Al Giffoni Good Games this year there will also be the content creator and streamer Kafkato explore the issues related to the fight against the cyberbullying. The event dedicated to the world of gaming and e-sports will be held in July in Giffoni Valle Piana, in the province of Salerno.
Designed by Giffoni Innovation Hubpole of cultural innovation in the South, the Giffoni Good Games is an event entirely dedicated to video games, which on July 1st and 2nd will welcome thousands of enthusiasts and beginners to the Multimedia Valley. Two days dedicated to young people and families, with special guests and prominent figures in the gaming and e-sports sector. Among these, guest at Giffoni Valle Piana there will also be Kafkanya, one of the best known Italian streamers, to address the theme of good play and cyberbullying.
Cyberbullying and conscious use of the internet
Today the internet is undoubtedly part of everyday life for a large part of the western population. Young people are the ones who spend more time in front of the screen, without adult supervision and often unaware of the risks of the web. To make users and insiders aware of the responsible use of the web, the Safer Internet Day, an international day dedicated to this theme. On the occasion of this event, Telefono Azzurro and Doxa developed a dossier which analyzes the relationship between technological progress and adult awareness. The Giffoni Good Games was born with a view to protecting and educating adolescents and childrenconscious use of the web.
Kafkanya guest at the Giffoni Good Games
Virginia Gambatesaaka Kafkanya, will be a guest at Giffoni Good Games as a representative figure of a theme that unfortunately belongs to the world of the internet: the cyberbullying. The content creator and streamer, with 38k followers on Instagram and 73k on Twitch, perfectly embodies the principles behind the event. The importance of playing well, of demonstrating how video games should be not only a diversion, but also something educational tool capable of having a social impact.
Passionate about video games, literature, anime, cinema, cooking and pop culture, Kafkanya has always been involved in the fight against cyberbullying. In the gaming world since she was a child, she has made this a real profession, fighting for the network injustices.
As a content creator, streamer and video game enthusiast, I have dealt with these important issues several times and I believe that there is an increasingly strong link between the world of the Internet and the gaming sphere, with continuous influences from the former on the latter. But how to guarantee parents or educators that the young person has fun, plays and surfs with serenity and protection? There is no ideal solution, but certainly there are different realities that are committed toeducation in the digital world and in the right communication to schools, companies and the users themselves. For example, with Social Warning, a non-profit organization, I was able to tell the classes and teachers about my work, the risks associated with the digital sphere and the importance of knowing what one is using. I find that the bulk starts from here, in schools as well as in homes.
Kafka.
Network gaming: the most feared dangers
An undoubted tool of great possibilities and knowledge, the Internet can also hide many pitfalls, especially for the most young and inexperienced. The most concrete risk perceived by young players, according to the dossier, is thesolicitation by strangers, usually adults (65%). Next we find the bullying (57%) ei violent content (53%). These threats are also feared by adults, who consider online bullying to be one of the most likely harmful online experiences.
While on the one hand videogames can be used for educational purposes, as various analyzes show, through messages of sustainability and social impact, on the other they require solid awareness. The risks are mostly related to community activities rather than individual, counteracting the potential positive effects of collaborative play, leaving room for intrusion and unwanted contacts.
The importance of good play
Giffoni Good Games wants to be a place to meet, have fun and grow in the name of good play and at the same time a space in which to fight phenomena such as bullying and discrimination, celebrating the game for what it is: not only entertainment, but also education and means Of cohesion and inclusion. We are witnessing an exponential growth in the use of this tool, especially among young people, and this brings with it a double consequence: on the one hand, a continuous proliferation of ideas, personalities and opportunities, on the other a race against time and The technological progress.
Often there is a tendency to associate the attribute of ‘digital natives’ with the new generations, but a clarification is needed: what is missing today is an ability to critical useboth in young people and adults. Giffoni Good Games was also designed for this, to bring adults and children closer to the world of gaming, highlighting its risks and potential, without demonizing videogames, but spreading a digital culture which also allows you to recognize and protect yourself from the dangers that the Internet brings with it. As? Giving a voice to professionals, bringing virtuous examples and offering anyone who wishes to have the opportunity to try their hand.
Antonino Muro, Founder and CVO of Giffoni Innovation Hub.
Potential of video games
The use of video games, if healthy and controlled, can become an ally in the development of cognitive and social skillsboth in adults and children. Several studies have demonstrated the potential of gaming sessions, such as for team building or team play. Research by Columbia University, for example, analyzes the benefits for mental health of children in relation to the duration of play sessions, with positive results. Another study from Brigham Young University highlights the positive effects of collaborative games on skills engagement, sharing goals and productivity.
The beauty of this profession also lies in the possibility of speaking to young people, making them integrate into a world that is so large but often perceived as claustrophobic and non-inclusive. Many tell me of their difficulties in expressing themselves in the social sphere, the fear of not being accepted by others and of not being understood by their parents. In these cases, I think the game helps enormously, if used with the right means and with a sufficient dose of awarenessto reap all the consequent benefits.
Kafka.
More on Giffoni Good Games
The event dedicated to the world of gaming will be held at the Giffoni Multimedia Valley (Giffoni, Salerno), on 1 and 2 July 2023. To purchase tickets and find out more, visit the official Giffoni Good Games website.