UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST - MANILA

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

The Effects of Online Games in a Student’s Social and Mental Well-being

during the COVID-19 Pandemic

A Research Study Submitted to the Senior High School Department

College of Education
University of the East
Manila

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements in

HRE 124 Practical Research I

By:

Eva, Kyle Francis E.

Parungao, Jhay N S.
Toledo, Alizia Nicole D.
Trinidad, John Michael T.
Abaga, Joshua G.
Lim, Khannary

May 2022

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 CHAPTER I

ABSTRACT

The rise of covid-19 has struck implications towards the individuals' state through the
process of distancing or staying at home as a precaution of safety. This research focuses on
three key pretexts: how video games affect the students' mental health and social well-being,
as well as the various perspectives of students who play video games. The primary objective
of this research is to provide insights on the student’s mental and social well-being amidst the
pandemic. We also want to implore this knowledge to specific individuals such as students,
educators, researchers, future researchers and especially parents. As it will bring them an
overview and awareness towards the current state of the individuals as mentioned.

In this field of study, a qualitative phenomenological research design is employed to

examine students' lived experiences while playing video games during the pandemic. For the
sampling technique, a purposive sampling is utilized on this paper to obtain the necessary
data, wherein the researchers selectively gathered 4 participants of Grade 11 ICT Students in
the University of the East and made use of the interview method to seek the answers for the
questions found on the research paper.

The researchers determined the effects of online video games on the respondent's
mental health and the gaming environment each respondent has, which determines how they
balance their time playing online games and interacting outside the virtual world, as well as
the factors that contribute to addiction in the case of exceeding the healthy amount of gaming
time and its negative effects on the respondents.

INTRODUCTION

The current global pandemic has extracted a heavy toll on every individual’s mental
health and social well-being in relation to prolonged quarantine and restrictions brought by
community guidelines. As a result, the majority of our daily activities and social interaction

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are spent in a virtual environment where individuals can both feel a sense of belonging as
well as a form of entertainment to kill time and boredom while being isolated from the
outside world. Thus, these people resorted to playing online games as compensation for their
deteriorating mental health and loneliness. Furthermore, the said video games act as a form of
escapism which in definition is the immersion of one’s self to a different reality to distract
their brain from unpleasant aspects of life. With that being said, our research aims to show
how online video games affect a students’ mental health and social connectedness in this time
of pandemic.

BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE

After the events of the global pandemic, video games have grown in popularity and
become prevalent among individuals as a coping mechanism for dealing with the pandemic's
adverse effects. Because of the satisfaction and unique exhilarating experience that online
video games bring to its players, as well as the virtual environment that they create, online
video games are becoming wildly influential. We cannot deny the fact that playing video
games is the go-to activity of students when they are stuck at home during their leisure time
in quarantine as their main form of communication with other people and as well as a form of
entertainment. Owing to the fact that video games are almost accessible to everyone with a
stable internet connection. One factor that we highlighted in this research is the impact of
video games on a student’s social well-being in which we will discuss the negative and
positive effects of the element in our study.

According to Zaitsoff (2020), video games are an appropriate method of distancing

oneself from another while still maintaining a social connection. He further stresses that
video games yield positive mental health effects, one of which people who engaged in such
virtual activity reported to have an increase in social connectedness with people they find
online who share a common interest. However, this is not far from the truth that video games
also have negative social consequences if individuals exceed the time spent that is considered
by experts to be healthy which in time can result in social deprivation. As an example, people
who grow overly hooked to video games may disregard their personal connections with their

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family, partner, or friends as they become more engrossed in the virtual world rather than the
actual one.

This may be hazardous if gaming takes precedence over everything else in life, such
as making social decisions or evading key responsibilities. People who are fully immersed
with gaming also fail to engage in real-world interactions, where a typical conversation that
discusses topics unrelated to gaming can cause them to feel frustrated or left out as a result of
the time they dedicate to such activity. Obsession in playing video games can also result in
long-term consequences such as the inability to develop effective social skills leading to
discomfort in social situations and establishing or maintaining healthy relationships due to
isolationism inside the world of video games (Video Game Addiction, 2021).

In relation to this, our study also highlighted the factor of mental health since we
believed that playing video games also has repercussions on an individual’s mental
well-being that can be both beneficial or harmful. According to Brennan (2021), video games
may have numerous misconceptions about their impact on mental health, the truth still
prevails that it has several benefits to an individual's mental capabilities such as
problem-solving and decision making skills and also stimulates their mind by relieving stress
from internal or external factors. The author further stated that video games act as a form of
mental stimulation in which every part of the brain functions at a certain level while being
immersed in gaming and simultaneously encourages strategizing and analyzing depending on
the complexity of the game which in return improve critical thinking skills.

Moreover, playing video games develops a sense of accomplishment since most game’s
design have these goals or objectives which are required to be achieved and once such a task
is completed will bring a lot of satisfaction and overall improve well-being. This is further
amplified if the game in exchange gives trophies or badges for certain goals which motivates
the player something to work toward. It has also been demonstrated that video games may be
used as a mental health recovery system, enabling individuals to escape suffering brought by
psychological trauma, as well as withdraw from certain mental disorders including anxiety,
depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. To some extent, video games are also
connected to the development of emotional resilience. Video games are purposely designed
as a trial and error system in which players reach a particular degree of difficulty or challenge
that may appear impossible to complete but motivates them to keep trying. This teaches

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people a vital life lesson in which failing is not a reason to give up. Instead, we must continue
trying, which is essential for students to learn as they become older.

