Republic of the Philippines

Tarlac State University

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Re-Accredited Level 2 by the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities of the
Philippines (AACCUP), Inc.

APPROVAL SHEET

This thesis of ELSON S. GARINGO entitled “COMPUTER GAMING

ADDICTION AMONG ADOLESCENNTS: A CASE ANALYSIS,” which is
prepared and submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of
Arts in Education major in Guidance and Counseling, is hereby accepted.

JUDY IMELDA L. IGOY, Ph.D.

Adviser

THESIS COMMITTEE

MARIA AGNES P. LADIA Ed.D.

Chairman

RODRIGO M. SICAT, Ph.D. NIÑO B. CORPUZ, Ed.D.

Member Member

ELSIE M. CANLAS Ph.D

Member

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts in Education Major in Guidance and Counseling.
Comprehensive Examination passed.

MARIA AGNES P. LADIA, Ed.D.

Dean, College Of Education
Date:______________
COMPUTER GAMING ADDICTION AMONG ADOLESCENTS:
A CASE ANALYSIS

________________

A Thesis
Presented to
The Faculty of the College of Education
Graduate Studies Program
Tarlac State University
Tarlac City

________________

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the
Degree Master of Arts in Education
Major in Guidance and Counseling

________________

By

Elson S. Garingo
March 2012
 ABSTRACT

Title : COMPUTER GAMING ADDICTION AMONG ADOLESCENTS:

A CASE ANALYSIS

Researcher : ELSON S. GARINGO

Degree : MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION

Major : GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING

The purpose of this study was to explore the life experiences of adolescents with

computer gaming addiction. It sought to determine the reasons that led to their addiction

and how it affects their lives. Given the purpose of the study, a qualitative approach was

deemed most appropriate. Thus, the researcher chose to utilize the descriptive

phenomenological case study method. The following are the findings of this study;

majority of computer gaming addict subjects belong to families that are dysfunctional in

nature; they neglected their physical hygiene and appearance; most of the participants are

slumped in posture; and, computer gaming addicts engage in misbehavior. Themes

related to reasons for computer gaming addiction are: Situational, Compensatory, Socio-

cultural and Gratification. Computer gaming addiction proved damaging to family

relationship, academic performace and health. On the contrary, the effect of computer

gaming when it comes to peer relationship is more postive than negative. Implication and

propose intervention were discussed along with recommendation to guidance counselors,

administrator and future researchers.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
APPROVAL SHEET ....................................................................................... i
TITLE PAGE ............................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES ...........................................................................................v

Chapter

1 THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND ...............................1

Introduction .........................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem ....................................................................3
Significance of the Study ....................................................................4
Scope and Delimitation .......................................................................5
Definition of Terms.............................................................................6

2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND

STUDIES ..........................................................................................8

Related Literature................................................................................8
Related Studies..................................................................................11
Foreign Studies ........................................................................11
Local Studies ............................................................................18
Theoretical Framework .....................................................................20
Conceptual Framework .....................................................................21

3 METHODS OF STUDY AND SOURCES OF DATA.................23

Research Design................................................................................23
Sampling Design ...............................................................................24
Participants of the Study ...................................................................24
Instruments .......................................................................................25
Methods and Procedure of Data Collection ......................................26
Data Analysis Method ......................................................................28
 4 PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION OF DATA ..........................................29

Description of the Adolescents Addicted to Computer Gaming ......29

Reasons for Computer Gaming Addiction ........................................43
How Computer Gaming Addiction Affects Adolescents..................61
Computer Gaming Addiction and Family Relationship .............64
Computer Gaming Addiction and Peer Relationship..................67
Computer Gaming Addiction and Academic Performance ........69
Computer Gaming Addiction and Health ...................................72
Intervention Program Proposed To Assist Subjects
with Computer Gaming Addiction..............................................74
Implications of the study to Guidance and Counseling ....................82

5 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND

RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................................86

Summary of Findings .......................................................................86

Conclusions ......................................................................................94

Recommendations .............................................................................95

BIBLIOGRAPHY ...........................................................................................................97

APPENDICES ... ......................................................................................................100

 1

Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Computer gaming addiction has been identified as a national problem not only in

the United States but also in countries such as China, South Korea, and Taiwan, and

government intervention has grown to battle internet addiction and what has become a

serious public health concern (Young, 2011). In many Asian countries, such as China,

Korea, and Singapore, there are near-epidemic levels of internet addiction behaviors, and

they are addressing the issue as a public health threat (Greenfield, 2011). In the

Philippines, the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA, 2010) considers too much

computer exposure as one of the serious problems affecting students’ cognitive,

psychological and social aspect even without local empirical evidence due to increasing

widespread of computer addicts being addressed in school settings by guidance

counselors.

According to Block (2008), computer addiction appears to be a common disorder

that merits inclusion in Diagnostic Statistical Manual Fifth Edition (DSM-V).

Conceptually, the diagnosis is a compulsive impulsive spectrum disorder that involves

online and/or offline computer usage and consists of at least three subtypes: excessive

gaming, sexual preoccupations, and e-mail/text messaging. All of the variants share the

following four components: 1) excessive use, often associated with a loss of sense of time

or a neglect of basic drives, 2) withdrawal, including feelings of anger, tension, and/or

 2

depression when the computer is inaccessible, 3) tolerance, including the need for better

computer equipment, more software, or more hours of use, and 4) negative repercussions,

including arguments, lying, poor achievement, social isolation, and fatigue.

In the Philippine setting, attempts to address excessive computer usage have been

made. Municipalities (e.g. Paniqui, Gerona) imposed ordinances prohibiting students to

be in computer cafés or shops during class hours. School institutions such as the Tarlac

State University blocked web sites not related to work like Blogs and Facebook.

In 2010, the Philippine Mental Health Association (PMHA) National Conference

considered computer addiction as one of the serious problems affecting students

nowadays. With the growing popularity of the internet, increased awareness within the

mental health field will help clinicians and counselors provide knowledgeable care and

intervention for the computer addicted clients.

In the Philippine context, qualitative research such as this would be a great help to

increase the awareness among Filipino mental health professionals. The results may be

used as basis for devising computer addiction prevention and treatment programs fit for

Filipinos. Empirically studying the phenomena of the onset of computer gaming

addiction in the eyes of Filipinos experiencing it is a great contribution to the

advancement of study of Computer gaming addiction in the Philippine context. Hence,

this study was conducted.

 3

Statement of the Problem

This case study aimed to explore the life experiences of adolescents with

computer gaming addiction. It also sought to determine the reasons that led to their

addiction and its effects on their lives.

Specifically, this study sought to answer the following questions:

1. How were the participants characterized in terms of:

1.1 Family Background

1.2 Characteristics

1.2.1. Physical

1.2.2 Intelligence

1.2.3 Interpersonal

1.3 Academic Performance

2. What were the reasons that led to their computer gaming addiction?

3. How does computer gaming addiction affect the participants along:

3.1 Family relationship;

3.2 Peer relationship;

3.3 Academic performance; and

3.4 Health?

4. What intervention program may be proposed to assist participants with computer

gaming addiction?

5. What are the implications of this study to Guidance and Counseling?

 4

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study will be of great help especially for mental health

professionals such as practicing guidance counselors and psychologists. This will also be

helpful to administrators, parents and guardians, teachers and future researchers.

To guidance counselors and school psychologists, the study will help them gain a

deeper understanding on how these computer gamers become addicts based on

phenomenological perspective. It will also provide guidance counselors and school

psychologists the idea of enriching their guidance program to assist those who are at risk

of becoming computer addicts. It will also give them ideas on how to address computer

gaming addiction based on the outcome of the study.

To the parents and guardians of the participants, this study will help them better

understand the root causes of computer gaming addiction and its effects. Through this

study they can think of ways on how to address their children’s computer gaming

addiction need with the assistance of the school.

To the school administrators, this study will assist them in gaining knowledge on

how can school institutions handle students addicted to computer games. It will enable

them to enhance the school’s guidance programs and activities.

To the teachers, this study will give them a better understanding of the causes and

effects of computer gaming addiction on their students. This study will also be beneficial

to the community in the development of worthy and productive citizens.

To all future researchers who want to pursue the same topic, they can use this

study as one of their related studies or references.

 5

Scope and Delimitation

The study explored the life experiences of adolescents whose age range were from

12 to 21. The adolescents who currently showed positive indications of addictive

behaviors based on the results gathered during clinical interviews were included. The

study involved six (6) high school and four (4) college students who were addicted to

computer gaming. They were referred by teachers, computer shop owners and computer

gaming addicts themselves. The study was limited to adolescents living in Tarlac

Province.

In addition, the researcher only got the consent from six participants since the

other participants only agreed to participate with the condition that the guardians or

parents will not be informed about their involvement in the study.

The study describes computer gaming addicts as to their family background,

characteristics, and academic performance. Furthermore, the study reveals the

participants’ reasons for becoming addicted to computer games. Also, it discusses the

effects of computer gaming addiction among adolescents.

The participants were referred by the teachers, computer shop owners and

computer gaming addicts themselves. They were selected during the academic year 2011-

2012.

The study also proposes computer gaming use model based on phenomenological

perspective. The model explains computer gaming use and theoretical intervention

program to handle adolescents addicted to computer gaming.

 6

Definition of Terms

For a better understanding of the study, the following terms are defined according

to their conceptual and operational meanings:

Academic Performance. The participants’ general weighted average (GWA) in

their academic grades during the first semester school year 2011-2012. For college

students, it was their first semester GWA. For high school, it was their 1st and the 2nd

grading period GWA.

Addiction. A state of physiological and psychological dependence (Microsoft

Encarta, 2009). The repeated, compulsive use of a substance that continues in spite of

negative consequences in physical, social, legal, etc. (Davis, 2008).

Adolescence. Transitional period between childhood and adulthood. Its age

boundaries are not exact, but in our society adolescence begins at around age 13 and ends

at about age 22. In this study, adolescence was defined based on Sullivan’s Interpersonal

Theory wherein adolescence starts at 12 and ends at about age 21 (Davis, 2008).

Adolescent. A person who has reached puberty but is not yet considered an adult.

Computer Game Addiction. The compulsive behavior of using computers in

playing games. Computer game addiction is the use of computers in order to change an

individual's mood.

Computer Game Addict. Individuals engaged in the excessive use of computers

due to gaming activities. In this study, computer game addicts were those confirmed with

positive indications based on clinical interviewing.

 7

Family Background. The themes related to family dynamics of the computer

gaming addicts.

Family Relationship. Related behaviors or feelings towards family of the

computer gaming addicts

Health. The general condition of the body or mind, especially in terms of the

presence or absence of illnesses, injuries, or impairment.

Intelligence. Series of interconnected knowledge structures. It involves a network of

relationships between traditional memory, association, reasoning, evaluation, executive

function, metacognition, and multiple dimensions. It was measured through the use of

Culture Fair Intelligence Test Scale 3 Form A.

Intepersonal. Concerning or involving relationships between people.

Intervention program. The act of intervening using structured plan of action,

especially deliberate entry into a situation or dispute in order to influence events or

prevent undesirable consequence.

Peer Relationship. Related behavior or feelings towards peers of the computer

gaming addicts
 8

Chapter 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents the review of literature and studies related to the present

study.

Related Literature

In practice, clinics and hospitals are still in the process of defining Internet

addiction symptoms—for instance, the inability to stop the activity to the point of

neglecting family or friends (Computer Addiction Services). A consensus has yet to be

achieved among researchers; therefore criteria have yet to be accepted by the body that

publishes DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). A number of

researchers argue that criteria for pathological gambling disorders are not suitable for

examining pathological computer behaviors (Charlton, 2004)

Some researchers are exploring personality addicts (Chak and Leung, 2004).

Those who believe that age is an important factor are concentrating on adolescents and

children (Wan and Chiou, 2006).

Several reports in the mass media are about parental efforts to sue game

companies for developing addictive games (www.chinadaily.com), assuming the game

itself is the major cause of addiction. Yet, some academic researchers are working on

identifying links between the structural characteristics of games and gamer motives,

based on the assumption that certain structural characteristics are more important than
 9

others in terms of inducing interest in games or extending that interest (Clark,

www.gamasutra.com). As part of their attempt to identify factors that contribute to

excessive online gaming, some concluded that the games’ social aspects are particularly

attractive. They note that high usage time and preference to spend more time with in-

game than real-life friends does not necessarily make an addict of a gamer (NG and

Wiemer-Hasting, 2005). Furthermore, others emphasize that the competitive and

cooperative aspects of online games make them more addictive than console games

(Griffiths, Davies, Chappel, 2004).

Instead of searching for major causes of addiction, Yee (2002) has focused on

understanding two factors that influence gamers to play obsessively: attraction (e.g.,

online reward cycles, relationship networks, the immersive nature of virtual

environments) and motivation (e.g., offline pressure or problems that lead players to use

games as an outlet). Yee believes that both factors work simultaneously to create a sense

of addiction.

As the popularity of gaming has grown, potential effects such as violent

tendencies and poor social skill development have become public concerns. Young

(1996) observes that Internet addiction can lead to such negative consequences as

psychological manipulation, victimization, and student and employee Internet abuse. She

suggests that health clinics and counseling centers need to design and offer recovery

programs for addicts (Young, 2004). Other researchers note that children and teenagers

with video game addictions are more likely to express hostile feelings and to suffer from

poor academic performance (Chui, Lee, Huang, 2004, Hauge and Gentile, 2003). Many
 10

media portrayals and research studies of online game addiction take the addicted gamers

as people who have socializing problems in real life, or victims, who have lost control of

themselves, and are in need of help from others. The voices of the gamers seem to be

neglected, as the gamers are treated only as helpless patients.

People’s behavior become meaningful and understandable when placed in the

context of their lives and the lives of those around them (Seidman, 2006). Without

context there is little possibility of exploring the meaning of an. Interviewers who

propose to explore their topic by arranging a one-shot meeting with an “interviewee”

whom they have never met tread on thin contextual ice. Dolbeare and Schuman designed

the series of three interviews that characterizes their approach and allows the interviewer

and participant to plumb the experiences and to place it in context (Seidman, 2006).

In qualitative research the researcher serves as the “primary data collection

instrument” (Creswell, 2003). The role necessitates recognition of researcher personal

values, assumptions, and biases at the beginning of the research process. This is

accomplished early to assist in the researcher’s contribution being positive and not

detrimental to the research setting and process (Locke, Spirduso, & Silverman, 2000).

The role of the researcher within a phenomenological approach is to arrive at the essence

of the experience (Moustakas, 2001). A researcher enters the phenomenological approach

through the epoche process. The epoche process encourages receptiveness and a

readiness to listen and hear what is being presented without prejudice or bias that can

build a barrier to understanding and accurate capturing of meaning. Leedy and Ormrod

(2005) assert that “throughout the data collection process, the researcher suspends any
 11

preconceived notions or personal experiences that may unduly influence what the

researcher ‘hears’ the participants saying”. Use of the epoche process to ensure an

openness to the experiences being described by participants that captures individual

understanding of particular experiences allows for meaning discovery. The separation of

researcher experiences from participant experiences aids in understanding participant

lived experiences (Nieswiadomy, 2002). The primary advantage of phenomenological

research is that it “permits an explicit focus on the researcher’s personal experience

combined with those of the interviewees” (Marshall & Rossman, 2006). That kind of

differentiation and focus allows deep, lived meanings to emerge (Marshall & Rossman).

Related Studies

A. Foreign Studies

In a Comparative study conducted by Griffiths, Mark and Darren (2004), results

showed that adolescent gamers were significantly more likely to be male, significantly

less likely to gender swap their characters, and significantly more likely to sacrifice their

education or work. In relation to favourite aspects of game play, the biggest difference

between the groups was that significantly more adolescents than adults claimed their

favourite aspect of playing was violence. Results also showed that in general, the

younger the player, the longer they spent each week playing.

Charlton and Danford (2005) study considered whether the distinction between

core and peripheral criteria for behavioral addiction, previously drawn with respect to
 12

computing activities in general, applies in the specific area of Massively Multiplayer

Online Game playing. Questionnaire items were administered over the Internet to 442

game players. Factor-analysis of the data supported the previous findings for computing

in general. An addiction factor loaded on items tapping previously identified core criteria

(conflict, withdrawal symptoms, relapse and reinstatement and behavioral salience) and a

(non-pathological) engagement factor loaded on items tapping pre- viously identified

peripheral criteria (cognitive salience, tolerance and euphoria). Analysis of response

frequencies supported the existence of a developmental process whereby peripheral

criteria are met before core criteria. Players who might be considered addicted using a

mono-thetic classification system involving only the core criteria were shown to spend a

significantly greater amount of time playing per week than those endorsing only the

peripheral criteria. It is concluded that the study supports the idea that it is inappropriate

to use some of the previ-ously used criteria for addiction when researching or diagnosing

computer-related addictions. Implications of the present findings for Internet-mediated

data collection methodologies are also discussed.

Gentile (2009) studied whether some youth are "addicted" to video games, but

previous studies have been based on regional convenience samples. Using a national

sample, this study gathered information about video-gaming habits and parental

involvement in gaming, to determine the percentage of youth who meet clinical-style

criteria for pathological gaming. A Harris poll surveyed a randomly selected sample of

1,178 American youth ages 8 to 18. About 8% of video-game players in this sample

exhibited pathological patterns of play. Several indicators documented convergent and

 13

divergent validity of the results: Pathological gamers spent twice as much time playing as

nonpathological gamers and received poorer grades in school; pathological gaming also

showed comorbidity with attention problems. Pathological status significantly predicted

poorer s performance even after controlling for sex, age, and weekly amount of video-

game play. These results confirm that pathological gaming can be measured reliably, that

the construct demonstrates validity, and that it is not simply isomorphic with a high

amount of play

Young and Rodgers (2000) studied the personality trait associated with the

development of internet addiction. This study investigated personality traits of those

considered dependent users of the Internet utilizing the 16PF. Results showed that 259

participants of Dependents were classified based upon modified DSM-IV criteria for

Pathological Gambling. Dependents ranked high in terms of self-reliance, emotional

sensitivity and reactivity, vigilance, low self-disclosure, and non-conformist

characteristics. This preliminary analysis discusses how such traits may act as triggers of

addiction in order to fulfill an unmet psychological need through on-line stimulation.

Ahn and Randal concluded (2006) Video game addiction is something we must

come to terms with as a society. Whether it is decided to be a read full-fledged addiction,

or just a compulsive behavior, it can still cause trouble in people's lives. The problem will

not go away either, it will probably only get worse, as designers get a better

understanding of what makes consumers want their games. On the other hand, the

problem is not as bad as it sounds at first. For many people these games are a social
 14

outlet, not an addiction. Video games are an integral part of many people's lives now, and

they're here to stay. Let's learn to use them responsibly.

One study of Gentile and Hauge (2005) done on the problems of addiction used a

modified version of the formal definition of gambling addiction. 607 8th and 9th grade

students where surveyed, and of these 15% where classified as addicted. Of the addicted

students, approximately 80% where male. Less than 30% of non-addicted student

reported having been in a fight in the past year, while almost 50% of addicted students

reported the same. Addiction also correlated with reported arguments with friends, and

with teachers. Just as many students classified as addicted reported having a B average as

those classified as nonaddicted. However, there where 4 times as many F students

classified as addicted as there where non-addicted, and far more non-addicted A students

than addicted ones. Not surprisingly, students classified as addicted averaged almost 4

times as much playtime as nonaddicted ones.

According to study (Smahel, Blinka, & Ledabyl, 2007), almost a quarter of

players then claim to be addicted but do not show symptoms of addiction—probably due

to the popular overuse of the word addiction. Many players base their judgment of

whether they are addicted solely on the amount of time spent playing. Considering the

purpose of study, Questionnaire of Gaming Addictive Behavior will be used to identify

genuine Computer Gaming addict or endangered by addictive behavior.

According to Weimer-Hastings and Ng (2005), many people who are excessive

MMORPG users are not actually dependent on video games. They propose that many of

these people use video games not because they are addicted, but because it is the only
 15

comfortable social medium for them. This was found through a comparison of

MMORPG players and other video game players. The MMORPG players tended to

spend far more time playing, but much of that time is spent socializing. Some MMORPG

players who showed long hours of playtime didn’t actually show any of the signs of

addiction. This study shows that care must be taken with the definition of addiction.

Yee (2006) discussed in his study “The Demographics, Motivations and Derived

Experiences of Users of Massively-Multiuser Online Graphical Environments”, A typical

group in an MMORPG may be composed of a high-school student, a graphic designer in

his 20’s, a stay-at-home mom and her husband, all collaborating to achieve some

common goal.

There are very few activities, hobbies or games in real-life where you would find

people with ages ranging from 11 to 69 interacting and collaborating to achieve shared

goals. More importantly, many of these people dedicate half a work week to this virtual

collaboration and interaction. MMORPGs have a strong multi-faceted appeal to a diverse

demographic, motivating individual users in very different ways.

Some users participate in the environment to make friends and form supportive

social networks while others use the environment to become powerful through the

achievement of goals. And not only are a substantial portion of users emotionally

invested in these online environments, they also derive salient experiences from them,

and the relationships they form in these environments are comparable to their real-life

relationships. MMORPGs are uniquely social environments. In fact, there now exist

massively multi-user online environments (such as There.com or Second Life) where the
 16

dominant activities are poetry readings, fashion shows, pop concerts, and even romantic

encounters along star-lit beaches. In other words, the very same things that people do in

real life.

The breadth of the data presented also allows us to describe specific user cohorts

in fairly great detail. For example, we now know a great deal about female players in

MMORPGs. Female players are typically introduced to the environment by a romantic

partner and are older than male players in MMORPGs. This means that female players

are typically interacting with male players significantly younger than them and this must

be taken into account when examining how male players and female players may

perceive social interactions in the environment differently.

The data on motivations showed that female players participate in these

MMORPG Demographics, Motivations and Experiences 36 environments for reasons

fairly different than those of male players. Female players are more likely to use the

MMORPG environment to build supportive social networks, escape from real life stress

and to be immersed in a fantasy world. Female players do form stronger friendships than

male players, but female players are not significantly more emotionally invested in the

environment than male players. The overall picture is that female players, even though

they tend to be older than male players and are motivated by entirely different reasons,

find the same appeal and derive the same emotional salience and impact from these

online environments.

Moreover, users under the age of 18 are almost all male (96.8%). The data on

motivations show that male teenagers tend to objectify the environment and other users
 17

for their own personal gain. Out of all age cohorts, users under the age of 18 are most

likely to feel that the friendships they have formed online were comparable or better than

their real-life friendships, and were also most likely to self-report that the most positive

or negative emotionally salient experience they have had in the past month as having

occurred in the MMORPG environment rather than in real-life.

This is also the age cohort that felt they had learned the most about leadership

skills from the MMORPG environment. The appeal and emotional impact of MMORPGs

on this age cohort point to future research in the use of MMORPGs for pedagogical

purposes given that users are already acquiring valuable skills from non-pedagogical

MMORPG implementations.

One major limitation of the current study is its reliance on a self-selected group of

participants. Of particular concern is that this self-selected group is composed of more

serious or engaged players that may not reflect the MMORPG population in general. The

studies presented here are probably skewed by sampling biases but given the large

sample size are still likely to represent a substantial portion of MMORPG players.

Also, overall sampling biases are likely to impact frequency data (i.e., percentage

of female players) but are less likely to impact correlational or inferential findings (i.e.,

gender or age differences) which typically are the focus of research questions in the

social sciences. This is the same reason why gender differences in an experimental study

that draw from an undergraduate sample (e.g., spatial rotation ability) are probably still

generalizable even though undergraduates are highly unrepresentative of a population in

general. Thus, even with its limitations, the survey methodology can still provide
 18

important insight to many questions that rely on inferential or correlational data. For

example, these may include gender and age differences in motivations or determining the

best predictors of problematic usage.

Lee, I., Yu, C., and Lin H. (2007) studied how player quit MMORPG. Online

game addiction has a negative image and is becoming a public concern in Taiwan. They

look at this phenomenon from another perspective, through interviews with gamers who

were addicted to a MMORPG but have quit playing, They believe that the multiple

reasons causing gamers to leave their game can reflect some more aspects of online game

addiction. They then map out how a gamer’s attachment to a game changes over time due

to many factors, stressing the importance of dynamic quitting and addiction patterns to

better understand the addicted gamer’s game experience over time. Lastly, they observed

self-consciousness in these addicted players as they self-monitored and sought help in

many ways to quit a game.

B. Local Studies

Purayil (2005) studied internet addiction among college students. The study

explored the incidence of internet addiction among undergraduate college students in an

exclusive university in Manila, Philippines. It looked into the process of addiction to the

internet and its components that are attractive for the college students. It then investigated

the negative effects of internet addiction on grades, family and social relationships, and

personal emotional functioning of the internet addicts.

A profile of boys and girls at two levels of internet addiction was made. The

relationship of age, gender, participant major, and personality types of those addicted to
 19

the internet were also looked into. The participants of the study were 1172 undergraduate

students from an exclusive university in Manila, Philippines. Their age spectrum was 17-

22 years and the mean age was 19.01.

The research had employed a quantitative-qualitative research design, and used

two self-reporting psychological measures together with the Internet Addiction

Impairment Index, and in depth interviews. Statistical analysis was conducted for the

quantitative data and results interpreted and described. The outcomes of the interviews

helped to augment the discussion of the results. The results indicate that there are

participants of internet addicts among the undergraduate students and the negative effects

of addiction have begun to affect the addicted students. However, they are not yet in

alarming numbers nor have they reached a devastating level. The research also found out

that while age, extroversion/introversion, depression and neuroticism do not have

noteworthy correlation with internet addiction, gender, and participant major have

significant relationship.

From the presented literature and studies of Young (1998), Rodgers (1998),

Chack (2004), Wan (2006), and Leung (2004) it could be observed that the focus of their

studies were the identification of addiction symptoms as well as the personalities of

computer addicts.

Furthermore, the studies of Chiou (2006), Lee, Huang, Hauge and Gentile focused

on the effects of video game addiction on interpersonal, social and psychological aspects

of the individuals (ex. hostile feelings and poor academic performance). While others
 20

focused on negative aspects, Griffiths, Davies and Chappel emphasized the competitive

and cooperative aspect of gaming.

Gentile (2005, 2009), Yee (2006), and Purayil (2005) on the other hand dealt with

factors such as age, sex and other information that affect computer gaming addiction.

Lastly, the studies presented in the literature relied more on the survey data and

self-reported data of the selected population.

On the contrary, this Study focused on computer gaming addiction. Its goals are

different from the above mentioned studies which are to explore the life experiences of

adolescents and parents or guardians of computer addicts it also determined the reasons

and effects that contributed to their computer games addiction utilizing the

phenomenological approach.

Theoretical Framework

The theory that guided this study is phenomenology, which was defined broadly

by Deutscher in 1973 as “understanding the social actor’s frame of reference”. The use of

phenomenology involves the understanding that each individual has his/her own idea of

what the “truth” is in any given situation or circumstance. This type of research is

therefore not so concerned with the facts and details of a situation as it is with the

meaning assigned to that situation, the underlying structures of those meanings and how

those structures are reinforced . Along with that understanding comes the idea that

several people can experience the same situation and each assign a different meaning to

it. Therefore, although several computer gaming addicts are experiencing addiction, each
 21

computer gaming addict may perceive his/her experiences in a different way and

therefore assign different meanings to what he/she is experiencing and how it will affect

his/her life. In the same vein, each computer game addict will bring his/her own

experiences and prior knowledge, which may affect how they become computer game

addicts.

Phenomenology also puts the researcher to be on equal, if not subordinate, ground

with the participants being studied. In other words, it is the computer game addict, not the

researcher, who is seen as the expert in their situation. This line of thinking is the

philosophy that underlies Phenomenology. The computer game addict’s definitions and

language are important to consider when making inquiries about their experiences. In

doing that, any pre-conceived assumptions about the researcher’s experience could be

avoided.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1 presents the conceptual framework of the study. It illustrates the

characterization of the computer gaming addicts as to their home background including

the Family Background, Characteristics, and Academic Performance. It aimed also to

describe the reasons of computer gaming as well as how it affects the adolescents’

participants in terms of family relationship, peer relationship, academic performance and

health.
 22

Through the recognition of various perpetuating factors which contributed to the

addiction, as well as effects, intervention program will be proposed in helping computer

gaming addicts.

Adolescents with
Computer Gaming
Addiction

Family Background Effects Computer

Reasons for Computer Gaming Addiction
Gaming Characteristics Affect the Adolescents
(Physical, Intelligence, Interpersonal)

Academic Performance

Proposed Intervention
Program for Computer
Gaming Addicts

Implication to
Guidance and
Counseling

Paradigm of the Study

Figure 1
 23

Chapter 3

METHODS OF STUDY AND SOURCES OF DATA

This chapter covers the methods of research which were utilized in the study. It

presents the research design, participants, instrumentation, methods of gathering data and

procedure.

Research Design

When the researcher desires to understand a complex phenomenon, the case study

permits the integration of as many methods as possible to explore a contemporary

situation (Yin, 2003). Thus, the researcher chose to utilize the descriptive

phenomenological case study method.

The purpose of this study is to explore life experiences of adolescents to

determine reasons contributing to their computer game addictions, specifically examining

reasons and how these affect adolescents addicted to computer gaming. Given the

purpose of the study, a qualitative approach was deemed most appropriate. The

phenomenological research design was also used to investigate the phenomenon of

computer game addiction. The aim of the researcher was to describe as accurately as

possible the phenomenon, refraining from any pre-given framework, but remaining true

to the facts. According to Welman and Kruger (1999, p. 189) “the phenomenologists are

concerned with understanding social and psychological phenomena from the perspectives

of people involved.”
 24

Sampling Design

The researcher utilized purposive sampling in selecting participants of the study.

Purposive sampling is defined as a participative technique. The goal for selecting specific

participants is to yield the most relevant and plentiful data that will help the researcher

explain the phenomena of computer gaming addiction. According to Icimsoy (1999), the

researcher should choose the participants based on who he thinks would be appropriate

for the study. The sample participants were selected based on his judgment and the

purpose of the research (Babbie, 1995; Greig & Taylor, 1999; Schwandt, 1997). In order

to get additional participants or informants, the researcher also utilized snowball

sampling.

Generalization of the findings to the larger population of the current computer

addicts was not the goal of this study. Rather, the goal was to gather enough information

to present an in-depth and accurate description of the participants’ experiences.

Participants of the Study

The participants of this study were ten (10) adolescents selected purposively

whose age ranges were from 12 to 21 years old. These adolescents were addicted to

computer gaming based on testing and clinical assessment. Specifically, six (6) high

school and four (4) college students were chosen to participate in the study.

In addition, parents, guardian, teachers, classmates and a principal were included

as participants of the study. Specifically, two (2) mothers, four (4) guardians (three

grandmothers and one aunt), three teachers, five classmates and one prinicpal were also
 25

interviewed. The purpose of collecting data from parents and other significant individuals

was necessary to achieve triangulation. Data triangulation is used to contrast the data and

validate the data if it yields similar findings (Yin, 2011). In order to ensure ethical

research, the researcher made use of informed consent. Bailey (2001) observed that

deception might prevent insights, whereas honesty coupled with confidentiality reduces

suspicion and promotes sincere responses among the participants (Please see Appendix I

for Evaluation Procedure of Participants).

Data-Gathering Instruments

The characteristics of the computer gaming addicts were assessed through the

data gathered from the Physical Observation Checklist (POC), Culture Fair Intelligence

Test (CFIT) and Interview Schedule. Physical Observation Checklist assisted the

researcher to describe the physical characteristics of the participants. Meanwhile, CFIT

determined their level of intelligence. Interview Schedule was used to gather pertinent

data to describe the participant.

For checking of physical characteristics, Physical Observation Checklist (POC)

was used. The checklist has three domains namely: build, physical appearance, and

posture. It was based on Mental Status Examination. A mental status examination can be

used as part of a formal psychological assessment for a variety of reasons. A Brief mental

status examination might be appropriate before assessment to determine the

appropriateness of more formal psychological testing (Please see appendix D).

 26

For measurement of intelligence, Culture Fair Inteligence Test (CFIT) Form A

(Short Form) Scale 3 was used. The test measures individual intelligence in a manner

designed to reduce, as much as possible, the influence of verbal fluency, cultural climate, and

educational level. Similarly, the data were taken for statistical analysis and treatment. The

Culture Fair Intelligence Test measures individual intelligence in a manner designed to

reduce as much as possible, the influence of verbal fluency, cultural climate, and educational

level. The special advantage of the Culture Fair Tests is that they make a cleaner separation

of natural ability from specific learning and thus permit better analysis and prediction of the

individual’s ultimate potentialities.

For gathering of qualitative data that will answer the statement of the problem,

interview schedule was used. The interview schedule in this study contains three major

parts: the opening; the body; and the closing. The protocol again represents one’s mental

framework and is not a list of the actual questions or statement to be verbalized to a

participant (Please see Appendix G).

Methods and Procedure of Data Collection

The primary method used in gathering data was unstructured in-depth

phenomenological interview. The method combined life-history interviewing and focused

in-depth interviewing with assumptions drawn from phenomenology.

The purpose of this case study using in-depth, face to face interview was to

explore the life experiences and perceptions of adolescents who were positively identified

as computer gaming addicts. This study sought to gather the reasons that contributed to
 27

their computer gaming addiction and how this addiction affected their lives. As a result of

this study, a proposed intervention program was developed to assist computer gaming

addicts.

The researcher coordinated with school principals, teachers, and computer shop

owners in Tarlac province and requested them to refer adolescents addicted to computer

games. The referred adolescents underwent preliminary diagnostic test using “Gaming

Addictive Behavior” and interviews.

The qualified participants during the initial interview were observed using

Physical Observation Checklist (POC) followed by the administration of Culture Fair

Intelligence Test (CFIT).

Data were also collected through an unstructured in-depth face to face interview

process using the interview schedule. Permission from participants to use a tape recorder

to audiotape the interviews was obtained. In addition to audiotaped interviews, attentive

note-taking was also made during the interview process. Marshall and Rossman (2006)

stated that interviewers should have superb listening skills and be skilled at personal

interaction, question framing, and gentle probing for elaboration. Unstructured interviews

seek to ensure that participants provide their perceptions about their life experiences as

computer gaming addicts. “The participant’s perspective on the phenomenon should

unfold as the participant views it, not as the researcher views it” (Marshall & Rossman,

2006). To verify the data gathered, parents, guardians, advisers, classmates and principal

were also undergo in-depth interview. The purpose of collecting data from parents and

other significant individuals is necessary to achieve triangulation. Data triangulation is used

 28

to contrast the data and validate the data if it yields similar findings (Arksey & Knight 2003).

other significant individuals is necessary to achieve triangulation. Data triangulation is used

to contrast the data and validate the data if it yields similar findings.

Analysis of Data

Collected data were analyzed following Yin’s (2011) guidelines for data analysis

for qualitative research. Although most of the data were analyzed using qualitative

methods, a small portion of the data called for quantitative analysis. The researcher used

frequencies and mean of grades.

The researcher was assisted by expert and authorities in the process of data

analysis. For example, school principals and advisers assisted the researcher in the

analysis of grades. At the same time, computer gaming addicts were consulted to check if

the data found were correct.

For the interviews, the researcher used phenomenological analysis (Hycner, 1985;

Moustakas, 1994). The researcher believed that a combination of these methods would

result in a more accurate and descriptive portrayal of the phenomenon of computer

gaming addictions among adolescents and would lead to the development of an

intervention program to assist computer gaming addicts.

Further, in the coding and analysis process, the CAQDAS was used by the

researcher. CAQDAS is pronounced as “cactus” and it is acronym for Computer Assisted

Qualitative Analysis Software (Yin, 2011). Specifically, the CAQDAS used in this study

was MAQDA 10. .

 29

Chapter 4

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter describes the findings obtained from in-depth interviewing as these

represent the primary methods of obtaining data. The major themes that resulted from the

participants’ responses are presented accordingly.

Participant #1 – Jan-jan (not his real name)

Jan-jan is 15 years old, and a fourth year high school student in a private school in

Tarlac. Jan told the researcher that his father and mother are not here and the one taking

care of him is his auntie. He said, his mother is in another country while his father is

currently in Cavite but is in jail. According to him, his father has another wife. At

present the one supporting him is his mother who is now working in Hong-Kong. He

doesn’t remember when his father and mother decided to separate because he said he was

still young during those days. He told the researcher also that he was born in Hong-Kong

and he was brought home when he was about 3 to 5 years old. He also said that he knew

from the start his parents’ marriage was on the rocks.

Jan is an only child but he has three other siblings. He has one from mother side

and two from his father side. He further stated that his mother has also another partner

but, in the course of the interview, he refrained from giving more information about his

family.
 30

Jan-jan was thin on body built, has slouched in posture and his dress was

unkempt.

The result of the test revealed that Jan-Jan has High Average IQ, which implies

that he can easily understand ideas, evaluate and judge them. He also tends to have the

ability to comprehend relationships.

Further, in an interview with Jan-jan’s auntie, he was described as someone who

always grumble, prone to answering and impolite. Although he showed many signs of

verbal and non-verbal hostile behavior, he did not show any aggressive behaviour (e.g.

hurting others).

Jan-jan’s auntie further revealed that he began to change in highschool. Then, He

was jolly, industrious and polite but as he grew older he became an entirely different

person.

Jan-jan’s periodical grade was average. In the first grading, he got a general

average of 83.0. In second grading, he got a general average of 83.6. In total, the general

weighted average of Jan-jan was 83.8 (please see Appendix E).

Jan-jan’s was barely maintained his general average. His report card shows

increase in the average grade but individual grades show decrease in some subjects. This

indicates that the participant did not perform well in all his academic subjects, however

he was able to maintain his general average.

 31

Participant #2 - Christian (not his real name)

Christian, is 16 years old, and a fourth year high school student in a private school

in Tarlac. His father works as an engineer in Manila and only goes home once a week.

His mother is a full-time house wife. Christian has a younger brother and sister. He

revealed that most of the time he would hurt his brother for no reason and feel guilty

about it. He also reported that his parents scold him for playing to much computer games.

Because his father goes home only during weekends, it is his mother who disciplines

them and takes charge of the family.

Christian was observed as positive in four areas of the Physical Observation

Checklist (POC). He is thin on built and has slumped posture. There was a sign of

uncleanliness in dressing and dishevelness in hair and his clothing was atypical. There

was no sign of unusual physical characteristics.

The test revealed that Christian has low average level of IQ. This indicates that he

was less intelligent and it will take some time for him to grasp ideas and concepts.

In an interview with Christian’s mother, it was revealed that the participant is

usually shy, quiet and does not mingle much at home. His mother reported that Christian

would swear and answer back. He would cause trouble at home, the mother said.

Christian’s parents also revealed that Christian also hurt his siblings. When asked

the reason of this act, the mother could not give any answer.

Christian’s report card shows that he has an “average” grade. In the first grading,

the participant got a general average of 83.0. In second grading the participant got a
 32

general average of 83.6. In total, the general weighted average of Jayson was 83.8 (please

see Appendix E).

A closer look at his grades shows that Christian barely maintained his general

average. Although there was significant increase in the general average, close

examination of individual grades show decrease in some subjects. Further, this indicates

that the participant did not perform well in all his academic subjects although he was able

to maintain his grade in some subjects.

Participant #3 - Jeff (not his real name)

Jeff is 13 years old, and a second year high school student in a private school in

Tarlac. His family leaves together. According to Jeff, there is no quarrelling or

squabbling inside their house. His mother takes good care and always remembers him.

Jeff is the oldest among his three siblings. At present, Jeff’s father works as a farmer and

his mother is a full time housewife.

Base on observation, it was found out that Jeff is positive in four areas of the

Physical Observation Checklist (POC). He is thin and has slumped posture. There was a

sign of uncleanliness in dressing and dishevelness in hair and his clothing was atypical.

Although, no sign of unusual physical characteristics found.

The result of the test, revealed that Jeff has an IQ which is in the borderline. This

shows that he has limited mental ability. He tends to experience difficulty in adapting to

the demands of life. He is classified to have low performance. It is hard for him to

understand concepts and ideas because of his low capacity in acquiring knowledge.

Despite of this, he does well in computer gaming activities.

 33

In an interview with Jeff’s mother, it was found out that Jeff would always

grumble, prone to answering and is impolite. Although Jeff showed many signs of verbal

and non-verbal hostile behavior, he does not have any sign aggressive behavior (e.g.

hurting others).

Based on the periodical grade of the participant, it was found out that his general

average was low. In the first grading, the participant got a general average of 78.9. In the

second grading, the participant got a general average of 80.3. In total, the general

weighted average of Jeff was 79.6 (please see Appendix E).

Jeff’s grade were low. This indicates that the participant poorly perform in his

academic subjects.

Participant #4 – Carl (not his real name)

Carl is 15 years old, and a fourth year high school student in a private school in

Tarlac. Carl’s parents were separated. His father is already living with another partner in

life and so is his mother who works abroad. As of now he lives with his grandmother as

his guardian. He said that he is not close to any of his parents.

Carl was positive in four areas of the Physical Observation Checklist (POC). It

was found out that he was thin on built, had slumped posture and showed sign of

dishevelness in hair. However, his clothing and grooming were appropriate for a high

school student. Meanwhile, a sign of unusual physical characteristic was found.

Based on the result of the test, it was found out that Carl has average level of IQ.

This indicates that Carl can be easily trained for certain tasks. It further means that he has
 34

average reasoning abilities. Carl, and the other of his kind tend to have average levels of

intelligence; they can grasp ideas and concepts well.

