“Factors associated the online computer games addiction among selected

senior high school students of PHINMA Cagayan de Oro (COC) Puerto

campus”

Introduction

Nowadays, computers are necessary means to accomplish tasks more

efficiently. Computer on today’s era is not just considered as a mere tool for

computer programming or commercial proposes but also for entertainment.

Computer entertainment becomes so significant nowadays, In the tip of a

person’s finger, anyone can see what they wants to see and hear different genre

of music and almost everything they want to know. But like any other good stuff,

computer-usage is prone to be abused.

It is obvious that computers had made a significant change of pace in

terms of technological advancements. More job-employments are offered.

According to Joseph L. Sardinas in his book on 1982 he stated “The computer

scientists will grow to 230,000 by 1985,a 500 percent increase over 42,000

individuals working in the capacity in 1976 throughout its brief history, the

computer industry has grown so rapidly that the number of jobs available has

continually expanded faster than the supply of personnel qualified to fill them..”

But on the technological advancement and economic boom, serious problems

arise from such improvements. One of the most controversial and timely issue is

computer addiction on teenagers especially on online gaming.

Addiction is the state of being addicted. Addict means to habituate or to

give oneself up to a practice or habit usually (bad) and be or become unduly

dependent upon it.(the New Lexicon Webster’s dictionary, 1998). According to

Soriano in his book human behavior and crises management on 2003, One of

the reason of computer addiction is poor moral values, training and breeding. he

quoted “ Improper breeding and poor moral values training particularly those

affecting free-will and self-control, undesirable association etc.. may result in

impaired mental state.”

Internet addiction is typically described as a state where an individual has

lost control of the internet use and keeps using internet excessively to the point

where he/she experiences problematic outcomes that negatively affects his/her

life (Young & Abreu, 2011). Examples of such outcomes are cases where

individuals lost sleep or skipped meals because they were spending time on the

internet, or where internet use has resulted in conflicts with family members or

led to the detriment of a job or educational career. Most research on internet

addiction is based on initial research by Young (1998), who conceptualized

internet addiction as an impulse-control disorder, deriving diagnostic criteria from

the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) diagnosis for

pathological gambling. Since addictions were not acknowledged in DSM-IV,

Young contended that the diagnosis of pathological gambling was most akin to

the pathological nature of internet use and adopting the criteria would be helpful

in clinical settings and stimulate further research (Young, 1998).

Online gaming have been one of the past-time of a typical teenager

resorts to. Not just because it is entertaining to play but also it doesn’t cost the

player any work but through the manipulation of the mouse and keyboard only.
Aside from its good graphics it presents, it gives a player fulfill his fantasy on

graduar and self-importance. “It can make the people who has been addicted feel

that the games can provide opportunities for achievement, freedom and even

connection to players”(Peter,2005) A study by Sherry et al (2001) which presents

the reasons for playing video and computer games by adolescents and their

game priorities on 535 adolescents in age 15-20 in the West USA found that 68%

of adolescents had these games as their weekly entertainment. The reasons for

playing these games among boys were excitements and challenges and they

insisted to win. Moreover, sport and violent games were more attractive for boys.

One of the reasons of such addiction is the vast advertisement ads posted in

internet, social media’s, televisions, magazines by advertisers which make a

typical person to become curious about computer games. “The rule of the media

in advertising the games also make cause why the players become addicted with

those games, in 2005, advertiser spent 80 million dollar to reach games player,

this spending is expected to top 400 million dollar by 2009.(Park

Association,2006). Accordingly “Incident advertising processing state

unconscious learning and retentive exposure effects remain hotly debated topics

in advertising and marketing computer literature.”(Janiniszewak,1993)

Fallah et. Al. (2001) in their study investigated the relationship between

games and social skills of 258 male students of first grade of high school. The

results showed a significant relationship between the game-type and presence of

others in the game location with social skills of adolescents. Selecting home as

the place of game had a significance negative relationship with social skills and
those adolescents who were mostly playing at home, had less social skill (cited

from Doran).7 However, in the present study, there was an inverse relationship

between addiction to computer games and social dysfunction. It means that as

the addiction to computer games increases, social dysfunction will decrease.

