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International non-profit organisation Play Aid has announced a partnership with Ulster University to offer a psychological first aid course for gamers and esports players.
The short course is titled, ‘Psychological First Aid for E-Sports Players and Gamers – Instructor Training’, and is ‘designed to equip esports players, gamers and associated professionals with essential skills in psychological first aid, enabling them to provide peer support within their communities’.
Participants will engage in a half-day workshop led by instructors, focusing on the fundamentals of psychological first aid, the challenges of online environments, and teaching methodologies for disseminating these skills.
Following the workshop, learners are encouraged to pursue self-directed study through videos and readings to boost their mental health literacy. The course also offers supervised practical activities.
Play Aid is a non-profit organisation set up to ‘enhance men’s mental health through the power of play’.
It previously teamed up with Irish esports organisation Nativz Gaming and the Ireland Esports Collegiate Series ahead of World Mental Health Day 2024, and with the UK Esports Team Committee (UKETC) for psychological first aid.
“Our collaboration with Ulster University represents a significant step forward in promoting mental well-being within the gaming community,” said Dr John P. Mills at Play Aid.
“By providing gamers and e-sports professionals with the tools to support each other, we aim to foster a more resilient and compassionate environment in the digital gaming world.”
Late last year, the Times Higher Education Awards honoured Ulster University as the Top University in the UK and Ireland.
The course is available online and is open to all. For more information and to enrol, visit Ulster University’s course page.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