In an interview with the participant’s grandmother, it was revealed that Carl is

shy, quiet and does not mingle at home. He is kind to his cousin, obedient and polite.

There was no reported hostile behavior either verbal or non-verbal.

Based on the periodical grade of the participant, it was found out that he has

above average grade. In the first grading, Carl got a general average of 86.3. In the

second grading the participant got a general average of 85.1. In total, the general

weighted average of Carl was 85.7 (please see Appendix E).

Carl barely maintained his general average. Meanwhile, there was significant

decrease of his general average. In a close examination of Carl’s individual grades, it

shows decrease in academic grades. Further, this indicates that the participant did not

perform well in his academic subjects as shown in the decrease in his general average.

Participant #5 - Jayson (not his real name)

Jayson, is 13 years old, and a fourth year high school student in a private school in

Tarlac. He is an only child. The participant presently resides at Gerona, Tarlac with his

auntie as his guardian. He is a product of a broken home since he was young. His auntie

provides most of his needs. She owned a canteen in a nearby school. Jayson’s parents

now are living separately with their own families.

Jayson was observed positive in four areas of the Physical Observation Checklist

(POC). He is thin on built, has slumped posture and showed sign of dishevelness of hair.

Although, his clothing and grooming were appropriate for high school student.
 35

Meanwhile, sign of unusual physical characteristics was found. Jayson has a large scar in

his left arm.

The result of the test, revealed that Jayson has an IQ within the borderline. This

indicate that he has limited mental ability. He tends to experience difficulty in adapting to

the demands of life. He is classified to have low performance. Given his mental ability, it

is hard for Jayson to understand concepts and ideas. However, he does well in computer

gaming activities.

In an interview with Jayson’s auntie, it was revealed that the participant is shy,

quiet and do not mingle with others at home. His auntie describe him as kind to his

cousins, obedient and polite. He did not show hostile behavior either verbal or non-

verbal.

Jayson’s periodical report card showed that his general average was low. In the

first grading, he got a general average of 78.3. In the second grading he got a general

average of 79.4. Jayson’s general weighted average was 78.85 (please see Appendix E).

Generally, Jayson’s grade were low. This implies that he did not perform well in

his academic subjects.

 36

Participant #6 - Alfred (not his real name)

The following information was obtained from Alfred, who was 15 years old, and

a fourth year high school student in a private school in Tarlac. Alfred’s parents status

were separated. At present he is under the care of his grandmother in her mother’s side.

Though both of his parents work in Manila, they regularly visit on Saturday and Sunday.

Alfred has four siblings and they have good relationship.

It was observed Alfred was positive in four areas of the Physical Observation

Checklist (POC). He is thin on built and has slumped posture. Alfred showed a signs of

dishevelness of hair and clothing and grooming were atypical for high school student. He

did not show any sign of unusual physical characteristics.

The result of the test revealed that Alfred has low average level of IQ. This

implies that Alfred was less intelligent and it will take some time for him to grasp ideas

and concepts.

In an interview with Alfred’s grandmother, it was found out that at present he

always grumble, was prone to answering back and impolite. Although he showed many

sign of verbal and non-verbal hostile behavior, he did not show signs of aggressive

behavior (e.g. hurting others).

Alfred’s grandmother, said he began to change his behaviour in high school. She

described him to be jolly, industrious and polite. She further claimed that everything

change since high school.

Alfred’s report card showed that his general weighted average was low. In the

first grading, the participant got a general average of 79.7. In the second grading the
 37

participant got a general average of 80.5. Alfred’s weighted average was 80.1 (please see

Appendix E).

Alfred’s was low. This implies that he did not perform well in his academic

subjects. Although there was significant increase in his general average he hardly

maintained his grades.

Participant #7 – Chad (not his real name)

The following information was from participant #7, who was 17 year old, and a

first year college student pursuing Electrical Engineering. E is the middle child between

an older brother and a younger sister.

Chad parents’ were separated. His father now lives w/ another partner. Chad stays

with his mother who is ill.t He revealed that he doesn’t know about his mother’s nature of

illness. He said that his family would not like him to know. He said that his mother is

doing well now than before when she just stayed in bed, unable to move freely or sit by

herself. Chad’s parents separated after he graduated in elementary. He reported that he

felt really sad and cried about it until he was first year. This was the time when he got

addicted to computer gaming. His addiction was at its height when he was in third year

high school but was able to control it as he grew older. Chad’s relationship with his

parents is good, but somewhat the response was constricted. When ask about his

relationship to his siblings, his response was also “good” but said in a much genuine
 38

manner. Sometimes he and his brother would go biking. This he said was one of his

means of avoiding computer games.

Chad was observed to have thin body built and slouched posture. While two

indications in the checklist presents, other dimensions were absent or in-appropriate.

This study revealed that he was addicted to computer games but he was able to take care

of his personal hygiene. In addition, he did not show ant sign of unusual physical

appearance.

The result of the test revealed that Chad has average level of IQ. This implies that

he can be easily trained for certain task. It further means that he has average reasoning

abilities. He tends to have average level of intelligence; he can grasp ideas and concepts

well.

Chad’s first semester final grade showed that Chad did not perform well in his

course. He got incomplete marks in two subjects. He passed all the eight but he only got

3.00 in the five subjects. This finding implies that Chad did not perform well in his

academic subjects.

Participant #8 – Pal (not his real name)

Pal is a fifteen-year-old male and a first year college student in a private

institution. His father is a retired military while his mother works as a nurse. Pal claimed

that he had a good relationship but the expression in his face did not complement what he

said. Pal revealed his unpleasant experiences with his father. However, he refused to give
 39

details. He diverted the conversation to computer gaming and his life experiences that he

was willing to share.

Pal has slouched posture. It was clear that Pal was only positive in one dimension

and the other dimensions of the checklist were absent appropriate. The findings imply

that although he was addicted to computer games, he was able to take care of his personal

hygiene as well as his posture. In addition, Pal did not show any sign of unusual physical

appearance.

Based on the result of the test, it was found out that Pal has an average level of

IQ. This implies that he can easily be trained for certain tasks. It further implies that he

has average reasoning abilities. He tend to have average level of intelligence; can grasp

ideas and concept well.

The result of the first semester final grade showed that Pal was not doing well in

his course. He got incomplete marks in two subjects and failing marks in one subject.

While passing eight course subjects, he just got 3.0 in three course subjects. This shows

that Pal did not perform well in his academic subjects.

Participant #9 – Trouble (not his real name)

Trouble is 17 years old and a first year college student. He is an only child from

an intact family. His father works as an auto-mechanic in Metro Manila while his mother

works as an OFW. Since he is an only child, he was raised by over protective parents.

However, he does not consider himself a spoiled brat. Because his father goes home only
 40

during weekends while his mother works abroad. He stays with his grandmother who also

serves as his guardian.

During the interview session, Trouble was a pleasant and engaging teen-ager who

dressed in school uniform and appropriately groomed. He is chubby and did not show

sign of unkemptness or dishelvelment. In addition, Trouble did not show no signs of

unusual physical appearance.

The findings show that Trouble was addicted to computer games, he was able to

take care of his personal hygiene and personal appearance. Further, is built ways indicate

that he never neglected his meals.

Based on the result of the test, it was found out that Trouble has average level of

IQ. This indicates that he can easily be trained for certain task. It further means that he

has average reasoning abilities. He tends to have average level of intelligence; he can

grasp ideas and concepts well.

The result of the first semester final grade revealed that he did not doing well in

his course. He got incomplete marks in two subjects and one failing marks in one subject.

While passing the seven (7) course subjects, he got 3.0 in three course subjects. This may

imply that he did not perform well in his academic subjects.

 41

Participant #10 – Joshua (not his real name)

Joshua is a 17 years old, and a first year college student. He is the oldest among

two siblings. He has a young sister. Joshua’s parents were separated. His father already

has another partner. Joshua’s mother work abroad. As of now he lives with his auntie

who also serves as his guardian. He said that he is not close to any of his parents. When it

comes to his relationship with his siblings, he answered it was “ok”. But his manner of

expression did not complement what he said about his relationship with his brother. It can

be noted that Joshua restricts himself from divulging more information about matters in

his family.

Joshua was observed to be positivein four areas of the Physical Observation

Checklist. He is thin and has slumped posture. He showed signs of uncleanliness in

dressing and dishelvelness in hair and his clothing was atypical. There was no sign of

unusual physical characteristics found.

This indicates that Joshua neglects personal hygiene as well as his personal look.

Body built also show sign of underweight wherein the probable root cause could be

addiction to computer gaming.

The result of the test revealed that Joshua has high average IQ, which implies the

he can easily understand ideas, evaluate and judge them. He also tends to have ability to

comprehend relationships.
 42

The result of the first semester final grade was revealed that Joshua has one (1)

failed grade in his course subject. Although he has one failed in one of his subject, he did

not have a 3.00 in his pool of grades. His grades range from 2.00 to 2.75.

This points out that Joshua was doing well in his course subject and there is a

probability that the failed subjects was dues to addiction to computer gaming.

Joshua admitted that computer gaming affected his academic performance by

losing his focus in his study.

 43

2. Reasons for Computer Gaming Addiction

Addiction is defined as the habitual compulsion to engage in a certain activity

which has a devastating consequence on the individual’s psychological, social, spiritual,

mental and financial well-being (Young, 2010). The four (4) are the major themes

revealed by phenomenological perspective that explain reasons for computer gaming

addiction. As a behavioural addiction, the focus on psychological issues that increase

consumption of the computer gaming is helpful to aid in the clinical understanding of

why adolescents are addicted to computer games.

Situational Factors and Computer Gaming as Coping Strategy

In any decision we make, situation always play a key role. It was the same with

the computer gaming addicts when it comes to their decision making. This study reveals

that the participants’ current or previous situations play a significant role in the

development of their computer gaming addiction.

 44

One commonality found among computer gaming addicts was the fact that they

belong to dysfunctional families. Dysfunctional family is when family members are

relating badly. This is due to the inability of family members to function emotionally or

as a social unit

Nine out of ten participants were identified as experiencing problem in their

families, either parents separated, parents having another partner, parent abroad, parents

both working away from home, quarrelling about money, et cetera.

Six out of ten participants were found to have come from a family with separated

parents. Five out of ten were found to have a father living in with another partner. At the

same time three mothers of computer gaming addicts were found to have another partner

too.

One of the ten participants revealed during the interview, his sadness caused by

separation of his parents. This study found out how he had learned that his father was

having an affair. With fears in his eyes, he described how sad he was during that time. He

said he felt no drive to study anymore because his parents continued to fight.

This study found out that six out of ten adolescents did well before the separation

of their parents as narrated by their relatives/guardians. The interview with the latter

further supported this finding.

Three out of four guardians, claimed that their kin (participants addicted to

computer gaming) showed feelings of resentfulness, anger, or irritation towards their

parents. There was only one who expressed sadness and longing for parental love.
 45

This study further revealed that this happened before they engaged in habitual

computer gaming.

According to Young (2007), a situation plays a role in the development of

addiction. Individuals who feel overwhelmed or who experienced personal problems or

who experienced life-changing events such as recent divorce, relocation or a death can

absorb themselves in maladaptive behaviour.

In the exploration of life experiences of the computer gaming addicts, a new

theme related to education was revealed as a factor in computer gaming addiction. This

dysfunction is not related to the family but to the educational system.

One college and three high school participants revealed feelings of being

discouraged by the school and teacher. This was supported by their three classmates

claiming that school and teachers/instructors were the causes for their computer gaming

addiction.

One of the participants explicitly said that he felt annoyed with himself. He said

that even if how much he tries to do his best in school, he still gets failing grades. He

claimed that it was his teacher’s fault why he had failing grades. This study found out

that four participants were disappointed by their schools.

According to Peele (2005), a person is vulnerable to an addiction when that

person feels lack of satisfaction in life, an absence of intimacy or strong connection to

other people, lack of self-confidence or compelling interest, or lost of hope.

 46

According to Beard (2008), individuals who feel overwhelmed or who experience

personal problems or who experience life-changing events such as a recent separation,

untreatable sickness of love or even death can absorb themselves in a virtual world full of

fantasy and intrigue. Computer gaming can become a psychological escape that distracts

a user from real-life problem or difficult situation. In this study, six out of ten adolescents

addicted to computer gaming had undergone painful separation of their parents so they

turned to computer gaming to help themselves cope with the situation.

As situational factors may act as causal factors, situational factors may also keep

the adolescents in engaging in computer gaming.

Six out of ten participants revealed that when they failed their exams or quizzes,

they just played in order to get over their sadness. Two out of ten participants stated that

when their parents or guardian scolded them, this drove them more to play computer

games. This was the same for three out of ten students who stated that when they felt

“bad trip” because of their teacher, they just played computer games.

These statements were supported by their classmates when they were interviewed.

They stated clearly, that they overheard their classmates planning at the back of the

classroom or when the teacher was not around. To skip classes to get even with their

teacher.
 47

In some instances, the participants were aware that the teacher was the cause of

their problem. They also admitted that, because they lack of alternative strategy to solve

their problem, they resorted to computer gaming.

Three out of ten participants said they temporarily forget their problems for a

moment while playing and after playing. However problems come back again, they said,

after playing.

One participant shared the enjoyment he felt while playing. He would forget

problems at home and at school.

Rather than facing or tackling stresses in daily life or confronting past or present

trauma, the participants respond maladaptively by resorting to a negative coping

mechanism.

According to Young (2003), in a similar manner, individuals who are dissatisfied

or upset by a particular area or multiple areas of their lives have an increased likelihood

of developing addiction because they don’t understand another way of coping.

This study further reveals situational stress, whether separation, failing, being sad,

or striving for academic success, can drive adolescents to utilize computer gaming with

greater intensity. The participants who use computer gaming as a momentary escape or

means of coping with situational stress may not initially be addicted to computer gaming.
 48

Their behaviors may be temporarily and even fade over time. However, in

participants where the behavior becomes persistent and continuous, computer activity can

become all consuming. Behavior progressively revolves around computer gaming use. As

behavior escalates, computer gaming becomes more chronic and ingrained and develops

compulsive obsession. At this stage, life becomes unmanageable for the addict, as

relationship, health, or education is jeopardized because of the compulsive behavior.

