Introduction

Background of the Study

An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through

the internet or any other computer network available. Online games are ubiquitous on modern

gaming platforms, including PCs, consoles, and mobile devices, and span many genres including

first person shooters, strategy games, and massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

The design of online games can range from simple text-based environments to the

incorporation of complex graphics and virtual worlds. The existence of online components

within a game can range from being minor features, such as online leaderboards, to being part of

core gameplay, such as directly playing against other players. Many online games create their

own online communities, while other games, especially social games, integrate the players'

existing real-life communities.

Online games culture sometimes faces criticisms for an environment that might promote

cyber bullying, violence, and xenophobia. Some gamers are also concerned about gamming

addiction or social stigma. Online games have attracted players from a variety of ages,

nationalities, and occupations. Online game content can also be studied in scientific field,

especially gamers’ interactions within virtual societies in relation to the behavior and social

phenomena of everyday life. It has been argued that, since the players of an online game are

strangers to each other and have limited communication, the individual player's experience in an

online game is not essentially different from playing with artificial intelligence players. Online

games also have the problem of not being permanently playable, unlike purchased retail games,

as they require special servers in order to function.

 Online games or video games can ruin your life, if you’re addicted in playing online

games you might end up doing things that is different to the things that you’ve done in your daily

lives such as stealing, lying, sleeping late at night, gambling, dropping in school, many more

possible effects in playing online games. Addiction, defined by Webster dictionary as a

"compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and by

well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal", was traditionally used to depict a

person's dependence on the substance. The problem of Internet addiction evolves together with

the development and spread of the Internet. As adolescents (12–17 years) and emerging adults

(18–29 years) access the Internet more than any other age groups and undertake a higher risk of

overuse of the Internet, the problem of Internet addiction disorder is most relevant to young

people.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to investigate the effects of playing online games to the 2 nd year CCSE

students of Lorma Colleges. Particularly, this study is conducted to answer the following

problems:

1. What are the reasons CCSE students play online games?

2. How long does CCSE students play computer games on a daily basis?

3. What activities CCSE students do when they arrive home from school?

4. Does playing computer games affect the academic performance of CCSE students?
 5. In what way does playing computer games affect the academic performance of CCSE

students?

Scope and Limitations of the Study

The researchers chose 10 participants using purposive sampling technique with the

following inclusion criteria; second year College of Computer and Science Engineering and into

computer gaming. This study was undertaken in Lorma Colleges, Carlatan, San Fernando City,

La Union,

Significance of the Study

In this part of the study, it discusses their possible overall effects of gaming to the

community, researcher and participants.

To the Community. This study may serve as an eye opener about computer gaming and

how it affects the students in the community.

The Participants. This study will give the participants to be heard and express their

feeling which may help the participants reflect and further understand computer gaming and how

it may affect their academic performance and future.

The Researchers. This study will provide the researchers the chance to understand

computer gaming and how it affects the students’ academic performance.

Theoretical Framework

An online game is a programmed visual-digital activity that is rule-governed, goal-

oriented, interactive, and used for recreational purposes (Subrahmanyam et al., 2001). While

video games are not dependent on the Internet, the Internet provides access to many game
experiences. Approximately one-third of the time that children are online, they report playing

games (Roberts et al., 2004). There is a growing body of research that suggests certain specific

brain functioning and cognitive processes are influenced by video game playing.

Koepp and colleagues (1998) established “that endogenous dopamine is released in the

human striatum during a goal directed motor task, namely a videogame” (p. 266). Satyen (2003)

reported that “sufficient practice with video games could lead to the enhancement of response

time performance” (p. 90). During video games, players are forced to simultaneously process a

variety of tasks (e.g., detect enemies and avoid hazards). Visual-spatial skills such as mental

rotation of shapes is superior in those who play video games, although generalization to novel

situations does not always occur (Sims & Mayer, 2002). Blumberg and Sokol (2004) reported

that as children learn to play video games, they are more likely to employ internal cognitive

strategies (e.g., read instructions, trial and error) than external strategies (e.g., ask for help, watch

someone). In a comprehensive review of the research, Subrahmanyam and colleagues (2001)

concluded that cognitive skills such as attention, spatial imagery, and iconic representation are

improved with video game use and that “children who play computer games can improve their

visual intelligence” (Subrahmanyam, Kraut, Greenfield, & Gross, 2000, p. 128). Greene and

Bavelier (2003) noted that on a range of visual attention skills, video game players out-

performed those not exposed to video games. They concluded that “although video-game playing

may seem to be rather mindless, it is capable of radically altering visual attention processing” (p.

536). From a cognitive developmental perspective, playing online games enhances attention and

concentration, visual perception, visual memory, simultaneous processing, meta-cognitive skills

such as planning, and speed of information processing.

 Chapter II

Methodology

As stated in the research’s title, this chapter includes the effect of online games to the

academic performance of CCSE students in Lorma Colleges. In more details, this part is where

the researchers include the outlines the research strategy, the research method, the research

approach, the methods of data collection, the type of data analysis and the research limitations of

the said study.

Research Design

The study uses the quantitative approach in order to obtain data about the students about

their computer addictions and how it affects their overall study habits especially their grades.

This study will perform observations whether online gaming is a hindrance to students in

obtaining higher grades. Therefore, this study made the use of quantitative analysis using survey-

questionnaires as a way of gathering data because quantitative research is more on the objective

side on measuring accurate data from the given surveys and a more comprehensive way in forms

of graphical methods.

Scope and Delimitation

For every research made in history, there are a few areas that cannot be included as a

participant to the certain study. This part of the study indicates the overall limitations of the

study like respondent sizes, locations and the like. In this study these are the following

limitations:
• Only CCSE students in Lorma Colleges may answer the given survey because this study

only agreed to conduct on the CCSE department.

• The overall size of the participants in the survey only consisted of __(lagay ung # kung

ilan nag sagot)CCSE Students. A bigger number of participants may be more effective in this

study.

• Using quantitative approach is more efficient, able to test hypotheses, but may miss

contextual detail.

Instrument and Data Collection

The research used in this study was a questionnaire for the CCSE students of Lorma

College. The questionnaire was a tool used by researchers to collect data, which is used to

determine the effects of online games to the academic performance of CCSE students in Lorma

College.

The questionnaire was composed of questions that would determine the effects of online

games to the academic performance and questions that will focus on the possible effects to the

students which will hinder them to excel in school.

Data Gathering