THE EFFECTS OF PLAYING ONLINE GAMES ON THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS

A RESEARCH PAPER PRESENTED TO

MRS. MARIA MAE D. SANOY

PRACTICAL RESEARCH TEACHER

BALUGO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

BALUGO, VALENCIA, NEGROS ORIENTAL

RESEARCHERS :
 CHAPTER 1

THE RESEARCH AND ITS BACKGROUND

I. INTRODUCTION
Internet as a source of information plays an important role in developing one’s mind and life
experiences by creating productive works in school, offices and even at home. Nowadays, these
can be a person’s most efficient strategic tool for enabling himself to take charge and cope with
the past growing technology.

The fact that people live in an informative lifestyle where everything is updated, internet
became one of the necessities of human beings regardless of age or sex in today’s society.
However, the influence of this useful machine on youth is undeniably questionable. As to what
Rock said, all these technologies are very good at distracting people. In line with this
development, online gaming was created to give entertainment to people.

Online gaming is one of the widely used leisure by many people. For some people, it is said that
playing video games has a number of reasons to be played, for it can be stress reliever,
challenge and competition, relaxation, enjoyment, social interaction and even mentally escaping
from the real world.

For most people, online gaming is one of the best past time that they acquired especially for
teenagers, youngsters and students. According to Kuss and Griffiths, teens who play online
games are just having fun. They do not just actually play because of some sort of seriousness,
but also because they just want to feel relief. During school hours, students tend to feel stressed
due to loads of school works and through playing it will relieve their stress.

It is undeniably questionable that playing online games provide them something that no one can
give. According to some researchers, it is beneficial. It enables the mind of the players to be
more active, especially those puzzle-based games. Furthermore, it helps the player to come with
decisions in tight situations, especially those adventure games that keep the players alert, active
and strategic.

Students learning take place unexpectedly, but the inappropriate usage of playing online games
also leads in some problems such as being distracted in school. Further, it is where the attention
of a child were divided that even their health and social life is unknowingly affected.

Several studiers in Psychology have found out that increase time spent on the internet can lead
to negative impact on a person’s ability to communicate appropriately face-to-face with friends,
peers, family members including parents.
 Studies revealed that the human brain is easy to distract and one of the reasons is using
technology. The education system tends to go with the flow with this constant change in the
society in order to get things relevant to the generation today.

The researchers felt the need to determine the impact of online gaming to student’s academic
performance and their social behavior. The purpose of this study is to find out the implications
of online gaming to the academic performance and social behavior of the students.

II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study aims to know the perceived effects of online games to the academic performance of
among the students of Balugo National High School/

The research wanted to answer the following questions:

1. What are the demographic profiles of the respondents in terms of:
a. Frequency of playing online games
b. Average time span of playing online games
2. How does playing online games affect the academic performance of the students in
relation with:
a. Class Participation
b. Number of hours spent in studying
3. Is there a significant relationship between playing online games and academic
performance of the student?

III. SCOPE AND DELIMITATION

The study covers students of Balugo National High School from Grade 7 to Grade 11. This study
is limited to only the students who are avid players of online games. The researcher will gather
information about the possible effects of online games on students’ academic performance.

An interview was conducted about the education of the respondents regarding in the study of
the effects of online gaming in the academic performance of students attending Balugo National
High School, S.Y. 2019-2020. In a random order, 5 students from Grade 7 to Grade 11 who are
avid players of online games will be interviewed to get information that will be needed in the
study. This study will be conducted to determine the effects of online gaming to students’
academic performance.

IV. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will help the students to have insights on the impact of online games towards their
academic performance.

To the Parents, it will serve as a basis to help share with other parents the information about
certain games or ideas to help each other in parenting. Also, it will help them understand the
behaviour and study habits of their children when they’re engaged into such activity.
To the Teachers, it will provide additional knowledge on what strategy to use to educate
students about the well-known effects of online gaming to students’ academic performance.
 CHAPTER 2

THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

I. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

A. Online Games / Video Games

Playing video games is often associated in our society with poor academic performance.
This anecdotal idea is supported by some research. A 2000 study found a negative
correlation between GPA and time spent playing video games (Anderson & Dill, 2000).
The correlation was relatively small. Time alone accounted for a 4% variance in GPA , yet
the findings are significant. However, several older studies contend that the results of
research have been mixed. A 1997 study suggests that “there is no clear causal
relationship between video game playing and academic performance” (Emes, 1997, p.
413). It goes on to say that the research is “sparse and contradictory” (Emes, 1997, p.
413).