For example, instead of making positive choices that will seek out fulfilment,

alcoholics typically drink, which dulls the pain, avoids the problem, and keeps them in a

status quo. However, as they become sober, they realize that their difficulties have not

changed. Nothing is altered by drinking, yet it appears easier to drink than to deal with

the issues head on (Yue and Ying, 2011).

Paralleling the alcoholics’ behavior, the computer gaming addicts play computer

games to dull pain, avoid real problems, and keep things in status quo. However, once

done playing, they realize that nothing has changed. Such substitution for missing needs

often allows the computer gaming addicts to temporarily escape the problem, but the

substitute behaviors are not the means to solve any problems. Therefore, it is important

for the guidance counselor or other helping professionals to assess a client’s current

situation in order to determine if he is using computer gaming as a security blanket to

avoid an unhappy situation such as separation of parents, illness of significant others,

absence of parents, or academic uncertainty.

 49

Compensatory Factors

In psychology, compensation is a behavior that offsets weakness. After exploring

the life experiences using phenomenological approach, it was noticed that eight out of ten

participants were not doing well academically as well as in other activities. The way they

talked were signs of low self-esteem. Others were having problems at home.

Furthermore, others were looking for self-identity.

One of the participants commented that when he “killed” a person in the game, he

felt nervous because “his friends” might come back and gang on him along with the other

heroes. He told the researcher that he will go back and change line. He further informed

the researcher of getting this unexplained feelings of happiness. This did not end after the

game. He informed the researcher that after the game he would tell his classmates, that he

got three consecutive “kills”. He would boast to his classmates that he did great in the

game. He ended his statement by telling the researcher that he felt proud of himself, that

it was like he was so good at it.

It was clear that the satisfaction not only ended after playing computer games. It

continued as the participants play computer games. Because of this, the participants

achieved a high level of self-esteem and identity. This was evident among all the

participants.
 50

Another participant stated that he felt happy and proud when the spectators

admired him, when the other children who were watching would say “wow he’s great”.

When asked about their studies, they will bowed their heads as if they were

ashamed of their situation. But when asked about computer gaming, they held up their

head so high to show how good they are in computer gaming.

According to Tao (2005) of the Institute of Psychology of Chinese Academy of

Science, in China, the single assessment for academic excellence has led many young

people to look for other compensation with other activities. By engaging in computer

gaming activities, they not only found happiness but also found compensation for self-

identity, self-esteem and self-efficacy.

The participants may be aware or not but they intend to achieve something in

relation to the game. For example, one adolescent addicted to computer gaming, was

motivated to become better because he wants others to praise or admire him. According

to this subject, he wanted the player he defeated to praise him in the game. He even

added that this could be a way to be known by others and to gain more friends. He

pointed out, that when you defeat your opponents, you are considered as higher and better

than them.

Other than feelings of happiness achieved while playing, the computer gaming

addicts also have a feeling of confidence related to self-esteem. This gives more power to

the players and a higher status in their group or community. This indicates that these
 51

adolescents consider computer gaming as part of their personal success. This apparently

could be related to the origination of self-efficacy and self-esteem which is more

significant during adolescents. Gaming provides a quick form of relief from the

uncomfortable feelings of low self-esteem. This is the time when usage became

compensatory to the computer gaming addict

According to Morahan-Martin and Schumacher (2003), adults and children who

have a high level of loneliness (using UCLA Loneliness Scale) have a higher probability

for pathological addiction towards the internet.

As the researcher continued to understand the dynamics associated with computer

gaming addiction, he found out that it is important for counselors or any mental health

professionals to understand how users may compensate for what is missing in their lives

and how they gain it by means of computer gaming use.

Socio-Cultural Factors

Among the major themes that were revealed during the analysis, based on the life

experiences of the participants, the socio-cultural factors pose real threat to the

continuity and maintenance of the addiction. Socio-cultural factors are those in relation

to or involving self and others and their practices and beliefs within the community.

Computer gaming provides a new way for this to occur. In the process of the in-

depth interview, it was noticed from the participants’ responses for the need to feel

connected to others. All participants addicted to computer gaming revealed themes

related to socio-cultural perspective of computer gaming addiction. The researcher noted

that adolescents may be particularly attracted to the computer games because they do not
 52

feel accepted or are isolated. As a result, the friendships that are formed over the

computer gaming activities gain even more significance in their adolescents’’ lives.

According to Beard (2008), “Adolescents may also deal with peer modelling,

expecting, and pressuring them to engage in various online activities or behavior.”

Seven out of ten participants claimed that one of the benefits of computer

gaming is the opportunity to meet new people and in process gain them as friend. One of

the participants said: “If they know you are playing they will invite you and if they find

you good at it, they will invite you more often.”

Five out of ten participants said that they play computer games because they are

with their friends. One participant said that they do it to bond with their friends. This

statement was supported by their classmates who revealed during the interviews that

these students who were addicted to computer games skipped from their class in group.

In addition, teachers observed that they were a close group of friends who have shared

the same interests (since they were caught talking about it a lot). If they had opportunity

they would skip class just to play computer games.

To further support it, two guardians reported that their son/kin would leave home

on Saturdays with the excuse of making projects. The guardians later on discovered that

they played computer games in computer shops on every time they left home.

The computer gaming activity may provide illusions of close relationships,

however these friendships may easily be severed by the click of a mouse (Young, 2009).
 53

This claim was supported by the admission of the subjects that there was fighting among

them.

Three out of ten adolescents confirmed that there were fighting among them after

playing This was due to the wrong moves made during the games that affected the in-

game situation thereby causing their defeat. After that, they often call each one with

nasty or obscene words which in the end hurt the others and caused fighting among

them. All of them confirmed that they call this “Thrash talk”.

Thrash talk is another culture among the participants that they were not aware of

but put pressure among them. According to the ten participants, “thrash-talk” was a way

for gamers to violently beat their opponents verbally while or after playing. Based on

their responses, the only person who is allowed to thrash talk was the person who won

the game or the person who wants to challenge someone in the game.

All of the participants pointed out that they already experienced how to be

thrash-talked as well as to thrash-talk other gamers. One participant even emphasized

that it cannot be avoided in the game. He explained that it was part of the game.

As the researcher delved deeper into the phenomena of thrash talk culture, it was

found out that its effect and contributions to addiction was great.

One of the participants stated that after they played and lost, he could not sleep.

This was because he feared that when he went to school his friends would thrash-talk him

and tell him he was the reason why they lost the game. If one of the participants felt
 54

anxious and afraid, two of the participants however feel hurt and angry with his friends

for the thrash-talk he received from them.

Three of the participants commented that if you don’t want to be thrash talked you

need to be good at it. As a result, the participant felt pressured before, while and after

playing.

In response, the participants found the need to practice more or to learn more

about the game they played to avoid being thrash talked and in return to be able to trash-

talk others. Two participants emphasized, that when they were alone they practiced more

and more to get better and be able to do well in the next battle. With this response another

socio-cultural factor was brought about and this was the phenomena of competition.

Competition was also a factor that contributed to the continued use of computer

gaming. Competition is the process of competing with other players. This was evident in

the responses of the participants. By winning, they would gain popularity, praise or

acknowledgement.

Nine out of ten participants showed the desire of winning over other players.

They stated their intention to get better over others players, to defeat them and to

embattle them. In summary, they want to compete with other players and prove their

skills in-game. One of the participants emphasized, that he would test others if he would

beat them. He pointed out that if you defeat your opponents, this mean you are a better

player. On the other hand another participant said that he would rank himself and his

classmates to see who is the best when it comes to playing a certain computer game.
 55

According to Beard (2005), ranking among users served as a motivation to pursue

the activity as this gave them a goal and reasons to engage more in the internet activity.

While others were thinking of winning, others were thinking of vengeance. This

was revealed in themes related to get even or take revenge to other players.

Five out of ten participants, showed the intention of taking revenge with their

words “babawi” or “gaganti” to the players who defeated them and at the same time

thrash talk them.

The theme on competition was further supported by the ten participants’

classmates. Four of them stated that they talked a lot about the game while discussion

was going on inside the classroom. They talked about the ranking of players within the

campus like who is the best in this section and so forth.

Another is the “advancement of gaming culture” in their school. All ten

participants revealed that one major factor that influenced them to play computer games

were their acclaimed friends. It was also uncovered as a rapidly growing activity among

adolescents in this era.

All of the participants claimed that almost everyone in school knew how to play

computer games. One of the participants said that they previously do not know how to

play computer games but were taught and were encouraged to play computer games.

This statement was supported by the participant’s teachers and classmates. They

all agreed that computer gaming in their schools is gradually becoming popular among

the male students.

 56

The growing popularity of computer gaming among adolescents and their being

good in it is associated with their popularity too. Two out of ten claimed that they are

popular among gamers like them or even in their school. Four participants revealed

feeling envious of their other friends who are good in playing the game. They therefore

desire to become a much better player.

In addition to factors under socio-cultural, “showing-off” is another factor that

kept the participants addicted to computer gaming. This is by being able to impress either

the spectator or opponent with their skills by defeating their competitors. Added to this is

the chance to gain the admiration and popularity among gamers as this serve as social

status among the participants.

All of the ten participants pointed out, that they want to brag to the other players.

They want others to watch them and to be amazed with their skills, for others to admire

them or to look up to them. Showing-off theme was also supported by the statements of

their classmates who were interviewed. They observed and heard the participants talking

about how they “killed” other players, how they supported each other in games and how

they won the game.

The participants insisted that engaging in their gaming activities on regular basis

helps maintain a sense of acceptance and social status.

After taking close examination of the socio-cultural factors two models where

made to help describe the process and contribution of socio-cultural factor in the

development of the computer gaming addiction.

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Gratification

Computer gaming among participants began as fleeting diversion or a way to gain

friends and evolved into a favorite activity and pleasurable habit until it progresses to

computer gaming addiction. Gratification was identified by the researcher based on the

participants’ responses when asked what feel while playing computer games.

Gratification is the act of satisfying self and receiving feeling of pleasure or satisfaction.

Nine out of ten participants said they feel happy (masaya) when they play

computer games. This was shown in their facial expression and tone of voice as they talk

about their victories and amazing moments while playing computer games.

In addition, four out of ten of their classmates supported their statements

indirectly. Four of them said that they see computer addicts so happy when talking about

their computer gaming experience and even boast to each other about what they did but

in class they seemed like downcast (pinitpit na luya). Two of them said that when they

see their classmates playing computer games, it seemed that there is no tomorrow. They

keep on laughing, shouting, smiling in front of the computer and keep speaking bad

words.
 58

Though gratification was identified as one of the causes of computer gaming

addiction the motive to play however was different among the ten participants. One of

this was their possible conscious or unconscious desire to kill computer characters or

players as source of happiness.

Three of them stated, they feel happy when they kill their enemy, when they see

the head and hands cut into pieces and when they were able to headshot their enemy. In

summary, they may be or not aware of it but they enjoy the violence in game they are

playing.

This observation was supported by the guardians, teachers and classmates as they

overheard the participants talking about how they killed their enemies and how they used

finishing blow. One of the teachers interviewed commented that the participant talk about

the characters like they are them and they are the one involved in the fight.

This study revealed that the great satisfaction participants drive from computer

gaming is unreplaceable pleasure.

While others wanted to satisfy their wants to be entertained, one participant just

wanted to satisfy his need to have good memories that he could be bring when he grow

old.

This participant gives importance to the happy memories of bonding with friends

aside from the joy he gets while playing.

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All of the ten participants stated that they feel bored when not doing anything.

Most of the time the first thing that participants think when they are idle is to have

computer game.

One of the participants stated that he would think of his character, how he would

build it so that when he plays he is already strong.

Another participant stated that he iwould thinking of his past game, on what he

have done wrong or what he could do to make it better.

In addition to that, one participant even described vividly how he imagined his

character, the items he will put to it, skills needed and the strategy that has to be done.

To support the findings, one of the classmate interviewed stated that he caught

one of the participants spaced-out (nakatulala), The participant explained that he was

thinking about what he would do later when they play.

These were only three out of eight participants thinking about computer gaming to

entertain themselves. They may not be aware of it but this may trigger their desire to have

another gaming activity.

Accoring to Larrose (2011), Aay game-related image or cognition might serve as

trigger. For example, an online gambling habit might evoked by seeing a magazine ad for

a Las Vegas Casino.

This study revealed that, the mental image of game character, and talking about it

a lot with their computer gamer friends serve as trigger.

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While one of the participants remembered his previous experiences, others think

of their future activities as forms of preparation to their next gaming activities. Since this

is also a symptomic sign of addiction, this may also trigger the compulsions to

immediately engage in computer gaming activity.

According to Blinka and Smahel (2010), when the activity becomes the most

important thing in an individual’s life, it can be divided to cognitive (e.g., when an

individual thinks about the activity) and behavioral (e.g., when an individual neglects

basic necessities such as sleep, food, or hygiene to perform the activity). These were

called salience.

As computer gaming becomes easy sources of gratification, engagement to

computer gaming becomes frequent and becomes addictive. One participant even spoke

with honesty about his feeling.

This participant said that it really had destroyed his life. It destroyed his life that

he really wanted to avoid it but admitted that he can’t control it.

As the participants seek computer game to gain pleasures, excitement and

enjoyment, the feeling wears out quickly as they return to their initial state (e.g. boredom,

no happy memories, and unconscious desire to kill other players). To patch up, thinking

of their previous and future activities provide fascination and happiness. This process

also triggers the intention to play again to satisfy the needs to be in again in euphoric

state.
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3. How Computer Gaming Addiction Affects Adolescents

Since the process of interviewing were in-depth and non-structured in nature, the

effects of computer gaming addiction was addressed indirectly and many related

information were revealed. Emotional responses and tone of voice were carefully

observed and analyzed by the researcher

The following is the analysis of how computer gaming addiction affects the

participants’ family relationship, peer relationship, academic performance and health.

3.1. Computer Gaming Addiction and Family Relationship

When the participants’ computer gaming use became excessive or engrossing

they were not aware that it affected their relationships with their families. Here are the

themes that emerged based on the participants’ responses regarding their relationships

with families.

The first theme was “going home late.” All ten participants reported that they

usually go home late. One of the participants stated that he always felt bad because he

was always scolded by parents. Another participant also goes home late because they

want to play computer games.

This theme was also observed by six guardians/relatives who reported that the

participants usually go home late because they play computer games in computer shops.

Further, their classmates also observed that the participants stay much longer in

computer shops especially when they are enjoying the game by themselves or with

others.
 62

The second theme was “value of lying”. Eight out of ten participants revealed

that they lie due to computer gaming. While the other two denied that they do not lie, the

study revealed that they still lie in a way by denying the actual time they played.

The participants’ relatives/guardians had the same observation. They stated that

the participants’ asked for money intended for school project but later find out that the

money was spent on computer games. Others cheat the time they played while others lie

by about the actual place where they played.

This theme was also supported by their teachers and classmates by describing

their behaviour when asked where they are if they are not in school.

The third theme was “ignoring and disrespectful to parents”. It was discovered

that all of the ten students ignored and were disrespectful to parents. Eight out of ten

agreed that they once disrespected their parents due to computer gaming.

This was supported by all of the six guardians/relatives after reporting that there

were frequent occurrences of disrespectfulness towards their parents especially when

they open the topic on computer gaming.

The fourth theme was “neglecting home responsibilities”. All of the computer

gaming addicts said that they always neglect their responsibilities at home due to their

computer gaming activities. Two of them said that they already forgot to study because

they were already tired playing. Three of them said that they forgot cleaning their

designated areas. While there were experiences “neglecting home responsibilities in

different ways, they were all categorized under the theme of neglecting home

responsibilities”.
 63

This was supported by the statement of six out of ten guardians/relatives. They

stated that before the participants engaged in computer gaming, they were industrious,

doing household chores, now, the participants show the reverse.

This study revealed that computer gaming addiction creates conflicts, feelings of

hatred, and grief among family members.

Further, this study shows that the participants’ parents were aware of the

negative effects of computer gaming to their sons. In an attempt to control them, they

would scold or reprimand their children. However, parents observed that their scolding

had no effect but rather contributed further to their gaming addiction.

The two participants, after being scolded by their parents, admitted that they

wanted to play more computer games to ease the sadness that they feel. One of the

participants even elaborated that after he was scolded, he would leave their house at

night just to play computer.

While others experienced scolding, seven out of ten reported that they received

less money from parents. the study revealed that participants spent less and saved money

so they would be able to play.

One participant said that his parents would call him an “addict”. He told the

researcher that he felt so angry because it hurt him to be called like that. As a result, the

participant skips from class to get even with his parents.

Participants revealed that they feel more anger from their parents than they feel

their care and concern. This may even contributed to their computer gaming addiction.
 64

According to Caplan (2002), the computer activities stimulate the central

nervous system of the individual, who will feel happy and satisfied. The feeling will

drive the individual to continuously use the computer and extend euphoria. Once

addiction is formed, the euphoric experience will soon be transformed into a habit and

numbness state.

3.2. Computer Gaming Addiction and Peer Relationship

After examining the life experiences of the adolescent participants, it was found

out that computer gaming did not pose a threat to peer relationship but the effect is the

other way round.

The first theme was it becomes a “bonding to strengthen peer relationship”. A

relationship starts with a small conversation like talking or having a simple chat. In

computer gaming, invitation to try and play is the entry point to have peer relationship

among the participants.

All of the ten participants revealed that computer gaming do good in their

relationship with peers.

One of the participants narrated that, at first one will get invited and there one will

meet a lot of friends. New friends will then invite them to their next computer gaming.

Another participant said that he only plays because of his friends. They just do it

to establish friendship bonds (mag-bonding). It also helps them forget their bad feeling at

home and at school.

 65

Two of the classmates of the participants claim that the latter are the ones who

invite others who will become their friends and later become computer gaming addicts,

too.

The study revealed that computer gaming addiction starts through simple

invitation from someone who was already enjoying computer gaming.

The second theme was “gaining acceptance and friends” from peers with the help

of computer gaming.

All of the ten participants agreed and supported the theme because through

computer gaming they all gained a lot of friends.

The three participants claimed that if one knows how to play computer games,

he/she is “in” otherwise, he/she is nobody.

This study revealed that eight participants described their gaming friends as

“dumami or madami”. They claimed that life become more exciting and fun compared to

the time when they did not know how to play computer games.

The third and last theme was receiving care, love and belonginess through

computer gaming.

It was found out that four out of ten participants claimed that they receive care,

love and belongingness from their friends everytime they were invited to play with them.

One participant even emphasized that whenever he doesn’t have money, one of

his friends would lend him. One of the participants also pointed out, that these people

love him because they understood him. In the end, this participant feels sense of

belongingness with them.

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The participants revealed that it all started with an invitation to play. Even if it

was hard for them to understand the mechanics of the game, the opportunity to interact

with other people gave them the feeling of acceptance. This gave them happiness as this

relationship is important among the adolescent participants. As they shared the same

interest, it was normal for them to do the activity with their friends. In their case, either

competing with others or competing with each other gave them sense of satisfaction and

happiness. Not only this, it served as an entry point as well as a foundation to keep the

friendship among them remain. They may not be aware of this, but it also acts as

foundation to keep the addiction within them.

Although it is easy to focus on the negatives, the internet is not at all bad. It has

helped adolescents in many ways, and these benefits should be recognized. Some

researchers (Beard, 2008;Williams & Merten, 2008) have explained how the internet can

help adolescents by allowing for increased positive communication and social

interactions with others. This has allowed old relationships with peers and relatives to be

reconnected and maintained, as well as permitted the opportunities for new friendships to

develop. Computer gaming has also allowed people to find emotional support that may

have been lacking.

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3.3. Computer Gaming Addiction and Academic Performance

Here are the themes identified based on their responses during the in-depth

interviewing.

The first theme identified under academic performance was “cognitive

disturbance or thinking about previous and future gaming activities”. All of the ten

participants were identified as experiencing cognitive disturbance.

The ten participants claimed they felt depressed when they lost in the game. They

would think of ways on how they could correct their mistakes. The participants admitted

that they would think about the game before they slept, upon waking up or while in class.

One participant stated that he even dreamed about it.

Focus is one of the important tools we need to be successful in any endeavor we

want to succeed in. As this principle is applicable to academic success the same is to

computer gaming success. In the life of computer gaming addicts, computer gaming is a

very significant part of their lives. They are not aware that it becomes a top priority rather

than their academic life. Computer gaming becomes very significant among adolescents

that it impairs their functioning. As an effect, this demotivates them to study and do their

assignments at home. In school, it distracts them during discussion. As a result of this

cognitive disturbance, the participants show poor classroom participation, poor

performance in quizzes and examinations, and no compliance to assignments.

The second theme was the “overwhelming urge to play computer games“. While

six of the ten paticipants admited that they could not help themselves playing computer

games. Four participants denied thay their craving to play computer triggered a stimulus
 68

(seeing someone playing, invited, or pass in computer shop) they still cannot help

themselves.

The participants also admitted that they grab all the chances to play computer

game when classes are supended during school intramurals, language week and other

school cenlebrations. One participant said that if he is idle and if his father is not around,

he would prefer to grab the computer and play rather than study.

This was also observed by other participants by admitting that their addiction to

computer is one reason they don’t review for exams.

In addition, this was supported by three of their classmates stating that most of the

time they see their classmate racing each other toward the computer.

According to Beard and Wolf (2001), the key component seems to be conflict; for

example, Beard and Wolf defined technological addiction as “uncontrollable, damaging

use of this technology,” and they consider conflict to be the basic and required dimension

for identifying a player as addicted.

As they cannot help themselves but to play computer games, they have poor

academic performance because they forget to review and do their homework.

The third theme was the deliberate intention of the computer gaming addicts to

skip class. All participants admitted that they skipped classes to play computer games.

Participants said they plan, agree and skip. Even if others do not want to be

absent, in the end they would decide to skip class because if they don’t come, their

friends would brand them as “wala siyang pakisama”.

 69

While participants play computer together, their reason for playing is still

somehow different from each other.

One participant admitted that he skipped class because he was angry with his

parents because they scolded him and another reason was he did not like the teacher.

The fourth theme was being engrossed playing computer games. All of the

participants revealed themes related to being engrossed playing computer games.

All the participants stated that most of the time they extend the length of time

they play. In the end, they spend more time playing computer games.

The participants’ classmates had the same observation. They said that most of the

time they see them playing computer games during lunch break and in the end either they

will be late for their afternoon class or skip class. They come late because they forgot

about the time.

The last theme was the difficulty of sleeping because of computer games. While

this is not directly related to the study, this also affects study because this explains why

they come late in their classes. All of the ten participants admitted that because of

computer games addiction, they experience difficulty sleeping.

Their teachers gave the same observation. They said that most of the time they

come late in the morning and worse they are even late or absent in the afternoon.
 70

The participants, claimed that they were having difficulty sleeping because they

think about the game. Some would think about their defeat while others think about their

winning. Others feel excited while some feel depressed.

One of the participants even elaborated what he thinks about before he sleeps. He

said that he thinks about what he needs to be done when the character he has is already

strong, what if he sold the item he is selling; what if he already bought the strongest

weapon; etc. He told the researcher that he cannot help himself but think about it.

According to Blinka and Smahel (2010), when the activity becomes the most

important thing in an individual’s life, it can be divided to cognitive (e.g., when an

individual thinks about the activity) and behavioral (e.g., when an individual neglects

basic necessities such as sleep, food, or hygiene to perform activity). This is called

salience.

Computer gaming among adolescents based on the participants life experiences

really proved damaging to their academic performance. According to the ten participants

they were aware that their computer gaming activities affected their academic life.

According to their guardians/relatives, teachers and classmates, they observed that

the participants do not study at home and most of the time do not stay at home. Teachers

observed that they do not participate well in discussion and they do not have answers in

quizzes or examinations. Their classmates observed that the participants just talked about

computer gaming inside and outside the school.

In some cases it is normal for students to get bored during class and lose their

focus on their lessons.

 71

One of the participants said that when they is are idle inside the classroom or the

discussion is not interesting, he would talk with others about computer games.

When participants do this, they miss their lessons and this affects their academic

grades.

One participant even had a hard time explaining his thoughts. He revealed that

due to his excessive computer gaming, he was left behind academically and this he was

aware of.

Worse, even though they were aware that the cause of their difficulty and problem

is computer gaming, they believe that they can cope with their problems by means of

computer gaming.

For example, one of the participants said that when he failed the quiz, he will just

play or when he feels sad he will just play to be happy.

One participant admitted even though his grades became low, he still feels happy

because at least he got friends and his life became more exciting when he had no friends

yet.

Cole and Griffiths (2007), claimed that approximately 80% of players play with

their real-life friends. About 75% have found good friends in the online game, and 43%

have met them face-to-face. As confirmed by an 18-year-old male player: “The

community of players is important; it allows us to create our reputations as players over

time and reminds us what we have achieved over the past years.”
 72

Based on thematic analysis, computer gaming doesn’t affect the academic

performance directly but it is the adolescents who are affected psychologically (e.g.

cognitive disturbance, overwhelming urge to play).

3.4. Computer Gaming Addiction and Health

The health of computer gaming addicts is also affected. This study reveals the

themes connected to the effects of computer gaming addiction to the health of the

participants.

The first theme that was identified was saving money to play computer games. All

of the ten participants saved money to be able play computer games in computer shop.

The participants said that they saved their money for the whole week in order to

play computer games during weekends.

The teachers and their classmates had the same observation. They observed that

their classmates do not eat snacks (merienda) during recess time. They were observed

staying in the pathway far from the canteen talking about computer games. One of their

classmates stated that because they were addicted to computer games, they did eat

because their money was spent for computer gaming.

Parents of the computer addicts were not aware of these phenomena but they only

have a hunch about it. One of the relatives/guardians stated that to make sure that his son

will not play, he gave him exact amount of money that can only buy food .

Allowance (baon) at students is intended for buying snacks or foods that will

replenish their energy to be able to do school activities. But the problem is, the

participants spent their money not for food but for the computer gaming rentals. One of
 73

the participants believe that it is not the computer gaming that he is addicted to but the

computer shop itself. One of the participants revealed he was addicted to the computer

shop.

The second theme was Prioritizing computer gaming rather than eating.

According to one of the participants, he does not take his lunch because he needed to

prioritized the computer gaming.

This study revealed that ten participants prioritized computer gaming over their

food.

The six participants admitted that they often missed the exact time for eating

lunch. This was because they needed to go to computer shops to get seats for themselves.

Computer shops are usually crowded with students coming from different schools during

break time.

The participants’ classmates said the participants eat their packed lunch after

designated time.

One of the participants admitted that forgets almost everything, even his own

hunger and especially his problem if he is in front of the computer.

As computer gaming becomes addictive, it becomes their priority rather than

eating. The effect is devastating as it can lead to illness. It also affects their academic

performance.
 74

The third theme was forgetting to go home early because of computer gaming

addiction. All of the six relatives/guardians reported that the participants were always

observed going home late. Nine out of ten participants admitted that they go home late

because they were engrossed playing computer games.

Eight participants also experienced being caught in the rain. They were so

absorbed in front of the computer that they don’t mind the weather condition.

The fourth theme identified was the difficulty of sleeping. All of the ten

participants revealed that they were having difficulty sleeping. Others claim it was due to

computer gaming but some said it was due to personal problem. For those who cannot

sleep because of personal problems, to get to sleep, they think of their past and future

computer gaming activity in order to get to sleep.

One of the participants revealed that he cannot sleep because he lost in the game.

Another participant supported this theme as he also cannot sleep because of the lost he

experienced. While awake, they think about ways that can improve their compute gaming

skills.

While others just think while awake, three of the participants revealed that they

play computer games late at night. They said that they play because they cannot sleep and

there was nothing to do. They play because they need to enhance their computer gaming

skills.

