By Chua Hian Hou

SINGAPORE is keeping tabs on online gaming among youth.

Two studies, funded by the Government, aim to help it understand the impact of games, as well as the extent of problems such as videogame addiction among young Singaporeans.

The first, involving 3,000 primary and secondary school-going students, was completed late last year. The results are expected to be released later this year.

It found that these children spend about 27 hours a week playing games like Maple Story and World Of Warcraft. Other details of the study have not been released yet.

The second study, announced last month, will also look at online games. Details were not given.

The Government has formed an inter-ministry committee to look into ways to deal with cyber-wellness issues such as online gaming.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.