The effect that interactive digital media has on learning process is not completely
negative. It is not that the medium itself is inherently flawed, but much of the
information that gets transmitted through it may be. As was noted in a 2008 study on
media attention and cognitive abilities, “ content appears to be crucial” (Schmidt &
Vanderwater, 2008, p. 63). If the content being consumed is positive, then positive
results can be expected. The study examined research from many sources in arriving at
this conclusion.

B. Student Engagement and Sociological Effects

Research on the social effects of video games is also mixed (Allison, Wahlde, Shockley, &
Gabbard, 2006). Some studies have found that video games are similar to addictions
such as gambling which creates negative social effects. Massively Multiplayer Online
Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) have been called “heroinware” because they are
“simultaneously competitive and positive aspects of the games such as the ability to
experiment with aspects of individual identity which do not come out in public.

MMORPGs have been criticized for hampering academic and job performance. The FCC
has specifically accused World of Warcraft, one of the most popular games, as leading to
college dropouts (Sumaiya, 2009). Students can become obsessed with these games and
become disengaged from schools, friends, and life in general. Video games can also have
positive social effects. Our measure of this which has significant research is that of
prosocial behavior. Prosocial behavior is defined as when one person acts to help
another. While research on this topic is mixed, there is evidence that games which focus
on prosocial behavior lead to prosocial results (Schie & Wiegman, 1997).
 C. Intelligence Benefits
According to All Academic Research, playing online games may not be all that bad for
your children. Peng Wei states that educational games can be effective assisting tools in
the educational areas of management, medicine and science. If you choose the right
educational online games, your child may learn better problem-solving skills and eye-
hand coordination. Your child may also get the ability to think fast and think of multiple
things all at once. Skills obtained from playing online games may help your child learn
quickly when it comes to his studies. If your child is struggling in one of his school
subjects, there are many educational online game s available for him. There are math
and reading related games that may help boost your child’s skills. This games can be
both fun and educational for your children.

II. REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES

A. Positive Effects of Video Games

When your child plays video games, it gives his brain a real workout. In many video
games, the skills required to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These skills are
not even taught at school. Some of the mental skills enhanced by video games include
following instructions, Problem solving and logic (When a child plays a game such as
The Incredible Machine, Angry Birds or Cut the Rope, he trains his brain to come up with
creative ways to solve puzzles and other problems in short bursts), Hand-eye
coordination, fine motor and spatial skills. In shooting games the character may be
running and shooting at the same time. This requires the real-world player to keep track
of the position of the character, where he/she is reading, his speed, where the gun is
aiming, if the gunfire is hitting the enemy, and so on. All these factors need to be taken
into account, and then the player must then coordinate the brains interpretation and
reaction with the movement in his hands and fingertips. This process requires a great
deal of eye-hand coordination and visual-spatial ability to be successful. Research also
suggests that people can learn iconic, spatial, and visual attention skills from video
games. There have been even studies with adults showing that experience with video
games is related to better surgical skills. Also, a reason given b y experts as to why
fighter pilots of today are more skillful is that this generation’s pilots are being weaned
on video games. Planning, resource management and logistics. The player learns to
manage resources that are limited, and decide the best use of resources, the same way
as in real life. This skill is honed in strategy games such as SimCity, Age of Empires, and
RailRoad Tycoon. Notably, The American Planning Association, the trade association of
urban planners and Maxis, the game creator, have claimed that SimCity has inspired a
lot of its players to take a career in urban planning and architecture. Multitasking,
simultaneous tracking of many shifting variables and managing multiple objectives. In
strategy games, for instance, while developing a city, an unexpected surprise like an
enemy might emerge. This forces the player to be flexible and quickly changed tactics.
(Daphne Bavalier)
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III.

IV.
B. Computer Game Addiction

CONCEPTUAL / THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

A paradigm below was prepared to show the variables and processes that were used in the
study. The paradigm shows the materials used in the study. The output is the effects of playing
online games in the academic performance of students for the descriptive output.

HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY

Now, we develop null and alternative hypothesis according to the situation:
Null Hypothesis:
Alternative Hypothesis: