ABSTRACK

RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE 'ONLINE GAME' AND MENTAL HEALTH IN

BENEFITS OF SME BANK RESIDENTIAL OF STUDENTS, NORTHERN
UNIVERSITY OF MALAYSIA (UUM)

Oleh
LINGGESWARAN A/L PANIRSELVAM

The main focus of this study is to find the relationship between 'online game' and mental health
among students the Inasis SME Bank, UUM is the main focus of the study. A total number of
295 students in SME Bank, UUM was selected as respondents for the study. 168 respondents
were male students and 127 respondents were female students. In developing the questionnaire,
the researcher has modified the Internet Addiction Test (IAT) Young (1998) and General
Health Questionnaire (GHQ) Golberg (1970) Scale. The questionnaire is divided into three
sections including demographic background, Online Gam Addiction Test and General Health
Questionnaire Scale. The Study results show that there is no significant relationship between
online game addiction and mental health among students in SME Bank Inasis. The findings
also indicate that there is a significant difference in the mean scores of online game addiction
based on genders and there no significant difference in the mean scores of online game
addiction based on ethnicity.
 CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction

Whale is the largest living animal in the world. The largest whale ever found is 108 feet long

which means it is bigger than the three big school buses and the size of the same passenger

plane but these are animals. The reason behind making this statement is because it relates to

online gaming and its name is the Blue Whale Game. Did you ever know and hear about this

Blue Whale game?

It is an online game created or introduced by the 21-year-old Philipp Budeikin. He was a

Psychologist who was expelled from the university for violation of university regulations.

Regarding the creation of this game, he said, "I want to rid this society of the biological waste".

Now he is in Russian prison for 3 years. This Blue Whale Game game is introduced in Russia

in 2013. The game is known for many names such as "Waking up at 4:20 am," F 57 "and more.

In this game, players need to complete 50 tasks administered by this game admin After

completing all 49 tasks, the 50th task is to commit suicide (Sunny Giri, 2017).

This game works with conversations between admins and players. For example if you play

Blue Whale Game game then admin will contact you through chat app like WhatsApp,

Facebook or Messenger. He will give you 50 tasks to do (1 task each day) and will ask you to

show proof of the task. Professor Datuk Dr Chiam Heng Keng, a key figure in children and

teenagers psychology and early childhood education, reports youths are turning to destructive

online social and online games such as the Blue Whale game, which encourages teenagers to

end their lives as the way to solve their problems is worrying (Suzzana Pillay in the New Straits

Times 2017).
The Blue Whale game is an online game that is increasingly gaining momentum for humans

especially teenagers in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, India and Russia to record

the highest suicide case. One of suicide cases is said to have occurred in a 19-year-old teenager

in Karaganda, Kazakhstan on February 6, 2016. The boy jumped from the building and his

death was attributed to the Blue Whale Challenge challenge. In Russia, the rate of suicide is

high. Russian authorities say that 62 percent of teenage suicides are related to conflicts of

lovers, teachers, families and economics. Penny Patterson from London Grid for Learning

(LGFL) in a statement, released by the UK, by the Safer Internet Center stated, "Teenage

children need to be supervised and we need to realize that the Blue Whale Challenge is very

dangerous," by Zulqurnain Othman in Utusan Malaysia 2017).

In Malaysia there are still no Malaysians linked to the Blue Whale Challenge. However, before

it became tarnished and the rice became better, the game was barred from spreading in

Malaysia. However, last year Malaysians were also surprised by the addictive cases of online

games such as the Blue Whale game which had a bad impact until the government took action

to control access to Pokemon Go. Is Pokemon Go dangerous? This is one of the questions

raised by Ahmad Termizi in Utusan Malaysia (2016). The Pokemon Go game became an

overwhelming desire and addiction to Malaysians after it was launched in the country on 8

august 2016. The game developed by Niantic, Inc. in collaboration with Pokemon Company

and Nintendo Co., Ltd is the fastest phone game to reach 10 million downloads down.

