Chapter 2: Background

2.1 Review of Related Literature

An online game is a video game that is either partially or primarily played through
the Internet or any other computer network available, Andrew Rolling’s; Ernest Adams
(2006).  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 (MMORPG) Quandt, Thorsten; Kroger, Sonja ,(2014).
The design of online games can range from simple text-based environments to the
incorporation of complex graphics and virtual worlds  Hachman, Mark,2015. The existence of
online components within a game can range from being minor features, such as an
online leaderboard, 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 David R.
Woolley, 2013. Some online games can receive a massive influx of popularity due to many
well-known Twitch streamers and YouTubers playing them , Cannon (2020-09-08).
Academic performance is the measurement of student achievement across various
academic subjects (Ballotpedia,2023). It is the extent to which a student has attained their
short or long-term educational goals and is measured either by continuous assessment or
cumulative grade point average
The majority of the world's components nowadays are technological.
We have been accustomed to a world of highdefinition Clash of Clans, Rules of Survival, mo
bile Legends, "green" cars, exhilarating thrill rides, 3-D technologies, etc. in a relatively short 
period of time.
But no technological field has gained as much notoriety as internet gaming.In the United Stat
es alone
internet games have a significant market share, with at least 90% of houses having children 
who have played them, according to Anand (2007).video games, either owned or leased. Thi
s is a record level, and it's getting higher. 66% of internet and 55% of console gamers are ov
er the age of 18. Due to the lack of parental supervision and their more flexible schedules, c
ollege students appear to be the main gaming population, which allows for greater playtime (
Anand, 2007).
Smyth (2007) argues that there appears to be an increased interest in research in the field of 
video gaming to address this subject, as with every other innovation in society, the advent of 
online games raised the question of "What are the negative impacts or consequences?"
And it does appear that a lot of research has been done on the subject recently.
Looking at the studies as a whole, one primary question that comes to mind is if playing onlin
e games has any harmful or beneficial effects on academic performance and, if so, what tho
se effects might be. Anand's research from 2007 revealed a link between students' SAT and 
GPA levels and the amount of time they spend playing online games.
This indicates that as playing time increased, GPA and SAT scores fell.
Anand (2007) did acknowledge the drawback of using SAT results, though, as they only indi
cate a single standardized score.
GPA serves as a continual gauge of student achievement, making it more reliable. Because 
men tend to play online games more than women, he also discovered that men were more li
kely to experience these consequences.
Skoric, Teo, and Neo (2009) took a step farther and compared video game addiction to casu
al online gaming.
Despite the lack of a clear definition of addiction, they discovered that
While there was no negative association between playing duration or involvement and acade
mic performance, individuals who were gaming addicts regularly did poorly in the classroom.
In the 2004 study on addiction, Shao-I, Jie-Zhi, and DerHsiang found that when a student wa
s addicted to gaming,
their academic performance suffered.
They discovered that excessive gaming negatively affects academic performance since the 
player is preoccupied with the game and unable to complete assignments or prepare for clas
s.
Others have discovered a correlation between playing online games and poorer academic p
erformance.
Researchers who looked into the relationship between aggression and video games hypothe
sized that playing games not only affects performance in a direct way but also raises aggres
sion levels, which are frequently associated with behavioral issues at school and poor acade
mic achievement.

According to Anderson and Dill's (2007) investigation on video games and aggression, gami
ng not only affects performance in a direct way but also raises hostility levels,
which are frequently associated with behavioral issues at school and poor academic achieve
ment.

Wack and TantleffDunn (2009) discovered a negative link as well, although their study's anal
ysis of the association between GPA and academic performance revealed no statistically
significant results. 
According to Jackson et al. (2008), playing video games is a poor predictor of academic suc
cess, and individuals who play them more frequently than those who don't tend to perform w
orse academically.

A study conducted by Wood, Griffiths, and Parke (2007) included open-ended

questions that encouraged participants to report different feelings about playing online games.

Some of the negative consequences indirectly related to school performance, in that

participants reported often missing lectures, skipping homework, etc. They also found that
these consequences were more likely to impact males, because males play more often and

were more likely to report losing track of the time while playing.

A number of studies have examined the role of personality factors, comorbidity

factors, and biological factors, and their association with online gaming addiction. In relation

to personality traits, gaming addiction has been shown to be associated with neuroticism,

aggression and hostility, avoidant and schizoid interpersonal tendencies, loneliness and

introversion, social inhibition, boredom inclination, sensation seeking, diminished

agreeableness, diminished self‐control and narcissistic personality traits, low self‐esteem,

state and trait anxiety, and low emotional intelligence (Griffiths et al., 2012). Considering

the relatively high frequency of co‐occurring personality, comorbidity, and biological factors,

it is hard to assess the etiological significance of these associations with online gaming

addiction as they may not be unique to the disorder and further research is needed. Research

has also shown online gaming addiction to be associated with a variety of comorbid

disorders. These include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, symptoms of generalized

anxiety disorder, panic disorder, depression, social phobia, school phobia, and various

psychosomatic symptoms (Griffiths et al., 2012).

In an experiment by Williams (2006), school performance increased after the

participants dramatically decreased (limited time spent using technology to 30 minutes per

day) their usage of all technology, including online games.

Finally, Jaruratanasirikul, Wongwaitaweewong, and Sangsupawanich (2009)

found that the excessive playing of online games (five hours or more per session) resulted in

school grades that were below a 3.00 average, and that time spent playing was a predictor of
academic performance. They also suggested that video games indirectly lead to decreased

performance through promoting violence. Finally, they noted that playing video games took

time away from school activities, homework, social interaction, etc. Then there are those in

the research field who have come up with neutral results.

Smyth (2007) studied the difference between playing massively multiplayer

online role-playing games (MMORPG) and playing other types of online games and found

that even though the MMORPG group reported greater interference in academic work (such

as skipping homework, missing a class, etc) as opposed to the other

Groups, overall the groups did not differ in academic performance. Hart et al (2009)

used the Problem Online Game Playing survey to measure four different areas of life,

including academic behavior, impacted by the playing of online games and suggested that

there was not a significant correlation in any area. However, there is also plenty of research to

suggest that interactive online games can actually lead to increased academic performance

(Anand, 2007). Jackson et al (2008) found that the usage of games is causally related to an

increase in visual-spatial skills, which often come in handy in the fields of science,

mathematics, technology, and engineering.

A study done with Kindergarteners Din & Calao, (2001) showed that students

who played educational online games on the Sony Lightspan, which is a game system similar
to the Sony Playstation One, made significant increases over the control group in the learning

of spelling and reading; however, no significant gain was made over the control group in

math. This suggests a facilitative role of playing online games in developing verbal skills

(2001). Smyth (2007) suggested that complex games may lead to academic success by

engaging players in problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. Skoric et al (2009)

found that while game addiction leads to negative academic performance, moderate

engagement in gaming can lead to improved performance in an academic setting. They found

a positive correlation between game play and English test scores, which suggests that gaming

can actually lead to better test

Scores. North Carolina State University is even experimenting with a synchronous

online graduate course that integrates online game design with science curriculum (Annetta,

Murray, Laird, Bohr & Park, 2008) To sum up this overview of the recent literature on the

relationship between the usage of video games and academic performance, Anderson and Dill

(2000, pg 17) quite aptly state the predicament in researching this topic: “There is no

definitive answer to the question of whether online games disrupt academic performance.” As

the literature review shows, much has been said to support every aspect of the topic, both

positive and negative. The present study seeks to answer the question: Does playing video

games have an impact on academic performance as measured by amount of time playing and

school GPA? This proposal’s hypothesis is that as time spent playing increases, GPA will

decrease; also that as level of cognitive engagement as determined by number of

puzzles/strategy situations encountered increases, GPA will increase.