The Vegas Generation represents children born in the digital era dominated by addictive electronic games. On average, a child can spend more money and time, as well as demonstrating levels of anxiety similar to those of a professional gambler. At the same time, there is a growing concern among parents who, due to the novelty of this issue, still do not know exactly how to deal with it.
Video games are a deeply rooted cultural phenomenon, especially among children and, primarily teenagers, as evidenced by a study conducted by USP showing that 85% of Brazilian teenagers play video games, with 28% meeting the criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). As games and their purchasing mechanisms evolve, so does the responsibility to deal with potential risks, to prevent new cases of children spending their family's savings on online games.
With the technical support of the Regional Psychology Council of São Paulo and psychologist specializing in child and adolescent behavior Luiza Brandão (responsible for the USP research), "Vegas Generation"[1] was created, a platform providing a safe space that offers specialized answers to parents' questions and doubts about their children's relationship with games, as well as tips for making this relationship healthier.
References:
Rob Davies (April 2, 2021) https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/apr/02/video-game-loot-boxes-problem-gambling-betting-children The Guardian. April 2, 2021.
Rob Thubron (June 7, 2023) https://www.techspot.com/news/98980-13-year-old-spent-64000-parents-money-mobile.htmlTechspot. June 7, 2023.
Bianca Camatta (July 18, 2022) https://jornal.usp.br/ciencias/uso-problematico-de-video-games-entre-jovens-do-brasil-e-maior-que-a-media-de-outros-paises/ Jornal da USP. July 18, 2022.
Katherine Latham (May 21, 2023) https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/articles/clw9xep49zgo#:~:text=As%20armadilhas%20dos%20games%20para%20fazer%20crian%C3%A7as%20gastarem%20dinheiro%20sem%20parar,-Arquivo%20pessoal&text=Para%20Nara%20Ward%2C%20monitorar%20os,anos%2C%20e%20Leif%2C%2012 BBC News. May 21, 2023.
https://adnews.com.br/tag/geracao-vegas/AdNews. May 10, 2024.
https://www.latinspots.com/sp/comercial/gerao-vegas/44774LatinSpots. May 6, 2024.