the kids. We love the ingenuity to find ways to always be playing Minecraft. On the other hand: playing Minecraft, even in a browser, on one’s Chromebook or school computer is almost always going to be a direct violation of the Code of Conduct that gets signed at the beginning of a student’s time at a given school. 

It’s important to keep the school’s IT Code of Conduct in mind when talking to your kid about some of the ethical challenges around using Eaglercraft on a school-assigned system. If a school finds out that a system has been used for non-school purposes in an egregious manner, much as playing a version of Minecraft to subvert content moderation, they will likely remove the system and potentially seek suspension (or expulsion) depending on the severity of the infraction. 

Eaglercraft is ingenuitive, but maybe not the right choice for a school PC.


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With the new PSVR (PlayStation VR) headset on the way to players all over the world, virtual reality is on the forefront of parents’ minds. The world of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR) is fascinating and, in all fairness, kind of confusing. Some of these experiences aren’t just relegated to video games, either. Let’s dive into some definitions and recommendations.

Virtual Reality

Definitions

Virtual reality (VR) is an immersive experience that is accessed through a headset that covers a player’s eyes and controllers that act as haptic (to simulate the sense of touch) feedback and interactivity in the experience itself. Headsets provide a field of view (FOV), on average, between 96 and 108 degrees so it doesn’t quite mirror a human’s full FOV, but it gets close. As a result of modern VR hardware, VR allows a player to fully immerse themselves in anything from a video game to chat to movies.

Augmented reality (AR) superimposes a digital world onto the physical world, which allows players to see virtual objects in their physical environment. AR is typically accessed through a smartphone or tablet, which uses a camera to display the real world and overlay virtual objects on top of it. The best example of AR in video games would be Pokemon Go, the world’s most successful AR video game.

Augmented Reality

Mixed reality (MR) is a combination of VR and AR technology, which allows players to interact with virtual objects in a way that is tethered to the physical world. MR requires special headsets (HoloLens, Magic Leap, and nReal are best known) and many of these headsets have not been updated in at least four years. It’s supposed to create experiences that feel seamless between virtual objects and the real world in a way that AR or VR couldn’t manage alone. 

Safety 

One of the most important things to remember about virtual reality headsets is that they are not recommended for children under 13, namely due to their growing eyes and the eye strain that VR requires for everyone that uses the headsets. Though there isn’t peer-reviewed research to explore the sensory effect on children in VR, everything in virtual reality is much more vivid than they are on a flat screen. Violence in VR is particularly jarring, as are startling changes in environment or proximity. 

Mixed Reality

For children over 13, it’s important to enforce rigid time limits to minimize long-term eye strain. We recommend three hours maximum time in VR with breaks every thirty minutes to give eyes a break. 

Additionally, all VR requires enough room (8×10 rectangle of space is recommended) to move safely. The Meta Quest & Quest II require a “guardian” space to alert players when they are about to move into space that is no longer defined as “safe” within the operating system. Controllers should always be strapped and tethered to one’s wrists (like the Nintendo WiiMotes) and hands to make sure that controllers don’t get tossed across the room by accident. 
Check out EFG Essentials list for the Meta Quest. We also recommend the very adorable What the Bat?, a VR spiritual successor to What the Golf? from Triband.


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Ah yes, the Metaverse: everyone’s favorite love-to-hate buzzword that doesn’t really mean anything. Well, that’s only partly true. The Metaverse does have a definition but it’s not what smarmy marketing suits have been selling you and your kids for the past couple of years. 

There are larger social implications at work that spread beyond “hey, this might be cool.” Remember that technology is often asking itself the wrong question. It often asks itself, “Can we do it?” The more important question is, “Should we do it?” While the Metaverse sits firmly in a realm of answering neither of these questions, it’s important to keep them in mind as we continue on our journey into what the Metaverse is and what it means for our kids.

Defining the Metaverse

The idea of the Metaverse has been around since Neal Stephenson coined the term in his book “Snow Crash” in 1992. His version of the Metaverse was as a speculative virtual reality successor to the internet that he envisioned would take over as the primary modality of communication between people. 

How the Metaverse Works

The Metaverse is a true “virtual universe”. It’s a single, shared, immersive, persistent, virtual space where people experience life in ways they could not in the physical world. It’s worth noting that the Metaverse is still only an idea, not something that has been fully developed or executed on by any of the games/experiences/platforms that claim to be working towards that vision (no matter how diligently). 

In modern gaming terms, the Metaverse also heavily involves User Generated Content (UGC), where players take time to create in-game content in the form of mini-games, structures, and/or objects. This UGC can either be directly monetized (Roblox’s Robux) or available for free (Fortnite, Dreams). It’s worth noting that Dreams isn’t considered a true Metaverse, but rather a “game universe” in which players create.

