Online games are as much a fact of life for young people as mobile phones or computer screens. The esports phenomenon has truly entered our lives - it is the fastest growing sport in the world and will be featured in the upcoming Birmingham Commonwealth Games and as an Olympic-licensed event.
As with all online pursuits, gaming and esports presents dangers. Indeed, the World Health Organisation now includes “Gaming Addiction” as an International Classified Disease. While too much gaming can be harmful, playing online games can, if harnessed appropriately, be positively associated with wellbeing.
For our young people, it has never been more important to talk about healthy and safe online game play. People play online games to have
fun, reduce stress, and for the cognitive challenge.
Over two exciting days, Wesley College hosted the Federation of United Schools esports (FUSE) Cup ‘Just Dance’ competition, welcoming 100 students from 20 schools across Victoria to compete face-to-face using technology.
This wasn’t just about teams coming together to have fun and compete playing video games. There was also a strong emphasis on CyberSafety and raising students’ awareness about the impact of gaming on our thinking and behaviours and helping them understand the addictive qualities of gaming. The ‘Just Dance’ competition explored these serious themes in an engaging and age-appropriate context.
With representatives from the Office of the eSafety Commissioner and Kids Helpline present at the competition, digital wellbeing was embedded in the competition with breaks throughout the day delivering messages on ‘Bullying within Online Gaming’ and ‘Gaming Addiction and Microtransactions.’
Wesley was well represented with cross campus teams in the Year 5/6 and Year 7/8 competitions. While we didn’t come away with a trophy, we were thrilled to watch Year 6 Elsternwick students, Caitlin Price and Conor O’Donoghue, progress to the knock-out rounds, with Caitlin awarded second place in the individual event.
We are working with families, students and staff to help make sure everyone has the awareness and know-how needed to participate safely online. Our Cyber Safety webinars have been specifically designed for parents and guardians to help support our young people navigate the everchanging online environment. The next seminar, ‘Thriving on Socials’ on Tuesday, 31 May explores popular platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok, the type of content young people are able to access, the sort of connections they are able to make and the information that is being collected about them. It will also share practical tips to help start conversations at home about managing life as socially connected, digital citizens.
To sign up for the next CyberSafety Seminar click here
Thank you to Ray, Kathryn and Ashlee in the Digital Learning and Practice team for making the 2022 FUSECup Just Dance competition happen at Wesley and to all the students who participated and their families for their support.
Cameron Paterson
Director of Learning
