Video games have become complex, interactive spaces in which children not only have fun but also shape their identity, their relationships with peers and even their formal learning. However, some of their features (monetisation, manipulative design or social pressure) are poorly aligned with children’s rights related to mental health, participation and protection, even though they can also offer social and emotional benefits when engagement is critical and informed.
A European consortium, led by the Institute of New Imaging Technologies (INIT) at the Universitat Jaume I in Castelló and comprising the University of Limassol (Cyprus), Save the Children Finland, All Digital (Belgium) and 8d-Games (the Netherlands), aims to promote the protection and exercise of children’s rights in online gaming environments by creating participatory mechanisms that foster digital literacy, strengthen mental wellbeing and embed practices grounded in children’s fundamental rights.
“The main purpose of FAIR GAME”, explains the research team, which met for two days at the public university in Castelló, “is to make children’s rights visible, actionable and enforceable in one of the least regulated digital environments”, because its goal “is not only to mitigate risk, but to reorient the way the gaming ecosystem defines safety and responsibility”. For this reason, they add, it “seeks to bring about cultural and structural change in order to influence gaming platform policies and standards”.
The methodology to achieve this objective is structured in five stages. The first focuses on child-led design to create digital literacy modules, raise awareness about gaming practices and develop guidance materials for families and educators. The second stage seeks to engage the wider influence ecosystem, such as developers, streamers and influencers, who would share responsibility through jointly developed codes of conduct, training and behavioural tools.
The third and fourth stages include cross-cutting parameters applied throughout the project, such as promoting inclusion and accessibility within project teams of minors participating in consultations and implementing an ethical protection framework for them. The fifth stage envisages final outcomes that are modular and adaptable, with translation guidelines and open-source formats that can be integrated into national education systems and made accessible beyond the participating countries.
To achieve its objectives, FAIR GAME targets four key groups. The first consists of children aged 10 to 18, especially those in vulnerable situations, who participate in online gaming through collaboration with schools, youth centres, NGOs and child protection networks. The second group includes parents, caregivers and educators, who play a key role in reinforcing safe digital practices through practical tools and training to support children’s literacy, wellbeing and resilience.
The third group comprises older children trained as ambassadors to lead peer sessions, co-create content and advise on project design. The fourth includes stakeholders from the gaming community who will co-design voluntary codes and take part in awareness-raising and training campaigns promoting safer and more inclusive gaming cultures.
In the view of the research team, “a safe and age-appropriate gaming environment would ensure that children can enjoy the benefits of digital gaming (creativity, social connection, skills development) without exposure to violence, exploitation or discrimination”, since FAIR GAME is designed to “generate lasting change in the way children experience, understand and influence digital gaming environments”.
Specifically, the project proposes a range of protective measures, including stricter content moderation and age rating systems; stronger safeguards against adult predators and abusive peers through identity verification and user-friendly reporting systems; enhanced privacy and personal data protection with clear, accessible information; and online gaming spaces that are inclusive, non-discriminatory and responsive to differences in age, gender, background and ability.
The FAIR GAME consortium brings together five European Union member states (Spain, Finland, Cyprus, Belgium and the Netherlands). This combination reflects different levels of digital infrastructure, child participation practices and exposure to online gaming risks, providing a solid basis for testing tools and approaches in diverse settings. In addition, each partner contributes a unique skill set, combining expertise in video game development, children’s rights, education, digital skills, advocacy and gamification.
The project “FAIR GAME – Fostering Awareness, Inclusion and Resilience in Gaming Environments” is funded by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) under the CERV-2025-CHILD call. The coordinator is researcher Inmaculada Remolar Quintana, director of the Institute of New Imaging Technologies at the Universitat Jaume I, and the project will run for 24 months.