In sharp contrast to the overblown Pictochat story we I discussed a few weeks back, Seattle's ABC affiliate KOMOTV aired a story regarding the dangers of children playing online games via XBox Live. The report explores voice chat filters and ease of communications between children and adults, and the possibility of a predator forming an online relationship with an unsuspecting child. They give several examples of incidents that have occurred, and even went as far as to demonstrate using Phantasy Star Universe. They created a young girl character and were bombarded with offers of money for sex or pics. Many of them might have been idiots joking around, but how many weren't?

The reporter doesn't overly resort to scare tactics and drama, and she doesn't condemn Microsoft in any way...in fact, she points out the parental controls the 360 has built in, urging parents to use them as intended.

A few weeks back I was talking to a computer forensics expert who told me the story of a young girl who played over Xbox live. She had several friends, and one day one of them offered to have his father drop off a copy of a game so they could play it together. The 'father' showed up, asked if her parents were home, and then raped and killed her. Some of you are thinking the girl was just stupid, and you're right. Kids are stupid. It's why they need adults around. To keep things like this from happening.

Don't even get me started on PC MMO games.

The bottom line here is that unless parents take an active role in their children's gaming, having their kids hear some bad words or a see nipple flash here or there is the very least of their worries. Michael Fahey

Online gaming world a forum for sex predators [KOMOTV.com - Thanks Nezumi]

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