Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Escapist logo header image

Should Eleven Year-Olds Play on Xbox Live?

This article is over 16 years old and may contain outdated information
image

Wired asks the important question every parent has when their children start gaming: Should they play online?

Wired’s Chris Anderson has a tough role as a gaming parent. In a recent GeekDad blog, he recounts the story of his eleven year-old child’s first interaction with online games, specifically Halo 3 on Xbox Live.

“Not five minutes into my 11-year-old’s first Xbox Live Halo 3 match with a headset he got called ‘bitch’. Then ‘punk’ and then worse,” recalled Anderson.

Before the accusations about letting his son play an M-rated title were shot, Anderson addressed the issue, stating, “I’ve not only played the game (start to finish) with him, but I’m IN the game (I’ve got a voice acting cameo). Also, a rating is a guideline to help parents use their own judgment based on what’s appropriate for their own kid, not a law.”

Anderson believes that by exposing his son to online gaming, he has built his own leadership skills. After all, the internet is the “school of hard knocks” in the modern world, and an adventure Anderson says could be a “good lesson in real-world survival skills, or a scarring one.”

He then opened his entry for comments, resulting in various responses ranging from supportive gamer parents to the more conservative.

Andy P wrote, “As long as you’re actually BEING a parent, and explaining that: Shooting other people is bad, talking to other people like a Live idiot is bad, and to always respect people when he’s playing, then you’re fine.”

ikaruga3064 refuted, “Jeez – stop being such a lazy Dad and spend some quality time w/ your kid. The Xbox is NOT a babysitter.”

Recommended Videos

The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy