Effect of Playing Computer Games among Pupils Essay

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Today computer games have become a popular source of entertainment especially to the younger generation. Computer games are even now having their own worldwide professional gaming league. This has proved that nowadays the society worldwide has accepted computer games seriously. The popularity of computer games has also inspired numerous researches being conducted to study its elements and the various effects of playing computer games. The term computer game is in sharp competition with video games, console games, and arcade games. Video games and console games usually mean games connected to a TV, whereas arcade games means games placed in public spaces. Computer games on the other hand, are occasionally used to mean games played on a personal computer (PC). However, since all of these areas have been developed in close parallel and because all of these games are played on computers, most researchers use the term computer game to represent all of these areas as a whole. Computer games first came into existence in the 1960s with the introduction of a shoot-up game called Spacewar!. Since then,  computer games have become a regular part of life for many people due to its increased popularity. The computer game has changed from being primarily played at an arcade to be primarily played in the home. According to Carr et al. (2006), the computer game is one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving media of our time. Evidence can be seen from the Internet where online games are one of the fastest growing areas. Computer games are also no longer just for kids. Today, the majority of players are adults who are attracted to the increasingly sophisticated and complexities of the games. Whether the players are kids, or teenagers, or mature adults, whether they are casual garners or hardcore garners, researchers admit that computer games can be addictive. However, there are also claims that playing these computer games contribute to thinking. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This study determines to know the Effects of Playing Computer Games among Grade IV Pupils in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School on their Academic Performance. Specially, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. What are the respondents profile in terms of: 1.1 Age 1.2 Gender 1.3 Religion 1.4 Grade / Year Level 1.5 Academic Performance 2. What are the effects of playing computer games among respondents on their academic performance? 3. What implication may be drawn from the findings of the study? OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The main objective of the study is to determine the Effects of Playing Computer Games among Grade IV Pupils in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School on their Academic Performance. This study intended to: 1. study the effects of playing computer games among Grade IV Pupils in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School on their Academic Performance; 2. discover what are the games that the respondents loved to play; and 3. analyze data  collected from the questionnaire using statistical method to devise conclusions. SCOPE AND LIMITATION This study focuses on the Effects of Playing Computer Games among Grade IV Pupils in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School on their Academic Performance. This study limits to the structured survey questionnaires to obtain the respondent’s profile distribution in terms of their age, gender, religion, grade / year level, and academic performance, the effect of computer games on the academic performance of respondents, and the implication maybe drawn from the findings of the study. The study concerns only to Grade – IV Pupils who are officially enrolled in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study will serve as a guide for those who are concern with the academic performance of their children. Computer Games become popular because of an unusual ability or quality. It is undeniable that these games reached at home, schools and especially in businesses of many people not only in the Philippines but around the world. In Malaysia, computer games has had a deep act of going through among university students because of being part of the campus community, the students have better access to computers either on or off campus. These study findings can become a source of reference to stakeholders in elementary and the pupils about computer games. Through this study, the researcher will be able to collect data and obtain information that contributes to the understanding of how computer games affect the academic performance of respondents. When the effects are made clear, elementary teachers will be able to devise a more effective teaching and learning approach. Questions on whether computer games among pupils must be encouraged or should lectures/tutorials incorporate computer games to make learning more fun can then be answered. THEORITICAL CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK In this study, several theories have been forwarded and considered to give credibility to the study. Children who play video games for up to an hour a day are happier, more sociable and less hyperactive than those who don’t play at all, research has found. Despite widespread fears that video game usage is harmful, an Oxford University study of boys and girls aged between 10 and 15 found that playing for up to sixty minutes a day could actually be beneficial. â€Å"Young people who indulged in a little video game-playing were associated with being better adjusted than those who had never played or those who were on video games for three hours or more,† it concluded. â€Å"Those who played video games for less than an hour†¦ were associated with the highest levels of sociability and were most likely to say they were satisfied with their lives. They also appeared to have fewer friendship and emotional problems, and reported less hyperactivity than the other groups.† ( Gosden, Emily 2014) Computer games are defined as interactive entertainment software played on various platforms such as personal computers, game consoles and handheld devices (Teh, Ismail, & Toh, 2007). As defined by (Dempsey, Lucassen, Haynes, & Casey, 1997), â€Å"A game is a set of activities involving one or more players which has goals, constraints and consequences. A game is rule-guided and artificial in some respect. A game also involves some aspects of a contest or a trial of skill or ability, even if the contest is with oneself’. There are four common factors that lie in games which are representation, interaction, conflict and safety. When a computer is used to present the game and to act as an opponent or as a referee, then it is a computer game (Crawford, 1984). Computer games have some advantages that make them more popular than traditional games. First, they attract people by creating the illusion of being immersed in an imaginative virtual world with computer graphics and sound (Amory, Naicker, Vincent, & Adam, 1999). Second, the goals of computer games are typically more interactive than that of traditional games, which brings players a stronger desire to win the game. Third, computer games usually designed with an optimal level of information complexity, can easily provoke players’ curiosity. Consequently, computer games intrinsically motivate players by bringing them more fantasy, challenge, and curiosity, which are the three main elements contributing the fun in games (Malone, 1981). CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Figure 1 presented the Schematic Diagram. The variables considered are the  respondents’ age, gender, religion, grade / year level and academic performance. Spending more times playing computer games may affect the academic performance of pupils. Investigation on the academic performance of respondents would lead to making implications and recommendations on the effects of playing computer. Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Conceptual Framework of the Study