Online gaming

On this page:

• How can I avoid online gaming hassles?
• How can I tell if I’m ‘addicted’ to online gaming?
• How can I help create a better online gaming community?
• Something has happened

Online gaming is popular in homes around Australia. For young people between 8 to 17 years old, eSafety found that 85% of this age group play online games, and that most young gamers felt it was good for their skill development or learning, social connections and emotional wellbeing. But harmful behaviours can also happen in gaming spaces, so here are some tips on how you can avoid online gaming hassles.

Choose a safe username

Try choosing usernames based on your interests or personality instead of one with your name, birthday or location in it. This type of data is known as your ‘personally identifiable information’. If you share too much of it, it might make it easier to hack you and give harassers, cyberstalkers and sexual predators important information about your identity and where you live or hang out. It might even put you at risk of swatting – this is when someone reports a fake crime or crisis to get emergency service responders to your address.

Make sure only people you know can see your pictures or recently played feed

While it’s normal to want new friends, it’s best to play it safe by protecting your privacy. You can change your privacy settings to limit your contact with people you don’t know or don’t feel comfortable about, especially if someone online is saying inappropriate things or being creepy. You can find ways to update your settings for different games and apps in The eSafety Guide.

Use your settings to control conversations

Being abused or criticised shouldn’t be a normal part of your gaming life. Try using the ‘mute’ button or settings in your game to get a break from someone who’s annoying you. If things start getting out of hand you could log off for a while, or it may be time to set some hard boundaries by reporting and blocking them.

Collect evidence, report and block abusive players

The gaming platforms have a responsibility to ensure your safety. If the abuse is starting to feel harmful, collect evidence so you have proof – this can include screenshots or recordings of the abusive comments. Then you can report and block the other player in-app – you can find how to do this on common gaming platforms in The eSafety Guide. If you don’t hear back from the platform, you can ask eSafety for help to remove serious cyberbullying content (for under 18s) or adult cyber abuse (for 18+).

Get more help

If you’re feeling bad about what’s been happening while you’re gaming, make sure to talk about it with someone you trust. You could show a close friend or family member the information on this page and ask them to help you decide what to do if you’re being treated unfairly. You could also contact Kids Helpline (for 5 to 25 year-olds) or another confidential counselling or support service – they have people who are ready to listen and help.

Watch this video for tips on how to stay safe while gaming online, and get help if you need it.

Many online games are designed to keep you playing for as long as possible, so it can be hard to stop once you start. Getting hooked on the ‘digital dopamine’ can have negative impacts on your life – it can disrupt your sleep, your schooling or work, your relationships and your mental health. But being aware of how often and how long you’re gaming can help you avoid problems.

Here are some questions to ask yourself if you think you might be spending too much time gaming: 

• Are you playing online games late at night?
• Are you finding it really hard to get to sleep at night because your mind is still buzzing?
• Are you putting off getting your schoolwork and assignments done, but still spending lots of time gaming? 
• Do you get really angry or worked up about losing and often shout or throw things while playing?
• Do you get really annoyed when anyone interrupts you while you are gaming or asks you to stop?
• Do you find it hard to concentrate when you are not gaming?
• Do you push friends or family away or try to get out of social commitments so you can spend more time online?
• Are you missing out on exercise because you are spending so much time gaming?
• Do other people think your online gaming is a problem, even though you don’t?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be spending too much time playing online games. Try setting time limits for your gaming sessions, scheduling screen-free time or following other tips for balancing your time online, so you can see if they make a difference.

Even when you set some rules for yourself it can be really hard to stick to them. Try talking to a friend or family member and getting them to help you. If you don’t have someone in your life who can provide that support, you can contact Kids Helpline (for 5 to 25 year-olds) or another confidential counselling or support service for help.

At its best, online gaming provides an even playing field for people of all abilities and backgrounds who want to join in and find their community.

Respect others

Don’t abuse other players or make them feel bad about themselves. Very few people conform to a stereotype, yourself included. Instead of making assumptions about others, try to understand each person on an individual level. For example, you could encourage someone with tips to improve their skills instead of making fun of their playing, and you could use a person’s preferred gender identity without making an issue of it.

Question pack mentality

Thinking critically about what other gamers in your community say or do can help prevent you from unintentionally harming another person, especially if the group is getting really worked up. If you don’t agree with how they’re behaving, don’t join in.

Be an upstander

If another gamer is being treated badly, stick up for them if you can. Check they’re OK and offer them support. You could suggest they mute anyone who’s being unfair or unkind. If it gets really serious, help them collect evidence, report and block the abusive player in-app – you can find the steps for a lot of common gaming platforms in The eSafety Guide.