There are many questions raised as soon as the game is launched in Malaysia. This is because

the game Pokemon Go has a positive effect such as giving fun and can fill the free time. In

addition, there are also negative effects both physically, mentally and emotionally. For

example, in our own country, a journalist was injured due to motorcycle crashes as he pursued

and captured Pokemon in Kuala Lumpur. In Sungai Petani, Kedah, two men injured after being

hit by a car while playing Pokemon Go in front of a shop by

Therefore, addiction to something like an addiction to online gaming will negatively affect

both yourself and the people around it. Pokemon Go games can be categorized as 'online games'

or electronics. However, what is Online gaming? It means a game that requires the internet to

access the game. Without internet, an individual can not play the game.

The concept of connecting the electronic game system to the first television set is generated by

Ralph Bauer in the early 1950s. At that point, the term online game is not a common thing as

it is today. As a result of the increase in internet usage and access, gaming online games have

become increasingly popular all over the world as well as in Malaysia. Since the beginning of

2000, gaming market games worldwide have grown rapidly. In 2015, online games became a

commonplace among Malaysians (Utusan Malaysia 2016).

But now the situation has changed with the speed of technological progress. Smartphones have

grown rapidly to compete with computers. Most online games can be downloaded in

smartphones and can play anywhere. The number of online games continues to increase from

year to year. Among the examples of online games popular among Malaysians, especially

teenagers in Malaysia are Clash of Clan (C.O.C), Pokemon-go, and DOTA.

In this age of technology, online gaming is increasingly becoming the madness of many

individuals regardless of their age. This online game is also global because it can be joined by

anyone and anywhere with the availability of internet facilities and the software used is

appropriate to the needs of the game. Most people prefer to find entertainment and fun in the

virtual world no matter what the goal is to achieve. Many assume that information technology

and internet networking facilities are used to find information and academic reference

materials, entertainment, finding contacts, sharing stories and experiences, business and others.

Many also think that the internet network can help widen the chances of finding and increasing

daily income. This shows that the facilities provided by this internet network are widespread
and unlimited. So, depending on the individual's self whether to take advantage or otherwise.

(Munira Ismail, Nurhamizah Hashim, Junainah Abdullah, 2010).

In everyday life of a person, one's career can influence emotions and thoughts. Pressure arising

from daily activities encourages one to find entertainment to reduce and eliminate stress.

Consequently, due to the time constraints to socializing then the most effective alternative is

finding entertainment in cyberspace (internet). By simply using a computer and certain

software then the goal will be done at the fingertips. Internet users can save time at any time

(Munira Ismail, Nurhamizah Hashim & Junainah Abdullah, 2010).

Since this online game requires internet access to be accessed, students are directly or indirectly

addicted to online games similar to addicted to internet that have been shown in recent studies

Young, K. S. (2004). The use of internet frequently and for a long time or excessively is one

of the online gaming addictive symptoms. More specifically, online game addiction is

characterized by excessive or uncontrolled sensitivity like the Pokemon Go incident. It is also

an encouragement or behavior related to the use of computers or smartphones and surf the

internet that bring damage and mental health problems (Ramayah, 2006).

Mental health problems are also widely reported. There are also clinics available to address

patients who are addicted to online games. In addition to the problem of addiction there is also

the pressure of feeling where this happens because players can not win a game. Players play

this game to relieve stress at work or pressure from everyday life but get more pressure from

the game that can not be solved. Additionally, players may also experience personality

disorders or personality disorders where the patient has two different identities. Taylor (1999,

2006) states that players will often play games in cyberspace using different personalities.

Compared to normal games, players can open multiple windows and use some avatars where

this avatar differs in terms of physical, personality and gender identity. Additionally, it can also
generate negative personality such as aggressive, do not want to get along, ego and so on.