The Risks of the Metaverse

As with any experience that’s tied to being online, there is inherent risk to allowing your children to interact with strangers online. 

  • Chat moderation isn’t perfect: Inappropriate content can get flagged automatically in some instances in chat, but the rest of it requires human moderators that are inherently imperfect. 
  • Perfect content moderation is impossible: Protecting our children from everything inappropriate online isn’t reasonable, but content moderation usually helps to curb the worst of it. Unfortunately, there are still too many instances of inappropriate content being generated (and propagated) in places that children can and will access, whether that’s in VR Chat or Roblox
  • Children sharing Third Places with adults: The Third Place — a place outside of work/school and home — for children is often a playground, community house (like the YMCA), or a friend’s home. In the case of the Metaverse, this is a digital playground that is meant to be safe and secure for play and joy. Children sharing their Third Place with adults in an uncritical, ungoverned capacity is inherently dangerous. 
  • Grooming: This is a big issue that many online spaces are going to contend with where predators can (and will) use these Metaverse platforms to create content (and elicit interactions) that will lure children into inappropriate contact with an adult. 

Notable Examples of “Metaverse” Games

Second Life: A virtual world created by Linden Lab in which users can create and customize their own avatars, explore virtual environments, and interact with each other.

VR Chat: A virtual reality social platform that allows users to meet and interact with each other in a variety of virtual environments.

Fortnite: A popular online multiplayer game that includes a virtual world called the “Island,” in which players can explore, build, and battle with each other.

Roblox: A game that allows players to play a wide variety of games, create games, and chat with others online. It combines gaming, social media, and social commerce.

Projects in Development

Project Sansar: A virtual reality platform created by Linden Lab (Second Life) that aims to provide a more realistic and immersive metaverse experience.

Horizon: A virtual reality metaverse created by Epic Games, the developers of Fortnite, which aims to provide a more realistic and interactive virtual reality experience.

Is the Metaverse Safe for Kids?

The short answer is no. 

Regardless of the breadth of parental supervision, the current expression of the Metaverse is not a well-moderated or well-curated experience for children. Fortnite remains the only exception to that rule, as Fortnite is more of a digital playground that you can build fun things in. Epic has done exceptionally well in content moderation on their platform, so Fortnite is the safest of the options. 

We cannot stress this enough to parents: do not under any circumstances let your children play Roblox. Ever. There are countless stories as to why Roblox is not safe for children. We acknowledge that the Trust & Safety division at Roblox is doing its best in changing things for the better, but the grim reality is that it’s too little and far too late. For all of the reasons (and many more) listed in the stories linked, including grooming and simulated sexual violence, Roblox is considered an absolute no-go in any of the EFG households (including mine). 

Can the Metaverse be Safe for Kids? 

More work needs to be done between developers and trust and safety agencies around the world. The World Economic Forum has an excellent primer on what they feel needs to happen in order for the Metaverse to be safe for everyone, including children. 


What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!

Make sure to keep your eyes on Engaged Family Gaming for all of the latest news and reviews you need to Get Your Family Game On!

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Every other week the EFG staff will be defining a gaming term that is either confusing or ill-defined. Please leave a comment with any terms you are confused by and we will try to include them in future editions!


The gaming definition this week is a term that is actually relevant in both the gaming space and elsewhere: Parasocial Relationships.

In the age of the influencer, the line between the audience and the personality on the other end of the camera has become rather blurry. We’re made to feel like the person we’re watching on Twitch, YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram is our friend, someone that surely must care about us as much as we care about them. In actuality, this one-way parasocial relationship was defined back in the 1950s by psychologists Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl as the result of television hosts establishing “the illusion of intimacy” and making their fans feel like the broadcast is just for them. 

Parasocial relationships rarely apply to one-off viewers, since they can sometimes treat the person on the other side of the camera with much more detachment. 

Now that we’re interacting with both social media stars and actual celebrities in more ways than not, parasocial relationships have wormed their way into our lives in relatively normal, but sometimes insidious, ways. Streamers and influencers create interactions that feel deeply personal to those that they’re interacting. Parasocial relationships are entirely one-sided, which means that even if you feel particularly attached to a streamer or influencer, they aren’t your friend. It’s not that parasocial relationships are bad. In fact, quite the opposite! There are a number of studies out there that have explored parasocial relationships and their benefits, including for young people finding their own identities and for those with lower self-esteem.

Dr. Rachel Kowert published a great video on this subject. I’ve embedded it below so you can take a look!

What do you think? Sound off in the comments and let us know your thoughts!

Make sure to keep your eyes on Engaged Family Gaming for all of the latest news and reviews you need to Get Your Family Game On!

The EFG Essentials

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