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Academic's work will boost child safety
University of the Sunshine Coast academic Dr Christian Jones has developed a computer game aimed at boosting children’s awareness of their personal safety.
Dr Jones, a Senior Lecturer in Interactive Digital Media, has worked closely with the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and Education Queensland in designing the free online game called Being Safety Smart.
North Coast Police Region Assistant Commissioner Graham Rynders today officially launched the Being Safety Smart initiative which will provide children aged 6 to 8 with abduction prevention strategies.
Local police conceived the idea for the game after the abduction of Daniel Morcombe in 2003, and the game’s launch has been backed by the Daniel Morcombe Foundation.
Dr Jones took up the challenge of designing the game when he arrived at USC in 2006. He had previously taught computer science at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was CEO of Affective Media, a UK-based company that is developing technologies that automatically recognise human emotions.
Dr Jones said QPS funded the Being Safety Smart initiative which will provide an important educational resource for primary schools. The game will be trialled on the Sunshine Coast, with the aim to then release it state-wide.
“Being Safety Smart is designed to increase the awareness of children to situations which might impact on their personal safety and to empower them with the ability to act appropriately and with confidence,” he said.
“The online resource will go live today and we invite schools to register with us so they can start using the resource with their children.”
Dr Jones said recent testing of Being Safety Smart at Chancellor State College showed children’s safety knowledge improved significantly after playing the game.
The Being Safety Smart game will take centre stage at the University of the Sunshine Coast Gallery’s first exhibition for 2009 from 16 February to 21 March. Visitors will be able to try out the game on one of four computer terminals or on a large-scale projection.
The exhibition will be officially launched at 6pm on Thursday 19 February with guest presentations by Dr Jones and Queensland Police Service Regional Crime Prevention Coordinator Senior Sergeant Tony Sinn.
Schools can arrange class tours of the exhibition by contacting USC Gallery Curator Dawn Oelrich on 5459 4633.
— Terry Walsh