Two guardians/relatives had the same observation. They claimed that the

participants play computer games late at night. One of them was surprised to see his son

playing computer games until three o’clock in the morning.

 75

According to Mayesky (2008), the importance of sleep is a top priority among

people who give high value to health and wellness. In this study, the participants give

more importance to computer gaming than their health. Deterioration of health could

affect not only physical well-being but also other aspects like emotional and cognitive

well-being.

Health is affected by skipping meals. Forgetting to eat on time is one effect of

computer gaming addiction.

The participants, along with their guardians, parents, teachers and classmates

claim that computer gaming addiction leads to hunger/starvation, dimming of sight,

bleeding of nose, sleeplessness and loss of weight.

Even if the participants are aware of the effects of computer gaming addition to

their health, the compulsion to engage is unstoppable, notwithstanding the devastating

consequence. For some reason, they are willing to trade their health in exchange of

instant gratification they get from computer gaming.

According to the Center for Behavioral Addiction (2009), the following

symptoms are also observed among internet addicts: decline in performance (school,

work), disinterest in social environment, decline in offline leisure interests, fatigue

(chronic lack of sleep), aggressiveness, nervousness, if online usage is hindered

 76

4. Intervention Program Proposed To Assist Students with Computer Gaming

Addiction

A. Initial Phase

Objectives:

1. To present the purpose of the program to the counselee/s who is/are addicted to

computer gaming and to build rapport between counselee/s and the counselor

2. To identify the positive aspects of computer gaming among the counselee/s and to

further strengthen the therapeutic relationship

3. To recognized the consequences of computer gaming among counselee/s and to

examine if computer gaming is a want or a need.

4. To establish a cause-effect relationship between their behaviors and computer

gaming addiction.

Time frame: Around 3 to 5 sessions ½ hours – 2 hours (minutes or hours per session

depends on the number of counselees in groups)

Counselee/s: Computer gaming addict/s

Interventionist: Guidance Counselor

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Topics:

1. Program Presentation

2. Analysis of Computer Gaming’s Positive Aspect

3. Everything has a consequence or price

4. Do I like or need to play computer games?

Expected Outcomes (for counselee and/or guidance counselor)

1. Become aware of the process of the intervention program.

2. Build rapport in every session/meeting between counselee/s and the counselor.

3. Understand why the counselee/s engage to computer gaming.

Develop counselee/s’ Positive attitude towards intervention program.

4. Establish a cause-effect relationship between their behaviors (aggressive, lying,

skipping class) and the use of computer gaming.

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B. Intermediary Phase

Having established a therapeutic alliance and ensured the relationship among

group members, the counselor starts with the psychotherapeutic intervention.

Objectives:

1. To analyse the pattern directly responsible for the emergence of computer gaming

addiction

2. To facilitate the Life Line Technique Activity and to identify emotional pattern

that affects their daily life.

3. To show how their attitudes affect the course of their lives

4. To help them explore and encourage them to examine the situations lived and

roles played by them, as well as their reactions to those situations.

Time frame: Around 4 to 7 sessions ½ hour – 1 hour (if group: minutes or hours per

session depends on the number of counselees in groups)

Counselee/s: Computer gaming addict/s

Interventionist: Guidance Counselor

Topics:

1. What the experience of needing is like (problem)

2. Analysis of Most Played Games and the Participative Sensation Experience

3. Life Line

4. Deepening into deficient aspects and working in emerging topic

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Expected Outcomes (for counselee and/or guidance counselor):

1. Identify and Target dysfunctional responses with therapeutic intervention.

2. Deepened understanding of those patterns (second P) that are long-standing in the

counselees’ lives and are directly responsible for the emergence of the same

problem (First P).

3. Equip counselee to act in a manner distinct from that used in the past, which made

computer gaming their only option for coping.

4. Identifying the emotional wounds and leads patients to better visualize the

repetition of the problems faced across their lives.

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C. Final Phase

Objectives:

1. To reinforce those that need further attention and to further equip participants

coping skills and strategies to address future problems.

2. To facilitate Reality Ride as a fun but educational activity

3. To terminate the process and apply and discussed the inventories and to see

improvement.

4. To congratulate the counselee/s hard work of completing the therapeutic process.

Time frame: Around 2 to 4 sessions ½ hour – 1 hour (if group: minutes or hours per

session depends on the number of counselees in groups)

Counselee/s: Computer gaming addict/s

Interventionist: Guidance Counselor

Topics:

1. Alternative Actions (Coping) (Process)

2. A Preparation for Termination (Reality Ride – Why try life?)

3. Termination and application of inventories

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Expected Outcomes (for counselee and/or guidance counselor):

1. Changes from occurrences prior to the beginning of the treatment, and now

possibly present in a distinct manner.

2. Broader coping style and relationship style.

3. Understand that have consequences in a way that relates to the specific

circumstances of each individual’s life.

4. Discuss the progress of the counselee/s.

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5. Implications of the Study to Guidance and Counseling

This study looked into the life experiences of Computer Gaming addicts. It is

known that habits, even non pathological ones, are difficult to break once formed

(Verplanken & Wood, 2006), and so guidance counselors have to find way so they can be

prevented from forming in the first place. Furthermore, this is by means of disrupting its

formation before harmful cycles of computer gaming occur.

Since habits are formed by repetition under stable circumstances (Covey, 2001),

one obvious strategy that guidance counselor can use for disrupting habits is to alter the

contexts in which the triggering cues are likely to occur. For example, varying the time,

location, preceding activities, and the home/school one keeps when accessing favorite

gaming activities should weaken habits. However, extreme disruptions in the context of a

behavior, comparable to turning off TV for a week in (Robinson and Borzekowski,

2006), may be necessary, and extreme acts of willpower may be required to execute such

changes.

Guidance counselors may take advantage of naturally occurring changes. It might

be possible to take advantage of naturally occurring changes in the context of Computer

Gaming behavior such as the beginning of a new school year, work schedule, or the

purchase of a new computer to bring about the necessary contextual change.

Guidance counselors may suggest to the administrators to update or improve

policies. The context of computer gaming use might also be altered automatically by the

use of computer administrator control access to restrict problem-causing game. Societal-

 83

level policies that facilitate computer habits might also be changed, such as imposing

usage-sensitive charges on computer use.

Guidance counselors may use counseling techniques to prevent addiction among

adolescents. A variety of persuasive techniques similar to those developed in

psychotherapy interventions (NLP, VKD) might also have an impact on habit formation.

Since lack of attention to a behavior is one of the hallmarks of habits, keeping a diary of

one’s online activities or inspecting activity logs on computer that provide them to users

would draw attention to behavior and undermine habits. Reflection on the mood states

that preceded indulgence in a favorite gaming activity, mounting use, or sessions that last

longer than intended (or remembered) would provide an early warning of habits that are

in danger of spinning out of control.

Another possibility for guidance counselor is the use of classroom intervention.

for this is another possibility in the use of self-help or public education approaches to

build upon the natural defenses uncovered by La Rose et al. (2010) (e.g. WhyTry: Reality

Ride), in which awareness of negative consequences linked to abusive use appeared to

reawaken attentiveness to computer gaming behavior. Alternatively, self-efficacy beliefs

related to diminishing computer gaming use could be bolstered through persuasion,

access to testimonials from successful quitters, or gradual reductions in use. Or societal

or group norms (e.g., within a family or specific school) for computer gaming use might

be emphasized. These strategies would likely only work when habits are still forming,

however. When habits are strong, individuals filter out information that might persuade
 84

them to change their behavior (Verplanken & Wood, 2006). However, persuasion tactics

such as these might amplify the effectiveness of context changes.

Finally, guidance counselors may tackle or push programs related to self-

regulation. Self-regulation has been likened to muscle-building. Overexertion temporarily

depletes self-regulatory resources, whereas sustained, incremental exercise of the

resource seems to strengthen it. And just as strengthening the muscles in our arms by

lifting weights in the gym gives us more strength to lift objects in our homes, the

strengthening of self-regulation in one behavioral domain generalizes to others. That

suggests that restoring self-regulation to one form of media consumption (e.g., television)

or even in completely different behavior domains (e.g., eating or exercise habits) might

enhance the ability to regulate Computer Gaming behavior as well.

To those who have great interest of prevention, the ultimate objective is to create

an environment that offers appealing opportunities for challenges, encounters, and

participation so that young people can be shaped by the incomparable uniqueness of

genuinely experiencing real life with all of their senses.

The intervention model presented in this research study is not yet evaluated or

tested. It should be considered as a contribution to the overall discussion and is meant to

serve as a guideline for developing a better therapeutic process applicable among Filipino

adolescents. However, this study makes the assumption plausible that the following

factors are related with the development of an addicted computer gaming behavior among
 85

adolescents: a client’s lack of achievement in school to influence something directly, to

gain a sense of acceptance, and to work through difficulties.

The family is the core group that offers models on patterns of action and

constructive methods of conflict resolution, or in some cases does not. Compassion,

empathy, solidarity, and personal responsibility can be learned in the family and serve as

models and resources for the client to make changes within the extended environment.

Integrating the system into a treatment of Computer Gaming addiction therefore seems a

reasonable and useful approach. As with other addiction therapies, perseverance and

loving firmness on the part of therapists and family members are required to bring about

changes (Eidenbenz, 2011).

The goal is to build a culture that has greater knowledge and awareness of the

opportunities and risks in dealing with computer gaming so that individuals are in a

position to determine for themselves how they wish to use these computing tool.

Commitment pays off because therapeutic assistance can favor and enable constructive

long-term development, especially in young adolescents. More research is needed in the

future to assess the effectiveness of the proposed treatment model as methods.

What is now certain is that young people need committed individuals in their

everyday lives, whether in the family, at school, or in their circle of friends and

acquaintances.
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Chapter 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary, conclusions and recommendations of the

study.

Summary of Findings

Description of the participants as to:

1.1. Family Background

Based on the results of the analysis, one commonality found among the

participants were most of them came from dysfuctional families. The quality of their

family lives resembles each other to a remarkable degree in that is, most of their families

were dysfunctional in nature. This study revealed nine out of ten participants have

parents who work away from home (abroad or outside their province) to earn a decent

living.

1.2. Characteristics

1.2.1 Physical

The study found out that all of the participants have thin or skinny body built. In

addition to that, all of the participants showed signs of poor hygiene and have atypical

clothing and grooming. It was also observed that most of the computer gaming addicts

who participated in the research study were slouched or slumped in posture whenever

walking or in a sitting position. In addition, two were identified as having unusual

physical characteristics (big eyes and third degree burn scars).

 87

1.2.2 Inteligence

Based on the result of the Culture Fair Test (CFIT), four out of ten of participants

had average level of intelligence, two had low average level of intelligence, two were

borderline and two were at the high average level of intelligence.

Further, it was found out that those who have high average IQ are known as “one

who leads” (pasimuno).

Eight out of ten participants who were average, low average and borderline were

easily influenced by others. They are easily swayed by the decision of other computer

gaming addicts.

1.2.3 Interpersonal

This study revealed that four out of ten were shy or timid. In addition, most often,

the participants misbehaved in school, they grumble, frown, hurt and mumble.

1.3 . Academic Performance

The study was found out that all of the participants have low grades. All of the

participants admitted that their computer gaming addiction affected their academic

performance.

2. Reasons for Computer gaming Addiction:

There were four (4) major themes which were anchored on phenomenological

perspective that may explain the reasons for the participants’ computer gaming addiction.

These four factors were Situational, Compensatory, Socio-cultural and Gratification.

The situational factors identified in this study were forgetting problems, alleviate

dysphoric mood.
 88

The second major theme was the compensation received by the computer gaming

addicts in playing computer games. The compensatory factors include “bilib sa sarili”,

high self-esteem, gain confidence and high self-efficacy. Gaming provides a quick form

of relief from the uncomfortable feelings of low self-esteem. This is the time when usage

became compensatory to the computer gaming addicts.

Third among the themes that were found out after the analysis was the socio-

cultural factor. The participants were attracted to computer gaming because of being in,

gaining friends, feels accepted and social status.

This study revealed that gratification is factor that may explain computer gaming

addiction. All of the ten participants were found to have feelings of gratification when

they play computer games. They feel happiness, joy, satisfaction, excitement, and

ecstasy.

3. How computer gaming addiction affect adolescents:

The following is the summary of findings on how computer gaming affected the

participants:

3.1. Family Relationship

The study revealed the themes that emerged based on the participants’ responses

regarding the effect of computer gaming to their relationships with families.

Based on the analysis of data, four (4) major themes were identified: going home

late, value of lying, ignoring due to computer gaming and neglecting home

responsibilities.
 89

The first theme was “going home late”. All ten participants reported that they go

home late. This theme was supported by all of the six guardians/relatives who reported

that the participants would usually go home late.

The second theme was “value of lying.” Eight out of ten participants revealed

that they lie about the number of hours they spent playing and the actual place where

they played.

The third theme was ignoring and disrespectful to parents. All of the ten

particpants had shown lack of respect to their parents because of their addiction to

computer gaming.

The fourth theme was neglecting home responsibilities. All of the computer

gaming addicts said they always neglect their responsibilities at home due to their

computer gaming activities.

3.2. Peer Relationship

After examining the life experiences of the adolescent participants, it was found

out that computer gaming did not pose a threat to peer relationship but the effect is the

other way round.

The first theme was it strengthens peer relationship. All of the ten participants,

revealed that computer gaming helped enhance their relationship with peers.

The second theme revealed was gaining acceptance and friends with peers with

the help of computer gaming. All of the ten participants agreed and supported that

because of computer gaming they gained a lot of friends. All of the participants reported

that computer gaming helped them gain friends.

 90

The third and last theme was receiving care, love and belongingness through

computer gaming. It was found out that four out of ten participants felt being cared and

loved, they claimed to have a sense of belongingness every time they play computer

games with friends.

This study found out that computer gaming is not all bad. The participants

claimed the following as benefits one may get in playing computer games: happiness,

excited, satisfied, feeling of pleasure and fulfilled.

