Singapore University of Social Sciences

Games and concerns over gaming addiction have been building in recent years. Gaming addiction was officially added to the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Diseases in May 2019, with the list to come into effect in 2022. The Internet as well, has become for many people, especially youths and young adults, an essential and intrinsic part of their lives. It makes information available to be shared worldwide, at any time; enables learning about any topic; and allows for instantaneous communication. And it provides endless entertainment as well. But the benefits of online access are accompanied by serious potential risks. YWK503 Gaming, Game Addiction and Cyber-Bullying explores some facets of online health and safety. It presents some conceptual framework, and explains specific topics such as gaming addiction, cyberbullying, the rise of social media, obscene and offensive content, etc. At the same time, presents that video games can help us develop skills, make friends, succeed at work, form good habits, and be happy. Taking the time to learn what’s happening in our heads as we play and shop allows us to approach games and gaming communities on our own terms and get more out of them. With sales in the tens of billions of dollars each year, just about everybody is playing some kind of video game whether it's on a console, a computer, a web browser, or a phone. Much of the medium’s success is built on careful (though sometimes unwitting) adherence to basic principles of psychology. This is something that’s becoming even more important as games become more social, interactive, and sophisticated. As such, there would be a short discourse as well to learn how to leverage the principles of psychology, to learn how to gamify learning and allow youth work practitioners to be more effective in their engagement with youths.