The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify factors associated in online

computer games addiction among selected senior high school students of

PHINMA Cagayan de Oro College Puerto campus. The researchers picked this

topic because such issue is very timely and relevant on today’s era where

computers are mostly used as an entertainment purposes rather than

communication and educational purposes .Second, the researchers are

interested on the primary factors of such obsession of computer games in today’s

generation specially the senior high school students. Third, because of today’s

fast-paced technological improvements, there are also huge chances on the

applications and programs/games which emerge nowadays; the researchers are

determined to identify what type of online games has the most number of senior

high school students are attached to. This study seeks to draw attention to

identify factors associated in computer addiction among selected senior high

school students.

Significance of the Study

This study may prove beneficial to the following people:

Administrators-The findings of this study will help the administrators of learning

institution understand the nature of computer addiction and why young people

such as senior high school students becomes obsessed and attached to

computer games. The result of this study may help them to guide the students

and help them eliminate or at least minimize computer addiction among senior

high school students.

Parents-This study will give insights to the parents to do the share in keeping

their children or members of their family from getting involved in computer

addiction. This study will give understandings to the parents as to the importance

of family support and children rearing and moral guidance to keep their

son/daughter away from such vice of computer addiction.

Teenagers-This study will help the teenagers to understand the nature and

causes of computer addiction. Also, this study will cover the effects of computer

addiction and its roots as to why and how a typical person gets involved in such

vices so that teenagers will be able to see it coming so they can avoid such

vicious circle of computer addiction.

Computer-addicted individuals-From this study, the computer addicted

individuals may understand their disposition and there potential danger being

attached to such vice. They may be able to understand the nature of their

addiction and its causes enabling them to acquire the necessary techniques to

cope-up with their life stressor and to channel their frustrations in any other

healthy recreational activities which will improve their outlooks in life and way of

living instead of succumbing to computer addiction. This may open there minds

on how computer addiction will slowly deteriorate not only their grades, social life,

health family relationship but also their outlooks in life.

Future researchers- This study will also help and serve as a guide for their
further research studies and to acquire more knowledge and information about

the case of factors causing and resulting from computer addiction.

Hypothesis

Ho1: There is no significant difference in the respondent’s level of computer

addiction in relation to academic performance in senior high school, that there is

no significance of computer addiction factors such as peer pressure, stress,

family problems, behavioral problems, personality problems, combined family

income, media exposure and grade point average.

Statement of the problem

The study attempted to find the following questions:

1. What is the profile of the respondent in the terms of the following?

1.1 Frequent absences in class

1.2 Failure in subjects

1.3 School dropout

1.4 Peer group

1.5Proximity of computer shops to student’s house

2. what is the respondent’s level of addiction in terms of

2.1exposure to computer games

2.2Involvement in computer games and computer addiction

2.3Parents attitude towards computer games and computer addiction.

3. What are the factors involved in computer addict in terms of

3.1 Accessibility of Computer/ Computer Games

3.2 School Drop-out

3.3 Kind of Computer game played

4. Is there a significant difference on the course of computer addiction in relations

to academic performance in COC when grouped according to;

4.1 Gender

4.2 Age

4.3Religion

4.4 Combined monthly family income

4.5 Media exposure

Scope and limitation

This study will cover the factors associated in online computer-addiction

among senior high school students of PHINMA Cagayan de oro College (COC)

in the first semester of the academic year 2016-2017.

This study focuses on the factors that are associated with computer

addiction and its effects to the students. The researchers aim to provide relevant

data and information about the study. This study also provides statistical data

about how such addiction affects their personal life. Each of the respondents will

be given questionnaires’ to avoid prejudice of perceptions.

However this study will only cover the factors causing computer addiction

of an individual only few of online computer games it does not cover offline

games and other applications present on the computer. Second, this study does
not cover all online games but only notable popular online games will be included

in this study. Third, the weakness of this study is that it only involves selected

senior high school students and not whole senior high students.

