The risks to children online are well documented and the world of gaming and esports is no exception.
By combining online environments with physical training, mentoring and competition, esports has the potential to be a perfect storm in terms of the risk of abuse. The risk to children is, you would be forgiven for thinking, therefore obvious. Despite this, at present, there is no centralised public body responsible for safeguarding children participating in esports.
It is also becoming increasingly clear that the risks associated with esports pervade far beyond the obvious. The Gambling Commission recently expressed concerns that some game play mimicked the characteristics of gambling – See our article on What’s the problem with loot boxes for more of a discussion on this. Features such as this are commonplace in games which are often played by children of all ages. This exposes children to patterns of behaviour which may be addictive, and from which they would ordinarily be protected until they were adults.
Stakeholders in the esports industry would be well advised to look at the recent scandals enveloping traditional sports in relation to historic child abuse. These scandals do not simply provide a cautionary tale, but a roadmap to navigate this difficult issue. The current lack of regulation in this area provides an opportunity for those at all levels of esports to develop strong principles which safeguard against abuse. Those who do not develop such principles need only look at the liability associated with the recent scandals to predict what they may face in the future.
Traditional sports organisations such as the Football Association are now working with the NSPCC and other authorities to provide a safe environment for children. This is achieved by striving for a safe environment ‘from the ground up’. It is clear protection against child abuse must be seen as a top priority rather than an afterthought. Examples of good practice include DBS checking all adults who will have unsupervised contact with children, ensuring children participating in esports have a clear idea of what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour and, of course, having a clear and accessible reporting mechanism for abuse.
The rise of esports has been meteoric and shows no sign of slowing. Its rapid expansion is driven by ever improving technology allowing faster, more competitive and more realistic gaming. On top of this, children are becoming ever more involved. Many of the professional gamers are, legally speaking, minors. The new generation of gamers has grown up with the internet, mobile phones and 24-hour superfast internet. They are more comfortable than any generation before them with online life, for better or for worse. It is important to note, however, that the same dangers exist. By utilising the knowledge gained in traditional sports we can effectively safeguard children in esports.
Our specialist esports team can provide advice and support, check out our esports page for more information.