Games that contain pornographic elements can also be resulting in mental disorders that may

affect social life (Munira Ismail, Nurhamizah Hashim & Junainah Abdullah, 2010).

This statement is supported by Cash, Rae, Steel and Winkler (2012) that many researchers and

clinical experts find a variety of mental disorders that occur in line with the case of internet

addiction. Based on the statement, it can be concluded that online game addiction can also

affect mental disorders such as internet addiction. This is because internet addiction and

addictive online games are two inseparable things that have links to each other.

What is meant by mental health? It refers to situations where an individual is aware of his

potential to be active on life stress, can work with productive and can contribute to society.

Mental health also refers to the way we think, feel, the way we act, interact with others and

deal with problems and overcome them. Among the examples of problems that occur due to

mental health are depression, general anxiety disorders, panic disorders, compulsive

obsessional disorders, stress after trauma and sleep disorders (Ministry of Health Malaysia).

1.2 Statement of Problem Analysis

The game is a repeat activity to gain comfort or to achieve a desired target (Tedjasaputra, 2008).

Play activities usually aim to reduce or divert stress when encountering problems. The

development of today's increasingly technological field turns out to bring about changes in all

aspects of life. Human creativity is growing, leading to the creation of various facilities and

applications in technology that can be utilized in everyday life.

One of the human creations is the internet. Once the Internet has been created, the online

gaming industry has grown rapidly. The development of this industry has brought great benefits

to those involved in the industry. However, the development of this industry indirectly brings
problems to the community, especially to teenagers. This can be proved by some of the research

that has been carried out. For example in South Korea, there are 70% of the 48 million people

in the country browsing the internet daily. They have spent 30,000 won (US $ 30 or RM 114)

each month aiming to surf the internet (Ramayah, 2006).

In Korea there are 25,000 cybercafe in every district and online game players only need to

spend 1, 000 won (RM 3.70) per hour. According to South Korea's Health Ministry agency

report, 60% of 1, 500 teenagers have admitted they are addicted to online games. In addition,

China also faces similar problems. The Chinese government has planned to create a movie to

remind teenagers of the dangers of using the Internet. Most students in China feel that by

playing online games they can entertain and do not have to face real life (Hur & Ramayah,

2006).

Are Malaysians addictive internet? A media statement was issued by Tan Su Lin in Astro

Awani on October 6, 2016. He said the average time Malaysian students spent in cyberspace

were between three to five hours a day. In addition to getting information, most of them are

browsing social media sites and online games. More worrying, nearly 20 percent of children

spend time playing online games. This poses the risk of Internet addiction at a young age.

Chairman of the International Association for the Attacks Association (Isia) 2016, Dr.

Norharlina Bahar said the sign of internet addiction is the failure to carry out daily routines as

a result of excessive internet usage.

Nevertheless, the progress made by the internet industry as well as the facilities available from

it can not be blamed as a whole. This is because the use of this online game is an ancillary

activity if you feel bored and to fulfill your free time. However, it has a negative impact on the

user if it is used more than usual and addicted to the game. Users who are addicted to online

gaming have certain personality traits that are causing them to have psychological problems
(Rhodes, Courneya & Jones, 2005) and (Joinson, 1998). By definition, personality is a unique

adjustment symbol in life for someone. Included in personality are the key tricks, interests,

motivations, values, self concepts, abilities and patterns of feelings (APA Dictionary of

Psychology, 2007).

In March 2017, researchers in the United States conducted a study (American Journal Of

Psychiatry) aimed at testing online game-related behavior. Research findings show that anyone

who plays online games mostly does not have any Internet gaming disorder symptoms. Online

game addiction for a short period of time is no longer identified as a mental disorder in the

American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder

(DSM-5. However, Internet gaming disorders have been identified and classified in DSM-5.

