Safety guidelines to be introduced for Roblox, other online games – MESF

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Esports Federation (MESF) will soon introduce digital safety guidelines for online games, including Roblox, in a move to safeguard children from unhealthy gaming habits.

The announcement follows police investigations which found a nine-year-old boy had been obsessively playing Roblox before allegedly attacking his younger brother at Kampung Parit Nipah Laut, Parit Raja, in Batu Pahat on Monday.

MESF president Naim Zaharin said the initiative was among several measures agreed upon during a recent meeting with Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and representatives from Roblox after the incident.

He said the guidelines, to be rolled out with industry stakeholders, would include clearer classifications on game suitability based on age categories to help parents and guardians set safe gaming limits.

“We will be issuing suitable digital safety guidelines, including for Roblox, and launching awareness programmes to tackle these issues in a coordinated manner,” Naim said when contacted.

He explained that under the guidelines, games classified for players aged 18 and above may be restricted to that group, filling a gap in the current framework where such references are lacking.

Although some online titles fall outside the esports category, Naim stressed MESF’s commitment to curbing unhealthy behaviour and risks among young players.

“At our level, our role is to ensure that games are appropriate and safe. But we cannot control everything, which is why we urge parents to monitor the games their children download. If they detect any problems, they can lodge a complaint directly with MESF,” he said.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

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