However, contradictory to this is the negative adverse effects that video games can
inflict on an individual’s mental health. This may include short or long effects varying from
the symptoms inherited from different gaming disorders, one of which is characterized by
impaired control over gaming and addiction. According to Raymer Jr (2021), an increase in
dopamine levels due to excessive use of video games is the most important factor that can
lead to gaming addiction as this is where alarming concerns originate such as maladaptive
behaviors and deleterious coping mechanisms. This also motivates players to spend long
hours playing, ultimately leading to poor sleep habits, unhealthy diets, and isolation from the
real world. It was also mentioned in the reference article some of the possible symptoms of
gaming addiction such as psychosocial problems, loss of interest to do other activities,
procrastination, preoccupation with internet games, the inability to stop gaming, and losing of
a significant relationship with others, as well as the degrading of academic and career
performance.

Given the background of our research, we want to conduct a study on the said matter
because we believe that the effects of playing video games on mental health and social
well-being should not be taken lightly. In fact, It should be considered a societal issue since
the majority of people have access to different kinds of online games which give various
effects that can be beneficial or harmful. With that said, this research aims to dive deeper into
these issues as well as provide concrete solutions on how students can create a healthy
gaming environment for themselves and adhere to the proper behaviors when playing such
games to promote a balanced and nourishing virtual world for students where one can still
cope with the real world and not become fully attached or addicted in video games.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The study of this research focuses on three main pretexts on how video games affect
students’ mental health and social well-being and the different insights of the students who

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 play video games. Since most of the students play video games to connect with their virtual
friends or other people and make themselves entertained during this pandemic. It is best that
we as researchers determine the negative and positive consequences of their attachment
towards gaming. Specifically, over the course of this research, this study aims to address the
following issues:

1. What is the impact of video games on a student’s mental health?

2. How do video games affect a student’s social life?
3. Is the gaming environment of the student beneficial or harmful to them?

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The primary objective of this study is to provide insights into the effects of videogames on
students’ mental health and social well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research
also attempts to develop a framework which can be used as a guide to create a healthy
gaming environment for students in order to maintain a balanced connection between reality
and the virtual world. The researchers also intend to enlighten its audience with the factors
that affect their mental health regarding the time they spend playing video games. The
findings of the study is deemed beneficial to the following areas:

Students

This study will help students learn how playing video games can affect their daily lives
in the midst of the pandemic through this research. Over time, they will notice changes in
their gaming habits before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, indicating a sharp change
toward rising play frequency. This also demonstrates the importance of games in their
well-being. How video games help them cope with the lockdown and their alternative
communication methods. Furthermore, the analysis presented in this study will explain the
effects of videogames on students and their role in the COVID-19 outbreak. It will delve
deeper into the students' social and mental health.

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Educators

Being aware of the factors affecting behavior and negative impact on a student’s mental
and social state, may prompt teachers or professors to provide adequate information and
spread awareness related to the subject matter through different teaching platforms.

Researchers

The researchers, along with other proponents, will gain knowledge on how online video
games affect a student’s mental health and social well-being. The study will also assist the
researchers in creating concrete solutions to address the topic’s problem as well as gain an
insight that playing video games is acceptable to a certain degree.

Future Researchers

The results of this study could serve as a guide and references for future researchers
who are interested in conducting further research on the same topic.

Parents

This study will be most beneficial to parents since they play a major role in monitoring
their children’s behavior in playing online games. Having the necessary knowledge about the
effects of video games on an individual’s mental health and social well-being can help
parents provide safety measures and strict guidelines to prevent their children from suffering
from mental illnesses regarding overplaying online games.

SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS

This research will mainly focus on the effects of online video games and its
contributions to the social well-being and mental health of the students as well as the role of
video games to students in the pandemic state. This study also yearns to identify the issues

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regarding the subject matter and even provide tangible solutions for students to adhere to
create a healthy gaming environment.

It should be noted that this research will tackle online video games in general,
meaning that every video game that promotes socialization and improves the mental health of
a person is highly acceptable. The participants of the said study will focus as well on Grade
11 Students of the ICT strand for the sole reason that ICT students are generally considered
more techie as compared to other strands, though this does not imply that students from
excluded strands besides ICT are not computer enthusiasts, we specifically selected ICT
students for a number of reasons.

(1) ICT students have more, if not, an edge in technology as they are more exposed to
that nature as part of their specialized strand; (2) it is more convenient for us the researchers
to collect data from ICT students as we can better understand and relate to their strand; and
(3) since ICT students spend most of their academic learning time studying the concepts of
technology, it is likely that they too spend much of their leisure time playing online video
games as compared to students from other strands. Furthermore, the selected respondents of
this research may vary as long as they give a clear and detailed answer based on personal
experiences regarding the questions that we will provide to them about how gaming affects
them on the social and mental level. We will not cover audiences outside of our proposed
scope.

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Much research has been carried out to determine what aspects influence a student's
social and mental well-being while they play video games. Although there is a vast range of
similar hypotheses in the literature. This review will discuss the students' understanding of
the topics that appear throughout the literature review. These concepts are: What is the impact

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of online video games in a student’s mental health? What tangible steps can be taken to
establish a healthy gaming environment? And how do video games affect students’ social
lives? Although the literature presents these concepts in a variety of contexts, the positive and
negative effects of video games on the social and mental well-being of students as well as the
type of gaming environment each student have and the possible solutions to address related
issues will be the primary focus of this paper which will be discussed in the following
subsections. However, the content of this paper will only disclose the concepts presented and
will not tackle any topics outside of it such as the inclusion of external factors that affect a
gaming environment as this study focuses mainly on internal factors such as the time
consumed by each student playing video games and their behavior towards it that can be
considered unhealthy. But due to the lack of data gathered, our paper would only present an
overview of these internal factors without going too much into detail and we will attempt to
expound on it as much as possible without aiming to solve the research question on the
tangible steps or strategies that can be taken to establish a healthy gaming environment but
rather provide a hypothesis which can be further investigated. Lastly, this literature review
will also include a theoretical framework on Maslow hierarchy of needs theory as well as
Fredrickson’s Broaden-and-Build theory and a conceptual framework on DPSEEA (Driving
Force - Pressure - State - Exposure - Effect - Action).

The Benefits of Playing Video Games in Mental Health

Gaming has been present over the decades and it has gained a lot of popularity but there
are still misconceptions that are formed with the idea of video games and how they affect our
mental health. However researchers and doctors state that playing video games has a
beneficial effect on our mental health.

According to Brennan (2021), playing video games provides us with mental

stimulation which enables us to fully function our brain when playing. Video games provide a
great satisfaction that makes us feel a sense of accomplishment and a way for individuals to
recover mental health issues by distracting themselves to games to ease the pain. It also
teaches us to be emotionally resilient which leads to coping with defeat and rising back up
again and a means of social interaction.

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Healthy Gaming Environment

Having a healthy gaming environment must ensure that the individuals involved in
playing games have the knowledge about the forthcoming issues that playing video games
bring. Examples like sharing personal data about ourselves and talking to strangers in game
(eSafety, n.d). Especially in online games where we interact with other people real-time in the
game itself, we must be aware and think critically on what actions we partake in games.

Taking breaks is also an important practice to achieving healthy gaming (Esports

Healthcare, n.d). According to Nguyen (2022), taking breaks is an essential part in gaming
thus it gives us “a mental reset”. Playing too much games also takes a toll on our body, it can
cause fatigue and overloads our brain if we do not rest.

The parents' involvement to the individuals playing the games can also be a factor to
having a healthy gaming environment (Digital Citizenship, n.d). They provide guidance and
relay the individual knowledge on the issue about gaming and what gaming habits should be
tolerated. They set limitations to what the individuals should play relating to the
appropriateness of the individuals age as well as the limitation on how much period of time
can the individual play (Raisingchildren, 2020).

Factors that affect the Social Well-Being through Video Games

Video gaming shows that it can improve concentration, multitasking, and working
memory, but it is not all about positive effects, it may also have negative consequences when
used excessively. Excessive video gamers are in danger of having worse scholastic and job
performance, issues with peers, and lower social skills if they spend most of their day gaming
(Mihara and Higuchi, 2017). On the other hand, video games use is common, and it can have
both antecedents and repercussions.

However, little is known regarding the links between various video gaming practices
and psychological functioning. Using a sample from a population, this study tries to shed
light on these essential relationships. Furthemore, potential consequences of video games use
have also been identified, including a lack of real-life friends (Kowert et al., 2014), stress and
maladaptive coping lower psychosocial well-being and loneliness (Lemmens et al., 2011),

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psychosomatic problems (Muller et al., 2015; et al., 2018), and decreased academic
achievements.

Potentially harmful video gaming has been linked to a variety of motives for playing,
including coping and escape (Hussain and Griffiths, 2009; Schneider et al., 2018), sociability
(Laconi et al., 2017), and personal fulfillment. Coping, social contact, and competitiveness
were among the primary motivations for gaming among males but not among females. Age
differences yielded mixed results (Greenberg et al., 2010), but younger gamers, in particular,
appeared to be motivated by social connections (Hilgard et al., 2013). However, playing
video games is connected to their psychological functioning.

The Positive and Negative Effects that Escapism brings to the Role of Video Games to
Students

With the emergence of COVID-19 virus, we have faced many new challenges and
experiences in our life. The concept of lockdown and quarantine was presented to us in the
time of the virus. And with the new mode of learning that was implemented to the education
system, currently we students are facing online and modular classes. This kind of learning
was a big change for us, it proposed some positive effects as well as negative effects on the
students in which we had to adjust, until now we are adjusting. With the accessibility of
students to gadgets, we resulted in playing games as a way of coping through the challenges
we face such as anxiety, depression and loneliness. It can be seen that the role of video games
is a way of escapism in which we escape from our life problems, stress and life suffering.

We will attempt to identify the outcomes of using video games as a means of escapism,
and what outcome weighs each other on the issue presented. Hussain & Griffiths (2009),
states that “escapism motive as an individual’s immersion in the video gaming phenomenon”
and they also state that the reason of individuals to immersion can be a way of the individual
to ease the pain from real-life problems, which can lead to psychological and behavioral end
result.

In the study which presents that escapism proposes negative and positive outcomes.
Hussain & Griffiths (2009), states that the use of escapism as a means to momentarily
suppress emotions which can be related to their real-life problems; it can affect how they

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experience positive experiences and emotional outcome, which can lead to negative effects. If
the individual is using video games as a way of escapism to escape from their life griefs,
sufferings, and myopic moods; These methods of coping can lead the individual to negative
outcomes such as gaming addiction (Hussain & Griffiths, 2009). They also included that the
immersion of video games can lead to issues like gaming disorders and addiction, But later
counter argued in the study that gaming disorder and addiction should be differentiated to
each other.

However Hussain & Griffiths (2009) also stated that the consumption of video games can
also be a means to create quality time and bond to family and friends. It can lead to positive
outcomes such as relaxation and well-being (Hussain & Griffiths, 2009).

Concrete Solutions to Create a Healthy Gaming Environment

According to an article published by Geneva (2020), upon the initial rise of COVID-19
pandemic and the issuance of safety measures around the world, UNICEF established a few
recommendations to be addressed to the online gaming industry on its impact on children in
accordance with the sudden rampage on online gaming activity among children as it becomes
the central form of leisure and entertainment. The said publication was designed to guide
online gaming companies to promote a healthy gaming environment for children through the
means of their retailed video games. Further, UNICEF encourages these gaming companies
to shape a virtual platform in ways that respect children’s rights. This collaborative effort of
both UNICEF along with extensive inputs from gaming industries was published in a
UNICEF Discussion Paper on Online Gaming and Child Rights in 2019 proved effective in
highlighting some issues revolving around a poor gaming enviroment which include toxic
platforms, explicit contents, sexual abuse, and age limits and verification to name a few,
which in return initiates proposals that aim to embed child rights to create a healthy gaming
environment that will provide a safe virtual platform as well as the best experience for all
children in online gaming.

On a more specific level, there are possible steps that parents can take to ensure that
their children create a healthy gaming environment for themselves and reduce the risks of
poor and unhealthy gaming behavior and other negative consequences. The article suggested
the main idea of parental involvement to maintain a proper gaming etiquette and monitor the

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child’s online gaming activity. It was stated that parents should analyze every game their
child is playing and perform an investigation to see if it is deemed suitable for their child to
play. Using the Entertainment Software Rating Board’s (ESRB) rating system, parents must
observe three core components from different rating categories such as age-appropriateness,
content descriptors that may evoke a negative rating, and interactive online features such as
the ability to make in-game purchases and socialize with other people. ESRB rating is a tool
that determines the quality and rating summary of a game based on a scrutinized analysis by
gamers. Besides that, parents should also conduct research on the game itself their child is
playing to be familiarized with its environment as well as user interface. Parents can also
oversee each of the gadgets possessed by their children for safety and security purposes
(Alipio, 2018).

Being more exposed to such activity, children or students often become puppets of
video games and slave to their gadgets if not properly educated on ways to create a healthy
gaming environment. This eventually leads to a catastrophic chain of detrimental
consequences which can result in the worsening of one’s health. According to the statement
of Mayo Clinic (2021), excessive playing of video games can lead a person to a constant state
of hyperarousal in which the brain is amped up to a degree in which processing of
information, controlling of behavior, and emotion management becomes difficult. Its chronic
version on the other hand, develops far more dangerous health disorders such as the
degrading of the immune system’s functionality and a persistent apprehensive behavior while
affecting both diet or nutritional intake.

Given that fact, there are numerous ways students can cope with such. But since the
urge to play online video games is inevitable, a concrete way to eliminate this addiction is to
be accurate in the steps being provided in order to spend an equal amount of time in the
virtual and real world. Although the misconception on video games is a waste of time, we
cannot deny the fact of their absolute impact on an individual’s social and mental well-being.
With that said, a proper timetable is required to reduce gaming consumption and to keep track
of real time. Playing video games makes a person lose the sense of time due to the immersion
of their mind in the game. And systematic time management is a must in these certain
scenarios. According to Lanca (2017), a productivity tool can be employed to deal with such
cases. One being the Pomodoro Technique which is a simple and effective tool that lets the
user set a specific time to focus on a certain task while being productive. Reducing the

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amount of game time can also be effective by setting a certain enjoyable time limit without
over playing too much. Incorporating video games in real life can also be effective as this
serves as a tool to further motivate a person to perform daily activity besides gaming such as
exercising or participating in local esports tournaments that facilitates socialization have been
proven to be effective strategies to balance a lifestyle (Nordqvist, 2020).

Theoretical Framework

Broaden-and-Build Theory

Broaden-and-Build Theory is a theory developed by Barbara Fredrickson around 1998.

The Broaden-and-Build theory argues that positive emotions or experiences can broaden the
awareness and response of an individual to certain events as well as develop resilience and
coping skills, enabling them to obtain a wide array of possible cognitions and behaviors in
response to emotional stimuli and generate more positivity in their body. While the thoughts
of negative emotions or experiences, on the other hand, narrow these thought-action
repertoires. For this study, we relate the broaden-and-build theory to the mental variable
which denotes the effects of video games on the mental well-being of students, and included
as well the positive and negative effects of online video games. This theory that we chose for
our theoretical framework best suits our study since it mainly focuses on psychology which
governs the study of the mind and behavior. Also, it should be noted that the inclusion of
other variables in our study such as the social well-being and gaming environment will be
discussed on a different theory and framework.

To provide a brief reference, Lim Yon Quan, along with Cheong Hui Qi, and Saw Shi
Qu (2015) from the University Tunku Abdul Rahman employed the same theory to determine
the positive experiences and emotions that players benefit from playing video games that
would likely lead to a flourishing life and much exposure could also optimally drives
individuals to a state of well-being. From the broaden-and-build theory, through which
positive experiences or emotions can help individuals sustain a better life via thought-action
repertoires and the list Fredrickson made in relation to the theory which suggest that positive
experiences (1) broadens people broaden people's cognitive capabilities; (2) assist the

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recovery of one from persistent negative experiences; (3) promote one's resiliency to
psychological wounds; (4) facilitate one's flourishing (optimal human functioning); and (5)
build and accumulate psychological regulation resources for the future, this paper works on
how online video games can be pivotal in improving the mental state of students and will also
focus on the positive and negative experiences or emotions that students obtained when
immersed on online video games as well as its mental benefits.

In our research, we associated this theory with the research question, “what is the
impact of video games on a student’s mental health?” to further explain how this theory can
be related to such. As stated by Fredrickson, broaden-and-build theory emphasizes on the
positive psychology which explores various functions of pleasant emotions in response to
events that facilitate such, like students to online gaming and provide a blueprint for how
these pleasant emotional states contribute to well-being. To expound on this, positive emotion
is key in creating a broad and flexible cognitive organization for individuals as well as
increase their ability to assimilate a wide range of information, while simultaneously
broadening their thought-action repertoires that leads to better personal resources which
reflects a person's self-efficacy, hope, resilience, and optimistic qualities. Playing online
video games develops all of these resources on an individual by exposing the mind to the
thrill experience and interactive environment brought by video games, and as mentioned
above, positive experiences equals to positive psychological effects which boost well-being.
The impressiveness of video games lies in its captivating nature which brings positivity to
every person if utilized correctly.

However, Fredrickson also noted in the premise of her theory that the existence of
positive emotions can not be determined if the presence of negative emotions is not
identified, essentially speaking that these two must co-exist so that the purpose of positive
emotions is to build resources to cope with the negative ones. As previously stated in our
paper, playing online video games can have numerous negative repercussions if exceeded the
healthy amount of time gaming. The theory suggested that without these negative impacts,
the individual will have no means to construct positive emotions. Logically speaking, the
factors that contribute to the creation of positive emotions should branch or are intimately
tied from the effects brought by negative emotions. As an example, students used gaming to
cope with stress from school works. The variable stress causes a lot of strain in the mental
state of students, and gaming is their safe haven to escape such pressure.

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Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Abraham Maslow proposed the theory of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which was a
part of his paper in 1943 namely “A Theory of Human Motivation”. Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs Theory introduces the humanistic approach to recognize an individual as a whole. It
consists of five categories that are stated by Lim Yon Quan, along with Cheong Hui Qi, and
Saw Shi Qu (2015), that these are the human needs that satisfy an individual's experience.
These categories are ordered hierarchically: Psychological, Safety, Love, Esteem, and
Self-Actualisation. According to Maslow, an individual must first satisfy the first level of
human needs before advancing to the next level but, later on Maslow clarified that a person's
satisfaction towards a certain need can advance even if it is not fully satisfied. Maslow states
that this must have caused some false impression that to advance to the next level of human
needs, one must fully satisfy himself/herself to the certain level currently experienced by the
individual. These levels of human needs become our noticeable longingness if we do not
satisfy our needs, but it also provides growth to the individual.

The five categories of Human Needs consist of the following. (1) Psychological needs
which are biological requirements in order for us to live; (2) Safety needs which we seek for
security and safety; (3) Love and belongingness need which presents the human emotion in
need for interpersonal relationships, connectedness, and being part in a group; (4) Esteem
needs which comprises of self-worth, accomplishment and respect; (5) Self-actualization
needs refers to an individual's potential,self-fulfillment, pursuing personal growth, and peak
experiences. Since our research focuses on the impacts of video games to a person's mental
and social well-being. We will be limiting the hierarchical human needs into two parts only
which are esteem and belonging. Our group believes that these two human needs are what
best describes what we are looking for in our research and framework, as said earlier our
research focuses on the impacts of video games to a person’s mental and social well-being.
And the two factors we chose have a significant effect on how the individual reacts to these
factors by playing video games.

Since Esteem talks about accomplishment and respect, we can align this to playing
video games. Video games offer difficult challenges which aim individuals to try harder.

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Because of this it provides an accomplishment to the individual after clearing the obstacles in
the game, and with the help of video games it can accomplish a person's self-confidence by
gaining respect from other people via video games. The same manner applies with
belongingness, especially where a type of video game like online games is present. Which
deals with a form of communication while playing in game, it provides a sense of
connectedness to an individual. It brings bond through people in the game wherein the
individuals feel a sense of belongingness. Also with the use of playing video games online it
helps a person gain skills and knowledge as well as social interaction.

Now utilizing Maslow’s theory, our group will be able to determine how these two
factors of human needs affect the answers in our research and what role it plays in our
framework. Especially with the situation of the Covid-19 Pandemic which is present to us.
We tend to use video games as a way of easing our loneliness, pain or distracting ourselves.
And with the factors of esteem and belongingness accounted for, we are able to see how
video games provide connectedness to people via playing and how it brings an individual a
sense of accomplishment through playing video games.

Conceptual Framework

DPSEEA

One of the topics we highlighted in our research is the establishment of a healthy

gaming environment among the students to create a balanced time spent between the virtual
and real world. Since online gaming has been very rampant ever since the rise of the
pandemic, we should educate students how to maintain a healthy connection with the world
despite being immersed in video games. Although this research does not attempt to solve
such issues, we would only provide concrete actions for students to take in order to lessen
gaming addiction and establish balanced gaming time to prevent alarming medical concerns.
Using a conceptual framework, we aim to create these key steps that students can adhere to
and will serve as their guide if they feel that their gaming addiction has been prevalent in
them to the point that it has heavily affected their social relationships as well as academic

17
performance. With that, our research paper will make use of the DPSEEA framework
(Driving Force - Pressure - State - Exposure - Effect - Action).

