‘Friending someone means just adding them to your friends list, not much else’

Abstract

This article analyzes young preteens' uses and understandings of virtual world games, with a focus on the structures that create different online experiences. The study involved working with a group of 28 children aged 8 to 10 years. Data analyzed in this article are paper-based activities, semistructured interviews, and field notes. The article investigates dominant constructions of children as 'not yet complete' and as 'active, knowing beings' (Cook, 2005). These dichotomous constructions are explored across the literature concerning children and virtual world games, particularly in relation to online risks and opportunities. The analysis focuses on ways data collected for this project challenge constructions of children as either at risk or active and empowered. The analysis reveals that many children's online engagements in virtual world games are casual (i.e. they are not investing time or money in the games) and structured by factors such as age, socioeconomic status, and Internet access. The article suggests that studies of children online need to distinguish between different digital childhoods, particularly in relation to research and policy suggestions.

Situating the Appeal of Fortnite Within Children’s Changing Play Cultures

“…Some of our participants had encountered negative experiences in the game world; Travis suggested that random players in Fortnite “can be mean…they’re just saying rude stuff,” and Lucas—who only plays squads, which means sometimes random people join his team—had a stranger call him “something rude,” but “only once…usually they’re not mean.” Narrah described a specific encounter where he was playing “with a guy, and he asked me where I lived and stuff, so I just stopped.” Although this highlights this as an ongoing issue, none of our participants indicated that this had been significantly problematic. This reflects recent work by Willett (2017) that highlights how children’s engagements with strangers in online games are casual in nature and not necessarily a source of social risk (see also Livingstone et al, 2017). Others have also argued that the value of games and online engagements for learning and literacies involves taking risky opportunities, with peers and others outside of their normative worlds (Livingstone, 2009).…”

“…Although this highlights this as an ongoing issue, none of our participants indicated that this had been significantly problematic. This reflects recent work by Willett (2017) that highlights how children's engagements with strangers in online games are casual in nature and not necessarily a source of social risk (see also Livingstone et al, 2017). Others have also argued that the value of games and online engagements for learning and literacies involves taking risky opportunities, with peers and others outside of their normative worlds (Livingstone, 2009).…”

Children’s shared experiences of participatingin digital communities

“…Multiple levels of experience appear necessary for creating digital content, to belong to cultural environments that foster collaboration and sharing and using common design standards, in digital maker cultures and walkthroughs 1 of creators' work (Niemeyer & Gerber, 2015). Participants' online access have been shown to vary, and by that also their experiences and knowledge of virtual world games, identifying three different levels: experienced, mid-level experience and novice (Willett, 2017b).…”

Children’s digital friendship practices during the first Covid-19 lockdown

“…The role of digital media in childhood and adolescence has been explored by, for instance, boyd (2014), Ito et al (2010), and Livingstone and Sefton-Green (2016), who all point to the ways in which digital media allow children and young people to have social interactions and relations across different settings of their everyday lives, and not least away from adults' gaze and supervision. Willett (2015) shows how digital gaming platforms function as sites for children to meet new friends and engage with those they already have. Kofoed and Larsen (2016) have researched young people's use of Snapchat and describe how the platform with its ephemeral exchange of everyday snapshots allows for playful and oftentimes transgressive practices that have a strengthening effect on the peer relations of the users.…”

“…Corsaro, 2003). For most children and adolescents, and increasingly with age, digital communication is integral to the practising of friendship (Willett, 2015;boyd, 2014;Ito et al, 2010;Kofoed & Larsen, 2016;Livingstone & Sefton-Green, 2016). There is no doubt that the opportunities of children and young people to create and build relationships have changed due to digital media developments.…”