Senior Online Safety - NCSAM Tip #13 - Games - online safety tipsGames – if you, your children or your grandchildren engage in online games – read on.  

Online gaming is here to stay.  Whether you, your child or grandchild participate in online games, you should be aware of some basic steps you can take to keep you safe and secure.

Game names:  Choose your name with care.  Ensure you do not choose a name which divulges your age, gender or location.  PHXDesertGal2010, while a viable name, probably indicates a female, 13-14 yrs of age, located in the Phoenix area.  Think of a gender/age/location neutral name – Astr0id or Treetop are examples.

Location:  Do not give your location.

Avatar vs Picture:  Use an avatar, never post your photo

Downloads:  Don’t accept downloads – they may contain viruses and infect your computer or device

These are the basics.  Xbox from Microsoft has a very good page to help you navigate through the privacy and social network settings.  You can find the page, at Xbox Live and Zune Online Safety and Privacy Setting.  If you are using the Xbox, walk through the settings with this guide open by your side so you know what’s what.  The good people over at Nintendo also have a safety page, WIIu Information for Parents.  The information is the correct type of information to be sharing, though it lacked specifics to the Wii device.  And the National Cyber Security Alliance has this tip sheet on giving video games: Giving Video Games

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