The DPSEEA framework was developed to aid decision-making on activities to

minimize the burden of illness by explaining environmental health issues from their root
causes through their health impacts and highlighting opportunities for intervention. It is a
hierarchical method that connects quantitative or qualitative indicators to diseases produced
by the environment and illustrates the numerous levels of action that may be undertaken to
mitigate environmental health consequences. For this study, we have related this framework
to the gaming environment variable which denotes the factors that contribute to a healthy way
of playing video games. The environment we refer to does not necessarily talk about an
actual tangible environment instead, it is an environment that determines the state of students
during the time they spend playing video games as well as the time they spend in the real
world. In relation, we chose the DPSEEA conceptual framework since it best suits our study
in accordance with a subtopic included in our research that focuses on creating a healthy
gaming environment.

Since the DPSEEA framework highlights environmental factors that determine the state
of those who are within that environment which includes vital actions to be undertaken if
negative variables were listed in the framework as indicators, we associated this with the
research question, “what tangible steps or strategies can be taken to establish a healthy
gaming environment?” to further explain how this framework can be related to such.
Moreover, the purpose of our conceptual framework, the DPSEEA (Driving Force - Pressure
- State - Exposure - Effect - Action) is to determine what are the root causes of having a poor
gaming environment that leads to critical health conditions and provide a concrete action to
prevent such. The framework comprises six quantitative or qualitative indicators to designate
particular data that corresponds to each method in the hierarchy. The framework describes the
environmental health chain through the following components:

● Driving Force (anthropogenic) - Variables that drive and encourage the

environmental process.
● Pressure (on the environment) - Often reflected through human occupation or
environmental exploitation.

18
 ● State (of the environment) - Status of the environment.
● Exposure (of people, i.e., the interaction between humans and the environment) -
Occur when individuals are exposed to certain environmental factors.
● Effect (in humans) - exposure to an environmental hazard has a negative impact on
one's health.
● Action - Policies or interventions aiming at decreasing or preventing negative health
consequences can be implemented at any point in the framework.

In addition, a brief reference from a study conducted on Victoria, Australia that uses
the same conceptual framework. Edokpolo, Barnett, Irwin, Issa, Curtis, Green, Hardigan, &
Dennekamp (2019) utilized a modified version of the DPSEEA framework which is the
DPEHA (Driving Force–Pressure–Environmental Condition–Health Impact–Action) in order
to better fit their proposed study on developing a conceptual framework for environmental
health tracking in Victoria, Australia (Victorian EHTS). The said use of DPEHA according to
the authors will be an important instrument in assisting with the implementation of Victoria's
environmental health monitoring system by providing timely and scientific information to the
EPA and other decision makers in creating and reviewing policies to safeguard public health
and the environment in Victoria.

Considering the fact that having a proper gaming environment can lead to better health
impact. It is best that students acknowledge this especially during this time when almost
everything has shifted into a virtual setup to ensure that their mental and social well-being is
in an optimal state free from any health issues that can be detrimental. Using our proposed
conceptual framework creates a need for us to investigate all of the factors that contribute to a
poor gaming environment and find out if there is a relationship between each factor on the
hierarchical method of our own DPSEEA and the concrete action plan we can provide on
each factor, hence this research.

19
Fig. 1: Schematic diagram showing the factors that leads to a poor gaming environment and
the necessary actions that can be undertaken to minimize such

20
 CHAPTER III: MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this chapter of the research you would find the research design, context and
participants, instruments, and the data analysis and statistical tools of our study.

RESEARCH DESIGN

A qualitative phenomenological research design is used in this study to describe the lived
experiences of students while playing video games during this time of the pandemic. As a
phenomenological type of research, it aims to determine the lived experiences of students
with the time they spend playing online video games at home and how it affects them both
mentally and socially. This type of research design is best suited for our study since it
encompasses the condition of students and their experiences playing online video games.
Being a qualitative research as well, our study included a method of naturalistic inquiry that
aims to gain a thorough understanding of students’ gaming habit that occurs in their natural
environment in which the gaming takes place. Additionally, we solely depended on these
direct experiences of our participants towards gaming in order to gather data.

CONTEXT AND PARTICIPANTS

The scope of the participants for this study are all Grade 11 students whose ages range
from 16-18, both male and female, and are officially enrolled as Grade 11 students in the
University of the East in the Academic Year 2021-2022. We also limited the number of
participants to (4) individuals to minimize the risk of over complicating the data gathering
process. Moreover, factors that determine the demographic characteristics of the participants
such as marital status, religion, ethnicity, family size, etc. are disregarded for it serves no
purpose in our research since it does not correspond to the idea that videogames are open to
everyone regardless of said demographic characteristics. However, age, gender, and other
relevant details which are to be further discussed that are associated with the subject of our
research are included. In addition, our study only included students that fall under the strand
ICT as stated in our scope and delimitation and excluded those who are outside of the said
strand.

21
 Furthermore, we chose these students for this study because, in general, these students
are considered more tech geek than students from other strands for a variety of reasons,
including having a competitive advantage in technology because they are more exposed to it
as part of their specialized strand. They also spend the majority of their academic learning
time studying technological topics, and it is possible that they spend a significant portion of
their free time playing online video games. For the data gathering, the selected participants
will need to provide information about their experiences in playing online video games at
home and how it can affect their social and mental health in the most specific and factual way
possible in order to achieve desired output. The process of approaching our participants will
be held through the use of messenger where they will be asked if they are interested in
participating in our research. If said participant accepts our invitation, we will provide them
with the google form questionnaire along with the consent form.

SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

In our study, we used purposive sampling as a way to acquire our data. As mentioned
in our paper, the participants that we selected in our study are Grade 11 ICT students whose
age ranges from 16-18; both male and female participants and are officially enrolled as Grade
11 students in the University of the East in the Academic Year 2021-2022. Therefore, we
utilized purposive sampling because we already stated in the previous section of our paper on
what we are looking for at the participants. And we especially selected this type of sampling
technique because we believe that by selectively choosing our participants, we are able to
obtain preferable data. Since the said participants are aligned to our study as well as relatable
to our topic on hand.

INSTRUMENTS

To obtain the appropriate data needed for our study, we made use of google meet that
served as our primary platform to conduct our interview with said participants. Substitute
virtual video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Messenger or any available platforms
were also taken into account in the case of the unavailability of google meet. Going back, the
decision to use google meet was unanimously made due to its simple and friendly interface

22
equipped with convenient and easy to navigate features as well as an access to different types
of virtual tools for us to utilize and be easily distributed to our chosen respondents with a
send of a link. It is also one of the few video conferencing platforms that have no time limit
per meeting and create breakout rooms with relative ease. This allowed us researchers to
effortlessly managed our participants while simultaneously creating a transaction of
knowledge from both interviewers and participants.

Furthermore, the interview session began by separating each participant to a breakout

room with a corresponding interviewer. Each participant is given sufficient time to answer the
questions that are asked to them. This way, each participant can reflect on their answers more
efficiently and openly. In relation to that, the questions that are asked to the participants are
divided into three sections, (1) Warm up questions that served as a way of determining the
mood of the respondent for the interview; (2) a set of questions that determined the
accessibility of the student to a gadget at home, the type of gadget they mostly used when
playing online video games, and the amount of time they spend in doing so; (3) personal
essay comprised of a set of open ended questions for each respondent to reflect on that
determined how video games affect them mentally and socially as well as the gaming
environment they have (e.g. the time spend between the real world and the virtual one).

Lastly, before the start of the interview, the respondents are contacted through messenger
and a consent form is provided to each using google forms to give each respondent the right
or refusal to participate. The form is consisted of a basic encoding of information such as
name (optional), gender, and age along with the consent letter that will assure the utmost
confidentiality to each respondent, immediately giving them feedback upon finishing the
form through email and assurance that their answers will be kept confidential and will
automatically be deleted upon acquiring sufficient data or completion of the study. Upon
filling up the consent form, each respondent that agreed to take part in the study is given a
google meet link for and is redirected to the meeting room along with the rest of the
participants and researchers. The distribution of consent forms and conducting of interviews
are conducted on the same day.

23
 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND FINDINGS

In this chapter of the research you would find the data collection procedure, results and
findings, discussion, conclusion, as well as recommendations.

DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE

Thirty minutes prior to conducting the interview, each participant is given a consent
form via google forms for the right and refusal to participate and the ongoing recording
during the interview process. This is to ensure that there will be recorded data showing that
they are willing to take part in our study. Afterward, a google meet link is sent to each
participant along with the interviewers. The session of our interview began with a brief
introduction to our research topic as well as a statement on the purpose of the interview in
order to enlighten the participants on why they were specifically chosen to be the subjects of
our data collection. Secondly, a warm-up kamustahan is conducted to engage the participants
and soften up their moods and prepare them for the interview. We then provided each
participant with a corresponding interviewer and separated them into a breakout room. As
soon as everything is set, we then proceed to the main interview stage.

While conducting the interview, each respondent is given (9) open-ended questions
that are strictly based on the research to avoid gathering unrelated information. This is also to
give freedom to each participant on their responses without having predetermined or biased
answers and is solely based on their experiences in online gaming. The interview session
lasted around an estimation of 10-20 minutes. After the interview, each participant is thanked
for their time in assisting us in the success of our research. The recorded responses are then
collected in a google drive folder and are thoroughly analyzed to immerse each researcher in
the answers of the respondents. Notes were also taken up to construct meaning and
interpretation without altering the original responses. After completing the review of the
responses, the data gathered will then be transcribed by the researchers.

24
RESULTS

The researchers come up with the research topic that has a purpose to find the answers
that can conclude the research questions underlying in this study. The first thing that the
researchers want to determine is the effect of online video games on the respondents mental
health. Second is how it boosts their social connectedness during the pandemic through the
online game they play the most and how it helps them be more open in interaction with others
in the real world. And lastly, the gaming environment each respondent has that determines
how they balance their time playing online games and interacting outside the virtual world
and the factors that contribute to addiction in the case of exceeding the healthy amount of
gaming time and its detrimental effects on the respondents. With that said, below are the
questions that we researchers used during the interview session and the transcribed responses
of each participant.

1. In a day, how many hours do you consume playing online video games? How about on the
weekends?

2. What motivates you to play online games during the covid-19 pandemic?

3. Do you think it had any effect on your mental health? If so, in what way?

4. What online game do you play the most?

5. How did it help you connect with your friends better and develop a sense of connectedness
during the covid-19 pandemic?

6. Can you tell an experience that online video games improve your social skills or boost
your confidence when interacting with others in the real world?

7. How do you balance your time when playing video games and creating a healthy
interaction with the real world?

8. What are the factors that make you addicted to online video games?

9. Tell me, what are the negative or detrimental effects of online video games on you?

25
 Interview Transcript

Question 1

R1: Minsan mga 1 hour lang dahil sa schoolworks, pero pag weekends mga 2-3 hours ako
naglalaro.

Translation: Usually, I play everyday for about 1 hour because of schoolworks, but during
the weekends I play for more than 2-3 hours.