1.3 Research Objectives

This study is based on several objectives namely:

I. Identify whether there is a link between online game addiction and student mental health.

II. Identify the difference in mean score of online game addiction based on gender.

III. Identify the difference in mean score of online game addiction based on race.

1.4 Research Questions

The study tried to find the answers to the following questions;

I. Is there a significant relationship between online gaming addiction and student mental

health?
II. Is there a significant difference in online game addiction scores between male and female

students?

III. Is there a significant mean difference in online gaming addiction scores based on race?

1.5 Hypothesis of Study

There are three research hypotheses that have been developed to achieve the objectives of the

study. The hypotheses are as follows;

Ho1: There is no significant relationship between online game addiction and mental health.

Ho2: There is no significant difference in the online gaming addiction score by gender.

Ho3: There is no significant difference in online gaming addiction scores based on race.

1.6 Research Framework

GENDER

ONLINE GAME
MENTAL HEALTH
ADDICTION

NATION
Figure 1.1 Review Framework

Figure 1.1 shows the framework for this study which examines the relationship between online

games addiction and student mental health. Online game addiction is an independent variable.

While student mental health is a dependent variable.

1.7 Significant Study

1.7.1 Importance to students

The findings of this study are expected to help and give students an awareness of how well

their mental health is affected when they are addicted to online games. Apart from getting

awareness about mental health, students also gain knowledge about the amount of time spent

on beneficial activities. For example, there are students who are unaware that they spend a lot

of time playing online games to forget about other tasks that are important. Students will also

get a lesson through this study, that every thing made is a limit. If it exceeds the limit, then the

good thing will be bad implication.

1.7.2 Importance to parents of students

This study also provides exposure to parents to ensure that they care about things related to

daily activities of children. This will indirectly alter parents' attitudes to educating their children

to be more concerned with mental health with an overwhelming game online game which is a

cause for the student's mental health deterioration. Therefore, parents will always monitor their

children in order not to be addicted to online gaming games to maintain mental health.
1.7.3 Importance of Upcoming Study

Researchers who wish to conduct researches in the future can use the findings of this study as

a reference to a more in-depth study of online games and negative effects on other aspects such

as academic achievement, interaction and communication with others. Studies on personality

types affecting addicted to online games can also be carried out.

1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the study will be as follows:

1. This study aims at respondents of all ages, sex and race in the Inasis Sme Bank

accommodation. This is because, the accommodation is a place where students spend a lot of

time in college. Therefore, the researcher focuses only on student accommodation.

2. Mental health can be tested based on the online level of addictive games by Sme bank inasis

students. The information from the respondents depends on their feedback on the questionnaire

distributed.

Instruments used in this study are questionnaires only. Hence, reliability and validity depend

on respondents' responses to all questions and statements submitted in the questionnaire.

1.9 Operational Definition

1.9.1 Addiction Defining

In this study, addiction refers to the behavior of students who spend more time on an activity

that is meaningless to oneself that is playing online games to forget about the tasks that are

more meaningful to them, such as assignments given by lecturers and activities co-curriculum.
1.9.2 Defining Online Games

In this study, online games are referring to games that require internet access to play. Internet

is to be paid for use but at the University of North America internet facilities are available for

students. So students, can use the internet facility to play online games. University students

will always be accompanied by smartphones and the internet, so internet usage especially for

playing online games is high in students compared to non-university students.

1.9.3 Definition of Mental Health

In this study mental health refers to students who are independent of emotional disturbances,

such as stress, communication, alone, and problematic disorders. Students with healthy mental

health will have good communication with others, spending time on what matters to be good

to oneself. In addition, mental health also refers to normal behavior. That is, it follows the

norms of life set in place for normal behavior. Otherwise, someone will be categorized as

abnormal.

1.10 Conclusion

Overall, this study was conducted to identify the relationship between online game addiction

and mental health among Sme Bank residential students involving identification, problem

statement, significant study, research questions, and research objectives. Discussion about

interest research, and the construction of the study hypotheses have also been described in this

chapter. In addition, the definition of operation has also been described in this chapter. In fact,

discussions on the research framework have been detailed to support this study.