Bullying in the online gaming world

Unfortunately, bullying can and does happen in online gaming.

Gaming should be fun, so it’s NOT okay for other gamers to be horrible, say nasty things to you or make you feel bad when you’re playing.

There are lots of different ways someone might bully you when playing an online game:

1. Cheating to get ahead of you
2. Leaving you out of tasks or missions
3. Saying horrible things and constantly targeting you
4. Stealing or destroying anything that you’ve created in the game
5. Hacking into your personal account
6. Stealing your identity and sharing any personal information you’ve saved

When playing a game online, you’re unlikely to know all of the people you are playing with. Some people will use this to target random gamers and be unkind to them. The safest way to play games online is to play against people that you know in real life.

If someone is being nasty to you when you’re gaming, try not to get angry and react to it. You could try playing the game with a different group of people instead, or take a break for a while and tell a trusted adult.

Remember, if someone is bullying you in an online game, it’s not okay and it’s not your fault. Every player in the game deserves to be respected. If another gamer is being nasty to you, speak to your parents/carers, friends or any other trusted adult, and report them to the moderators of the game you are playing too. They could end up being blocked from the game.

Click here to read more about some of the risks when gaming online.

How to get help

If you have any more questions on this area or would like to speak to somebody about this topic, have a look at the links or search for your local services in the blue box below. Alternatively you can always contact your school nurse.

• w: Childline
  
• w: Family Lives
  
• w: CEOP