3.3. Academic performance

Five (5) themes were identified that affected the academic performance of the

participants: cognitive disturbance or thinking about previous and future gaming activity,

overwhelming urge to play computer games, deliberate intention of the computer gaming

addicts to skip class, engrossed in playing computer games and difficulty of sleeping.

The first theme cognitive disturbance or thinking about previous and future

gaming activity, experienced by all of the ten participants. The effects are the following:

poor classroom participation, no answer in quizzed and examinations and failed to do

assignments.

The second theme was the overwhelming urge to play computer games. Six of the

ten paticipants admitted that they could not help themselves to play computer games. The

four denied but it was found out that once triggered (seeing someone playing, invited, or

pass in computer shop) they still cannot help themeselves.

 91

The third theme was the deliberate intention of the computer gaming addicts to

skip class. All of the ten participants revealed that they skipped classes due to computer

gaming.

The fourth was being engrossed in playing computer games. All the participants

stated that most of the time they would extend playing time which is usually much longer

than the original length of time planned. In the end, they spend more time playing

computer games than studying their lessons.

The last theme was the difficulty of sleeping because of computer games. All of

the ten participants admitted that they are having difficulty sleeping. These are their

reasons: they think about the game; about their defeat; and think about their winning.

Others feel excited while others feel depressed.

3.4. Health

Here are the themes that show how compute gaming addiction affected the health

of the participants.

The first theme that was identified was saving money to play computer games. All

of the ten participants did not use money intended to buy food rather saved them to play

computer games in computer shops.

The second theme was prioritizing computer gaming rather than eating. It was

found out that all of the ten participants preferred playing computer games than eating.

Although their food is already packed and ready to eat, the participants still prioritized

gaming.
 92

Six participants also missed the exact time for lunch. The participants’ reason is

to get their own seat. Participants reported that it is during lunch break that computer

shops are crowded by students from other schools.

The third theme was “forgot to go home early because they were engrossed in

playing.” All of the six guardians/relatives reported that the participants would usually go

home late. This statement was also supported by their classmates observation.

The fourth theme was difficulty in sleeping. The ten participants revealed that they

had difficulty sleeping. Participants identified personal problems and too much thinking

of their past and future gaming activities as causes of their difficulty in sleeping.

The participants identified the following as effects of computer gaming addiction

to them: spending in computer shops the money that was intended for food, skipping

lunch to be able to play during lunch break, forgetting to eat, not eating on time and

difficulty in sleeping.
 93

4. Intervention Program Proposed To Assist Participants with Computer Gaming

Addiction

The proposed intervention program is a three-phase model and a combination of

different counselling principles and techniques. It is a holistic program wherein

intervention was based on the findings. (Please see the appendix E to see the summary of

the Structured Counseling Intervention Program).

5. Implications to Guidance and Counseling

Guidance counselors may suggest to the computer administrator to update or

improve policies regarding the use of computer among students like imposing that a

student should only be allowed to play computer games after class or during breaks only.

The computer administrator must not allow problem causing games. Guidance counselors

may use counseling techniques to prevent addiction among adolescents or they may use

classroom intervention which will promote self-regulation regarding use of computer.

The intervention model presented in this research study is not yet evaluated or

tested. It should be considered as a contribution to the overall discussion and is meant to

serve as a guideline for developing a better therapeutic process applicable to Filipino

adolescents. However, this study makes the assumption plausible that the following are

causal factors related to computer gaming addiction among adolescents: a) client’s lack

of achievement in school; b) need for acceptance, and c) facing difficulties in life.

The goal of the model is to build a culture that has greater knowledge and

awareness of the opportunities and risks in dealing in playing the computer. Therapeutic
 94

assistance can favor and enable constructive long-term development, especially in young

adolescents. More research is needed in the future to assess the effectiveness of the

proposed treatment model as methods.

What is certain is that young people need committed individuals to guide them in

their everyday lives, whether at home, in school, or in their circle of friends and

acquaintances.

Conclusions

This study drew conclusions from the findings:

1. Most of the participants belong to dysfunctional families.

2. The participants of the study have slouching posture and poor personal hygiene.

3. The participants were found to have average IQs.

4. Very often, they misbehaved in school and at home they grumble, frown, hurt

others and mumble.

5. All the participants had poor academic performance. They have very low or

failed grades.

6. Themes related to reasons for computer gaming addiction are: Situational,

Compensatory, Socio-cultural and Gratification.

7. Four (4) major themes were identified that affect participants relationship with

family. These were going home late, occasional lying, disrespectful to parents and

neglect of home responsibilities.

8. Phenomenological analysis shows that the effect of computer gaming when it

comes to peer relationship is more positive than negative. Three (3) themes were
 95

uncovered: a)bonding to strengthen peer relationship, gaining acceptance and

friends, and receiving care love and belonginess.

9. Computer gaming among the participants based on the participant life experiences

proved damaging to their academic performance and health.

Recommendations

Based on the findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are

considered.

1. Schools must conduct seminars and symposiums to inform students of the ill effects

of computer gaming addiction, how it develops and how to stop it.

2. The guidance counselors should find ways to prevent the development of computer

gaming addiction among the students.

3. The guidance counselors can adopt/use the proposed intervention in their treatment

plan or treatment program.

4. The guidance counselors could use the model in this study to deeply understand the

phenomena of computer gaming addiction.

5. The administrators can use the results of the study in understanding the factors related

to school environment that lead to computer gaming addiction. They should promote

plan of actions on ways of reducing or helping student have another alternative fun

activity to divert their attention from computer gaming.

 96

6. Since the field of computer addiction is quite new and growing rapidly, further

research is recommended specially for prevention or treatment of computer gaming

addicts.
 97

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NG, B.D. and P. Wiemer-Hasting (2005), Addiction to the Internet and Online Gaming,
in CyberPsychology and Behavior, vol.8, no.2, pp. 110-113.

Wan, C.-S. and W.-B. Chiou, Why Are Adolescents Addicted to Online Gaming? An
Interview Study in Taiwan, in CyberPsychology and Behavior, vol. 9, no.6
(2006), pp. 762-766.

Wiemer-Hastings, P & NG, B. D. (2005). Addiction to the Internet and Online Gaming
Cyberpsychology & Behavior Vol8, Number 2. pp. 110-113

Yee, N. (2006). The demographics, motivations and derived experiences of users of

massively-multiuser online graphical environments. Presence: Teleoperators and
Virtual Environments, 15, 309–329.

Young, K.S., Internet Addiction: A New Clinical Phenomenon and Its Consequences, in
American Behavioral Scientist, 2004. 48(4): p. 402-415.

C. UNPUBLISHED THESIS MATERIALS

Purayil, Mathew Joseph. (2005) “Internet addiction among college students” Ph.D. in
Counseling Psychology. De La Salle University. Manila, Philippines.

D. ONLINE MATERIALS

Clark, N.L. Addiction and the Structural Characteristics of Massively Multiplayer Online
Games. Available at http://gamasutra.com/features/20060822/clark_01.shtml.

Yee, N. (2002). Ariadne – Understanding MMORPG Addiction. Retrieve from

http://www.nickyee.com/hub/addiction/home.html

Young, K.S., (1996) Internet Addiction: The Emergence of a New Clinical Disorder, in
CyberPsychology and Behavior, vol.1, no.3, pp. 237-244. Computer Addiction
Services. Retrieve from http://www.computeraddiction.com/.
 100

APPENDICES
 101

APPENDIX A
__________________________

__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________

Ma’am;

I am Mr. Elson S. Garingo a graduate student of the Tarlac State University currently taking up Master of
Education major in Guidance and Counseling and enrolled in Thesis writing. As part of the requirements my
thesis was approve with the following details below which the researcher wishes to conduct.

The topic is concentrated on “Computer Gaming Addiction among Adolescents: Case Analysis.” The study aims to
identify the computer gaming addicts. Through this, a better understanding and case analysis on the nature of the
student will be made which will be later used for creating an intervention program. Thru your help, participants of the
research will be selected and referred.

Your student/s participation involves testing and assessment and series of interview which will include his/her family
background, scholastic performance and relationship with his/her teachers as well as his/her relationship with peers.

Rest assured that whatever information gathered will be kept confidential including the name of your school. Identities
of the participants will not be revealed, and it will not affect your student school performance in any way. Moreover,
there are no anticipated risks or discomforts related to this research.

In this connection, the researcher would like to convey you my desire to request for your permission to conduct the
study for a more accurate result.

Your cooperation is highly appreciated. Thank you very much.

Very truly yours,

MR. ELSON S. GARINGO

Researcher

Noted by:

DR. JUDY IMELDA IGOY

Thesis Adviser
 102

APPENDIX B
________________________________

Dear Mr. & Mrs., _________________________

I would like to inform you that as part of the compliance of the requirements for my Master’s degree, a thesis research
on “Computer Gaming Addiction Among Adolescents: Case Analysis” will be conducted in
_____________________. The study aims to identify the computer gaming addicts. Through this, a better
understanding and case analysis on the nature of the student will be made which will be later used for creating an
intervention program. With this regard, your son was chosen as one of the participants.

Your child’s participation will involve a series of interview which will include his/her home background, scholastic
performance and relationship with his /her teachers as well his relationship with peers.

Rest assured that whatever information gathered will be kept confidential. Identities of the participants will not be
revealed, and it will not affect your child school performance in any way. Moreover, there are no anticipated risks or
discomforts related to this research.

The researcher would like to request your approval for your child to participate in study.

Thank you.

Very truly yours,

MR. ELSON S. GARINGO

Researcher

Noted by:
________________________
Principal

Please put a checkmark:

________ I give my consent for my child to participate in the research study, that I am fully aware regarding the nature
of the thesis research.

_______ I do not give my consent for my child to participate in the research study.

Name of the child: ____________________________________

Year & Section: ______________________________________

 103

APPENDIX C

PARTICIPANT’S CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION FORM

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name: __________________________________________________ Date: ______________________
Birthday: _________________________________ Age: __________Gender: ___________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________
Contact Number: ___________________________

FAMILY BACKGROUND
Father’s Name: _________________________
Age: _________
Current Address: ______________________
Educational Attainment: ________________
Occupation: __________________________
Mothers Name: ___________________________
Age: _________
Current Address: ________________________
Educational Attainment: __________________
Occupation: ____________________________

Parents Status:
Living Together  Separated  Father is an OFW  Mother is an OFW 
Father with another partner  Mother with another partner 

Guardian’s Name: __________________________________ Age: __________________

Current Address: ________________________________________
Highest Educational Attainment: ___________________________
Occupation: _______________________

Name of Siblings: _____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________
Ordinal Position: ______________________

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND
Elementary: __________________________________________________________________________
Secondary (High School): _______________________________________________________________
College: _____________________________________________________________________________
School Address: _______________________________________________________________________
 104

APPENDIX D

Date:

Participant’s Name:

Physical Observation Checklist

Build

( ) slim, thin, skinny

( ) fat, obese

( ) muscular

( ) well built

Physical Appearance

( ) dishelved

( ) untidy

( ) unkempt

( ) clothing and/or grooming atypical

( ) unusual physical characteristics

( ) appropriate

Posture

( ) rigid, tense

( ) slumped, slouch

Comments re appearance:

____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
 105

APPENDIX E

SUMMARY OF REPORT OF GRADE OF HIGHSCHOOL PARTICIPANTS

 106

APPENDIX F

SUMMARY OF REPORT OF GRADE OF COLLEGE

 107

APPENDIX G

Interview Schedule

I. Opening

A. (Establish Rapport) [greetings]. [shake hands] I would like to congratulate you

because you qualify for my study. Again, My name is [researcher/interviewer] the
researcher and a master student of TSU, I remember I already oriented and show the you
contract and consent and also the recording so I hope this is ok. I still remember also that
you already agree previously if you qualify, but again I want to ask you if I interview
you.

B. (Purpose) I would like to ask you some questions about your background, your
education, health, habits, some experiences you have had, and some of your hobbies and
of course computer gaming in order to learn more about you and use this information to
help others like you who love to play computer games but cannot control it.

C. (Motivation) I want to clarify that you are the expert here and not me because you’re
the one experiencing the phenomena. Do not worry, I promise that your identity with be
protected and your experience will be a great help for our future young ones that has a
probability to be addicted to computer gaming.

D. (Time Line) The interview should take about 40 minutes to 2 hours. Is that ok?

Transition:

Let me begin by asking you some questions about where you live and your family
 108

II. Body (Topic)

a. General demographic information and related life experiences.
b. Family background and related life experiences.
c. Educational background and related life experiences.
d. Academic background and related life experiences.
e. Peer relationship and related life experiences.
f. Other related life experiences
g. Transition: Ask about Favorite computer games
h. Reasons for Computer Gaming
i. How it affect you in terms of (_____________)
j. What do you think the effect of computer gaming
k. Other related life experiences.

Transition: Well, it has been a great pleasure understanding your life experiences
(karanasan). Let me briefly summarize the information that I have recorded during our
interview.)

III Closing
A. (Summarize).

B. (Maintain Rapport) I appreciate the time you took for this interview. Do you have any
question that you want to ask? Is there anything else you think that can help for me to
further understand the study or a person you could recommend to participate in the study?

D. (Action to be taken) I should have all the information I need. Would it be alright to
call you at home if I have any more questions? Thanks again. I look forward on
listening and transcribing our conversation in this interview. If you have question or
inquiry don’t hesitate to text me. Ok.
 109

APPENDIX H

SUMMARY OF STRUCTURED COUNSELING INTERVENTION PROGRAM

Phases Session/Meeting Topics

Program Presentation

Analysis of Computer Gaming’s Positive Aspects

Initial Phase Session 3 to 5
Everything has a consequence or price

Do I like or need to play computer games?

What the experience of needing is like (problem) +

Guardian Angel

Analysis of the most played games and the

Intermediate Session 4 to 7
participative sensations experience (process)
Phase
Life line technique (pattern)

Deepening into deficient aspects and working with

emerging topics

Alternative Actions (Coping) (Process)

Preparation for Termination (Reality Ride – Why try

Final Phase Session 2 - 4
life?)

Termination and application of inventories