Conceptual framework

Combined family income, indirectly, has a huge influence on school

performance. Students from high-income families are more capable of buying

school supplies, paying tuition fees, and attending review and/or advance

classes that may help them perform well in class, resulting in higher grades.

Having a personal computer at home will mean better access to computer games

since the machine is free and always available. Longer hours of playing games

may be spent when there is computer at home. Time spent on playing computer

games largely affect students’ scholastic performance. As a student spend more

time playing, lesser hours are devoted for homework, reviews, and other school-

related activities. Longer hours of computer gaming might have a negative

impact on school grades. (http://ir.library.osaka-

u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/11094/24497/1/osipp_030_075,2017)

The idea of (Lavesque ,1992) about age in his book human resources

problem solver s cited by Bautista in his master’s thesis claimed that persons age

ranging from 18-25 are very aspiring person where major decisions and lifestyle

choices are made.26-39 compromise the career development of years that are

most progressive. It is a “fast trackers” stage which meaning advances to the

rank of supervisors and the line of upper manager. 40-60, the stabilized middle
year that show early signs of stabilizing personal and career life development, as

they pass through their 40’s. Age is one of the factors that affect change in

attitude of an individual. As the person grows, there is a corresponding change in

his belief, values, attitude and outlook.

Proximity of computer shops to student’s house is another determinant of

school performance. If a computer shop is located near a student’s house, there

is a greater tendency to play computer games rather than do school tasks.

Gender is one of the major determinants of computer gaming. Several

studies have shown that the probability of male students to engage in computer

gaming is higher than females. Moreover, in terms of frequency in playing, males

are more frequent players than females. Many studies have shown that the

number of siblings is also a determinant in playing computer games. Frequent

players are usually those who belong to a small family with 1-2 children,

especially if of opposite sex. (http://ir.library.osaka-

u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/11094/24497/1/osipp_030_075,2017)

Peer groups affect individual’s attitude towards computer gaming. Those

who belong to a group wherein members are computer gamers have higher

tendency to become a computer gamer than those who do not have.

 Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Age
Kind of computer game
Sex
Peer group
Senior highschool stand
School drop out
Religion
Accessibility of Computer/
Combined monthly income of Computer Games
parents

Figure 1 schematic diagram showing interplay of Variables of the Study

Theoretical framework

Subcultural Theory -Linked to anomie and strain are concepts of status

frustration and differential opportunity, which North American subcultural

theorists used to explain the delinquent activities of disadvantaged groups in the

1950s and 60s. Status frustration is associated with the work of Albert Cohen

(1955), who conducted research into group offending by young, lower-class men.

Cohen argued that lower-class youths could not aspire to middle-class cultural

goals and so, frustrated, they rejected them to create their own subcultural

system of values. In school, for example, they gain status and respect by
meeting the expectations of peers not teachers, engaging in delinquent activities

such as smoking, truanting, and acting up in class.

Differential association theory-In criminology, differential association is

a theory developed by proposing that through interaction with others, individuals

learn the values, attitudes, techniques, and motives for criminal behavior.

The differential association theory is the most talked about of the

learning theories of deviance.(Edward Sutherland,1983)

Social learning theory- a theory of learning and social behavior which proposes

that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others. [1] It states

that learning is a cognitive process that takes place in a social context and can

occur purely through observation or direct instruction, even in the absence of

motor reproduction or direct reinforcement. In addition to the observation of

behavior, learning also occurs through the observation of rewards and

punishments, a process known as vicarious reinforcement.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_learning_theory,2017)

Labeling theory- In labeling theory, some people are labeled criminal by police

and court authorities; labeled people are known as trouble-makers criminals, and

shunned by conventional society. Labeling theory is closely related to social-

construction and symbolic-interaction analysis. Labeling theory was developed

by sociologists during the 1960s. Howard Saul Becker's book Outsiders was

extremely influential in the development of this theory and its rise to popularity.(

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labeling_theory,2017)