SCOGA: Building Resilient Digital Natives

As young people spend an increasing amount of their time in digital spaces, it’s no longer enough to teach them the basics of online safety. They need to be equipped with the skills to navigate the complex and often harmful realities of the online world. This is where project SHIELD – Developing Resilient Digital Natives by the Cybersports & Online Gaming Association (SCOGA) comes in.

By blending gamified learning with AI-powered scenarios, SHIELD places youths in the driver’s seat of their own digital education, empowering them to tackle cyberbullying, misinformation, and unwanted online contact with confidence.

Facilitators share valuable insights with the group, sparking discussion and encouraging active, thoughtful participation.

Learning Through Role Play

Instead of traditional lectures, SHIELD employs interactive scenarios powered by AI personas. These simulations immerse participants in realistic situations where they might encounter online harm—from cyberbullying in group chats to suspicious messages from strangers or misleading news on social media.

Through guided role-play sessions, participants actively engage with AI personas, making decisions and witnessing how scenarios unfold based on their choices. Students then embark on group discussions that prompt them to reflect and develop practical safety strategies.

This experiential learning approach makes SHIELD particularly effective for younger audiences, who typically learn best by working through case scenarios that mimic real-life situations. By alternating between simulation, discussion, and activity, the workshops maintain engagement whilst enhancing knowledge retention.

Participants navigate the Capabara platform, engaging with AI-driven scenarios to explore online safety and decision-making.

SHIELD’s flexible content accommodates a broad age range, from secondary school students to young adults in tertiary institutions. The scenarios are designed to be age-adjustable, offering age-appropriate situations for younger students while presenting more challenging scenarios that apply to older participants.

Workshops can be conducted in small group or classroom settings and students can easily access the content through their own devices.

From Awareness to Application

SHIELD’s true value lies in bridging theory and practice. Each participant leaves the workshop with enhanced knowledge of how to deal with harmful online situations reinforced through the AI-powered interactions. By working through the various scenarios, they learnt how to take ownership of their own digital safety by making decisions and applying practical strategies such as reporting inappropriate content, blocking persistent strangers, and verifying information before sharing.

This sense of agency proves particularly important for teenagers and young adults, who approach digital challenges with greater confidence after simulating them in a safe environment.

Laughter and learning collide as the facilitator engage students in a spirited discussion.

Understanding the Digital Risks Young People Face

Cyberbullying, misinformation, and unwanted contact are not abstract dangers—they are lived experiences for many students. SHIELD addresses each issue through realistic examples and discussions that reflect young people's actual online experiences.

The integration of Generative AI enables dynamic interaction. Though similar scenarios are presented to different students, each participant’s choices elicit unique responses from the AI persona—simulating the unpredictable nature of online communication.

Each scenario concludes with a tailored activity—whether a debrief, group reflection or quiz. These endings are customised; facilitators select approaches based on the group’s energy level and learning needs. This structure ensures every student can analyse their experience critically and develop future strategies.

Encouraging Peer Learning and Empathy

“If you come in acting like a teacher with a lesson plan, they’ll switch off in ten minutes,” shares trainer Roy Koh. “But if you speak their language—through memes, humour, and slang—they’ll vibe with you and start sharing openly. That’s when it really clicks.”

Students gain valuable knowledge while developing the confidence to advocate for themselves and others. Whether it's supporting peers facing bullying or recognising signs of misinformation, these skills are fundamental in today’s fast-evolving digital landscape.

Group discussions form the cornerstone of the SHIELD experience. Following their interactions with the AI personas, students gather in small groups to reflect on their emotional responses to scenarios, share observations and explore alternative approaches.

These conversations cultivate empathy and peer support. Students find comfort in hearing classmates discuss similar online challenges and different perspectives on handling tricky situations. This shared experience promotes a more nuanced understanding of digital safety—one that encompasses emotional intelligence and kindness.

Looking Beyond the Workshops

SHIELD aims not only to educate, but to initiate ongoing conversations. The worksheets used during workshops function as take-home tools, enabling students to share learnings with family members and peers. In doing so, they become ambassadors for online safety within their communities.

“By ‘gamifying’ learning with generative-AI roleplays, we’re helping students develop a life skill that’s essential in today’s digital world,” says Dennis Ooi, President of SCOGA. “We believe that young people learn best when they’re engaged—and SHIELD gives them the opportunity to make mistakes, reflect, and build confidence in a safe environment.”

Towards a Future of Digital Confidence

The SHIELD initiative was made possible through the Digital for Life (DfL) Fund, which enabled SCOGA to develop AI-powered learning tools.

The funding supported the project from curriculum development to conducting the workshops. Most importantly, it helped SCOGA harness the potential of Generative AI—as a meaningful tool to enhance learning for youths.

By leveraging the elements of multi-player role playing games that are popular with youths, supported by AI technology, SCOGA has crafted an experience that resonates with digital natives while equipping them with practical strategies for navigating complex online environments.

The initiative embodies the vision of the Digital for Life movement—supporting every individual’s journey toward safe, responsible, and fulfilling use of technology.