Using the Internet Safely For Seniors

Many adults find that the phone’s keypad is rather small for gaming

and opt for handheld devices for on-the-go gaming, but with a bit of

practice, you can get the hang of the tiny keys and enjoy the conven-

ience of playing on your phone.

To be safest, stick to downloading games (or ringtones, background

screens, and so on) from your carrier. This ensures that there’s no mal-

ware(malicious software) in the games and that the games are compati-

ble with your particular phone. If you are more savvy and want a

greater selection, be sure you download from a reputable site, as mobile

viruses are, unfortunately, an increasing threat.

Participate in Massively Multiplayer

Online Games (MMOGs)

Massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) place huge numbers of

gamers in a single environment, hence the name. (Popular games have

tens of thousands of users online at any time.) Some MMOGs (such as

Second Life, see Figure 10-8) aren’t games as much as whole virtual

worlds that may have their own currencies, stores and businesses, social

clubs, events, and more. MMOGs are usually subscription services (oth-

ers are ad revenue driven) and offer consistent virtual universes where

the game continues whether or not any specific gamer is playing.

Here are some safety guidelines for playing MMOGs:

➟ Select a game that matches your comfort level for lan-

guage, violence, etc.

Although many conversations are monitored by oth-

ers in the game, with the ability for users to chat

online in real time, you have the risk of negative

behavior. Stay in the main areas of the games, where

this abuse is much less likely to occur.

➟ Just as with any online interaction, be careful about

what personal information you expose to other

gamers and the level of trust you place in them.

203

Chapter 10: Being Entertained Online