FAIR GAME: project to protect children in online gaming environments (IMAGE)
Caption
A European consortium, led by the Institute of New Imaging Technologies (INIT) at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló and comprising the University of Limassol (Cyprus), Save the Children Finland, All Digital (Belgium) and 8d-Games (the Netherlands), aims to promote the protection and exercise of children’s rights in online gaming environments by creating participatory mechanisms that foster digital literacy, strengthen mental wellbeing and embed practices grounded in children’s fundamental rights.
“The main purpose of FAIR GAME”, explains the research team, which met for two days at the public university in Castelló, “is to make children’s rights visible, actionable and enforceable in one of the least regulated digital environments”, because its goal “is not only to mitigate risk, but to reorient the way the gaming ecosystem defines safety and responsibility”. For this reason, they add, it “seeks to bring about cultural and structural change in order to influence gaming platform policies and standards”.
In the view of the research team, “a safe and age-appropriate gaming environment would ensure that children can enjoy the benefits of digital gaming (creativity, social connection, skills development) without exposure to violence, exploitation or discrimination”, since FAIR GAME is designed to “generate lasting change in the way children experience, understand and influence digital gaming environments”.
Specifically, the project proposes a range of protective measures, including stricter content moderation and age rating systems; stronger safeguards against adult predators and abusive peers through identity verification and user-friendly reporting systems; enhanced privacy and personal data protection with clear, accessible information; and online gaming spaces that are inclusive, non-discriminatory and responsive to differences in age, gender, background and ability.
The FAIR GAME consortium brings together five European Union member states (Spain, Finland, Cyprus, Belgium and the Netherlands). This combination reflects different levels of digital infrastructure, child participation practices and exposure to online gaming risks, providing a solid basis for testing tools and approaches in diverse settings. In addition, each partner contributes a unique skill set, combining expertise in video game development, children’s rights, education, digital skills, advocacy and gamification.
Credit
Universitat Jaume I of Castellón
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