Second Life ?

mishkanorman

i am having a bit of a problem with my eldest son and could do with some experiences / advice.

He is a massive Doctor Who fan and has found a video clip on youtube which showed someones tardis in the Second Life game. Since then he has been on the game a lot. From what we've watched its a virtual reality game where you can customize a 'world' for you to live in or visit what other people have created. I've refused to put any credit onto it so all he can do is wander about the game looking at what he finds. Me and my husband have sat with him for hours and its quite frankly boring !

My problem is he is 8 and it is meant for over 18's, Ive just had a phone call from his headteacher as his teachers have raised concerns that he is going on about it endlessly. We know from experience this tends to happen when he is worried about things, he will interupt conversations to talk about whatever is on his mind. This time however I think its more excitement than worry but if its causing problems at school I need to act.

So, where i need some advice. Do any of you have experience of Second Life ? Anything i should be concerned about ?

Any tips on how to ease the obsession for him without upsetting him ? He talks about it all the time, drives me bonkers let alone his teachers BUT he doesnt have friends and is quite an insular child who would rather speak to adults and struggles with children near his own age so Im reluctant to take away his only bit of fun !

thanks !

Caroline_a

I've never used Second Life, but I do know that a lot of people use it to forge relationships... usually sexual ones.

Plans_all_plans

No experience of Second Life, but I would be VERY concerned about an 8 year old who has no friends spending hours online doing anything. It is likely to only get worse as he gets older. I also wouldn't let someone of 8 play an 18 rated game.

I would be laying down the law in your shoes and saying that he needs to be doing x, y and z and if he makes an effort to do the things you think are appropriate then he can spend some time doing other age appropriate activities online or whatever else he enjoys.

I'd be getting him involved in sport, drama or Scouting and only once he's developing his social skills more would I be happy about him spending time online.

Tropez

There's some very dodgy people on Second Life. A Sky News story published a few years back brought to the public attention a "peadophile island" where players engaged in simulated sex acts. A follow up story published a few months ago noted that although this area of the game had been removed, other areas were still being added although the makers of the game are cracking down as hard as they can on them.

Other than that, and by no means are all or even a majority (or necessarily a significant number) of Second Life players engaging in such activity, the fact remains it is a game for adults to live out fantasies of an alternate, and presumably "better" life. It isn't intended for children and I don't think the terms and conditions permit children as young as yours to play.

Now, it is quite common for a child to obsess about something they are interested in. I remember watching Jurassic Park over and over when I was... I dunno, 10/11 maybe... and it isn't uncommon for people to become a little too involved in MMO (massively multiplayer online) games such as Second Life, Guild Wars, World of Warcraft etc... but obviously there are risks with people becoming too attached to the "online" world.

It may just be a fad for your child which would be perfectly normal and when he gets older maybe he will want to play something like WoW (if it is still around). I would monitor what he is doing in Second Life though simply because, like chatrooms, there are "threats" out there but I would try and get him off it - children have their own imaginations that they can use that are far better than the iffy-graphics imagination land an adult can create.

Here's a link to the original story about the darker side of Second Life - http://techcrunch.com/2007/10/30/virtual-pedophilia-report-bad-news-for-second-life/

One comment from that report should be important to understand - "Someone recently said to me at a conference that Second Life’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness: pure uncensored freedom"

onlyroz

There are online games aimed at children, which might be more suitable than Second life. Have a look at:

https://www.kidsmmorpg.com

mishkanorman

To cover a few points, He is monitored and limited - the hours we've sat with him have been over several weeks now.

x,y,z are very much laid down in our house and Ive made him aware that he is too young (ideally) for this type of on-line play, he does homework and plays with his brother but he doesnt (and never has) had a friend of his own. He is on the edge of several groups and plays with them at playtime, he isnt bothered by this and seems quite happy to be friendly with lots rather than friends with one.

If i could sum him up it would be to call him a geek, not sure if forcing him to play sports and join a group would be any healthier than letting him play computer games !

gingin_2

Please don't let him on there. It's a fantasy world for a reason. We set up an account there 4 or 5 years ago as we thought we could set up a business venture on there, which wasn't possible in the end but I did look around and it is an over 18's paradise. Do you realise the really strong sexual adult content on there?

How did he create his own login, he would have had to have lied about his age, surely?

peachyprice

I have to say it's not somewhere I would want an 8yo spending time. It's a game designed for adults, with very adult themes.

Has he tried Club Pengiun, Moshi Monsters etc that are aimed at children? You say he doesn't have friends, but I bet there are some children in his class that play CP, it would give him a shared interest without actually having to interact with them.

kazwookie

Why are you allowing your child at 8 to play 18 year old games any way?

Who is in charge you or the 8 year old? YOU rule your home, not an 8 year old.

I thought 8 year olds were amongst other things, out bike riding, playing in the park, lego, reading, football, judo, and such like, with online stuff being there as a reward for 1 hour a day or what ever for keeping his room tidy and helping around the house.

I would stop immediately his on line acces to the second life site, and find something online that is more suitable.

mishkanorman

onlyroz wrote: »

There are online games aimed at children, which might be more suitable than Second life. Have a look at:

https://www.kidsmmorpg.com

They look great , ive book marked them for my other son.


The only draw for second life however is the fact that you can build your own tardis, customize exactly what you want in it and fly it around till your hearts content.

I cant find if its possible but it would be great if he could have his own little island where no-on else could go. He doesnt interact with anyone else and has no interest in doing so.

peachyprice

mishkanorman wrote: »

To cover a few points, He is monitored and limited - the hours we've sat with him have been over several weeks now.

And you haven't seen anything of a sexual nature, any bad language, any violence, adult costumes, nothing that would concern you, at all??