Quest for Cyber Wellness

A parent and her 12-year-old daughter tries out MOE’s newly launched mobile game app, C-Quest.  What do they think of it?  Read on to find out.

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From time to time, my 12-year-old daughter would badger me to let her have her own Twitter and Instagram accounts. Each time, I would explain the reasons why many of these platforms have a minimum age restriction of 13 years old. But sometimes, she would get frustrated and brand this mummy as being “strict”.

So I was really happy to discover a free and reliable resource, C-Quest, to help parents and children discuss the importance of cyber wellness.

C-Quest is a new mobile game app developed by the Ministry of Education, targeted at parents and their children between 10 to 14 years old. In a fun and interesting way, parents and children can play the game together and talk about issues such as online behaviour and taking precautions in cyberspace.

In the game, players choose one of three ‘Cyber Navigator’ characters and set off on a quest to explore the cyber seas:

• Master over Technology – to be a captain of our own life and not be enslaved by technology and mobile gadgets;
• Protector – to watch out for one another, as protectors, not attackers, and be safe online; and
• Relationship-Builder – to build positive relationships online, to avoid sparking unnecessary conflicts which would end up hurting others and self.

Players answer questions related to cyber wellness to earn stars and collect accessories and equipment for their character. Cyber wellness tips are also given out during the game.

Learning while playing seems to work well with my daughter. She was really focused on earning the stars and badges by moving through the game levels. We went through questions that we talked about before, and discussed new and interesting questions such as how much screen time should one be allowed each day.

While questions in the game such as “What can you do if you have posted a comment that is socially not acceptable, and which has received negative feedback from others?” may seem hard for a 12-year-old to understand, it is very important for parents in this technological age to explain these issues and guide their children to be healthy digital citizens.

C-Quest has provided a more structured way of discussing the use of the Internet with my daughter, complementing the cyber wellness lessons in school. I am glad she enjoyed the game and that it worked out well for her, as it did for me!

Download the free C-Quest app for Android devices here. The iOS version will be ready by 1 Nov 2014.