• 25 Students from Dubai International Academy co-designed the game “Cyborg Chase” for the mobile app Fairside stories.

Dubai, UAE: Cyborg Chase, an online game designed by school students to combat cyberbullying, was launched at Dubai International Academy Emirates Hills, an Innoventure group school. Cyborg Chase was developed over the course of a 3-day workshop, by the students of Dubai International Academy (DIA), Al Barsha and Emirates Hills.

The game, developed for the mobile app Fairside stories, will aim to increase awareness about online threats and help school students combat cyberbullying. During the course of the 3-day workshop, 25 students from grades four (IV), five (V), and six (VI) from both schools developed Cyborg Chase’s narrative, designed characters, and established the ethical decisions to be made in the game. The students also got an opportunity to interact and learn from the Dubai Police about the dangers of online information theft, misuse of data, and cyberbullying.

The game was a result of the collaboration between Bahwan Cybertek's (BCT) Life-Long Learning Solutions (LLS) division and BigFatPhoenix (BFP) Interactive, the creators of Fairside stories, a collection of story-based role-playing games for children where they make tough choices, observe the outcomes of their decisions and learn about their values.

“The need of the hour for Digital Natives is a curriculum that nurtures and incentivizes innovation. It is imperative to integrate technology into the classroom, and BCT Life-Long Learning Solutions facilitates this through knowledge sharing directly from experts,” said Mr. Rahul Bharathan, Vice President, BCT LLS.

Speaking about the partnership with BFP, Rahul added, “Our partnership with BFP Interactive has already brought this initiative to over 280 students in 3 schools in Dubai. It is helping address social-emotional skills and digital literacy with an engaging and hands-on approach. It meets the cross-curricular learning outcomes for students and schools and parents are happy to see their kids’ screen time being used to make meaningful contributions globally. We are thankful for the support provided by the Dubai Police during this project.”

BFP Interactive conducts these workshops with schools globally, where students learn social and emotional skills as well as ethical decision-making through games. BFP has conducted these workshops at other schools in the U.A.E with plans to expand to many more schools in the region.

The rise of cyberbullying has become a major concern for parents in recent years. It can occur on social media, messaging apps, and gaming sites, in some cases causing severe mental, emotional, and physical harm to children. Cyborg Chase aims to help children recognize cyber threats and encourage them to speak out against bullying, promoting a safer online environment by raising awareness.

Anand Ramachandran, Co-Founder at BigFatPhoenix said " We firmly believe that videogames and interactive storytelling can help kids develop the life skills they need to grow into healthy, happy and responsible adults. It’s been incredible to see our vision come alive in the UAE through our partnership with BCT and schools in the region. Kids are amazing, they always make the world a better place - and we’re happy to help through the fun medium of videogames.’’

Poonam Bhojani, CEO at Innoventures Education said, “At Innoventures Education, we believe in nurturing our young minds to think out of the box, thereby inculcating creativity and critical thinking skills in them from a very young age. Game Designing is a part of our "Incubator" program which supports our students in implementing their ideas. We are proud of the success of our students in having built their own game in line with the theme of anti-bullying.”

Parents can play a vital role in preventing and addressing cyberbullying by educating children on the dangers of cyberbullying, encouraging open communication, and teaching them how to safeguard their information online. In case of severe incidents, reporting it to the appropriate authorities is the recommended solution.

Cyborg Chase is now available to play on the Google Play Store and App Store in the Fairside Stories App.

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About Bahwan CyberTek (BCT)

Bahwan CyberTek (BCT) is a global provider of digital transformation solutions in the areas of Predictive Analytics, Digital Experience and Digital Supply Chain Management. Driving innovation through outcome-based business models, proven and powerful IP solutions, BCT is a trusted partner for over 1000+ customers, including Fortune 500 companies. Established in 1999, BCT has over 4000+ associates with technical and domain expertise across the Oil & Gas, Telecom, Power, Government, Banking, Retail and SCM / Logistics verticals. We have delivered solutions in 20 countries across North America, the Middle East, Far East, Africa and Asia. For more information, please visit www.bahwancybertek.com.

About BCT LLS (Life-Long Learning Solutions)

BCT's Life-Long Learning Solutions (LLS) division aims to identify, develop and deliver efficient and cost effective Edtech Solutions to address the ever-changing priorities and challenges facing lifelong learners.

About BigFatPhoenix

Bigfatphoenix Interactive is a game development studio full of people who are really just big kids at heart. They have decades of game design and learning design experience from the world’s leading companies like Zynga, Disney, Sesame Street and Byjus. BFP’s core belief is that video games can actually help make the world a better place - and they build videogames that help make that vision come true.

About Innoventures Group

Innoventures Education is a PreK-12 educational company based in Dubai, UAE that is committed to providing world class education. Established in 2004, it manages five schools, namely, Dubai International Academy - Emirates Hills, Dubai International Academy - Al Barsha, Raffles World Academy, Raffles International School, Collegiate International School, and eight Raffles Early Childhood Centres (ECC) spread across Dubai. The school offers the International Baccalaureate, American and British curricula across their schools.

About Fairside Stories Game/App

Fairside Stories is a collection of story-based games where YOU decide how the story goes. Make tough choices and see what happens. Bonus: get to know yourself a little better in the process. Do you always do the right thing, no matter what? Do you bend the rules here and there to get things done? Or will you do whatever it takes to take care of others? Play to find out!

Media Contacts:
Name Mamta Wagh Muhammad Yusuf
Company Bahwan CyberTek Pan Asian Media
Designation Senior Executive - Marketing Account Executive
Address 1602B, The Opus, Business Bay, Dubai, UAE P.O. Box 39865, Dubai, UAE
Email mamta.wagh@bahwancybertek.com m.yusuf@panasian1.com