R2: Gaming but before I used to consume like umm 5-6 hours but ah yeh currently I am only
consuming 2-3 hours of gaming since I solely focus now on my socials rather than playing
games. It’s just the same, just the same since sabi ko nga uhh I already like what I’ve said I
solely focus on my socials these past few months (same as weekends)

R3: Sa ngayon, nasa 1-2 hours nalang and same lang din on weekends kasi mas lumalabas na
ako kaysa dati.

Translation: For now, I play between 1-2 hours and same on the weekends because I now
often go outside more than before.

R4: Uhmm depende po talaga kung wala po ginagawa pero kung meron po mga assignments
ganun po baka po mga ano 3-4 na oras.

Translation: Uhmm, it depends if there is not that much to do but if there are assignments, I
probably play for at least 3-4 hours.

Question 2

R1: Siguro yung pagiging bored sa online classes tas yung nag momotivated sa akin yung
alam ko na kalaro ko yung mga kaibigan ko.

Translation: Probably being bored in online classes is what motivates me to play and I also
know the fact that I can get to bond with my friends.

26
R2: What motivates me is not the fun what motivates me is that I could reconnect with old
friends during the pandemic since you know was very strict, know those rules are strict no
gatherings no going out without facemasks, so what I’ve enjoyed what motivate me to play
more online game is basically to reconnect to have a little reunion inside a video game.

R3: Yung mga friends ko, kasi before diba hindi tayo pwede makipag-meet, so through online
games nakakapag usap-usap kami don and ayun yung nagmomotivate sa akin maglaro.

Translation: My friends, since before we cannot physically meet, so only through online
games we can get to interact with one another and that’s what motivates me to play.

R4: Uhmm, yung nagmomotivated po sa akin kasi po yung pag tapos mo po mag-aral or
gumawa ng mga assignments gusto mo na lang po magpahinga kasi po yung, at ayun na din
po yung pagpahinga ko po yung paglalaro po.

Translation: Uhmm, what motivates me is the fact that after finishing all school works and
assignments you can get to rest and play online games and it is also my way of taking a
break.

Question 3

R1: Uhh, I think meron kasi, diba kapag naglalaro tayo, ehh, ako, especially ako, competitive
ako parang gusto ko manalo, so siguro yung, pagnatatalo ako, na-iistress ako ng unti, di
naman parang sobrang nakakaepekto. Pero ayun parang nakakaramdam lang ako ng kaunting
stress. R1: Parang ano, maganda sa pakiramdam, parang uhh ok ako kasi nanalo ako sa isang
game.

Translation: Uhh, I think there is because everytime we play video games, especially me I’m
very competitive and I always want to win, so maybe when I lose a game, I get stressed a
little bit but not to the point that it becomes prevalent. But it's like I'm just feeling a little
stressed.

It’s like, it feels good, like I’m ok because I win in a game.

R2: Uhh I don’t think so, since I was born in a place where computers, consoles, cell phones
so yeah. I have what do you call this ahh yeah it doesn't affect yeah it doesn't affect it. It

27
doesn’t affect my mental health since I was born in a very techy technological environment,
so ummm video games give me satisfaction rather than stress plus it actually makes me a
great strategist since I play games that, I’ve played games that are solely focus on having
strategy to win rather than you know, rather than just playing you need to have strategy and
skills to win.

R3: So before kasi diba uhmm maraming lack sa social interaction, so ayun naging pamalit
ko which is yung, laking nga tulong kasi nakakaiwas ako sa pagiging stress.

Translation: So before there is a lack of social interaction, online games become my

replacement for that and it has become a big help for me since I can avoid being stressed.

R4: Ano po uhh, marami po yung effect po nito sa akin kasi po nawawala po stress ko sa
paglalaro maliban lang po pag yung puro talo pero ginaganahan pa din po ako mag-aral dahil
alam ko po pag tapos po ng ano pag-aaral nyo po ay mga paglalaro na po.

Translation: Uhh, it has many effects on me since I can be relieved of my stress when I play
except when I lose on a streak but it still motivates me to study since I know that after
schoolworks I can get to play again.

Respondent 1
Respondent 2
Respondent 3
Respondent 4

Table 1: Themes identified on the impact of video games on a student’s mental health.

SOP # 1 Participant’s words Initial Code Subthemes Master

Themes

Usually, I play
everyday for about 1
hour because of
schoolworks, but
during the weekends I Time

28
 play for more than 2-3 Management
hours.

Gaming but before I

used to consume like
umm 5-6 hours but ah
yeh currently I am only
consuming 2-3 hours Focus Importance
Question of gaming since I
#1 solely focus now on
my socials rather than
playing games

Uhmm, it depends if
there is not that much
to do but if there are
assignments, I Depends on the
probably play for at priorities
least 3-4 hours.

For now, I play

between 1-2 hours and
same on the weekends Extroverted Outgoing
because I now often go
outside more than
before.

29
 What motivates me to
play more online
games is basically to Friendly
reconnect to have a Reunion
little reunion inside a
video game.

My friends, since Companionship

before we cannot
physically meet, so
only through online Virtual
games we can get to Interaction
interact with one
another and that’s what
motivates me to play.

Question Probably being bored Improves

#2 in online classes is overall mental
what motivates me to health
play and I also know
the fact that I can get Boredom
to bond with my
friends. Relieves from
physical and
mental
exhaustion

Uhmm, what motivates

me is the fact that after
finishing all school
works and assignments Rest
you can get to rest and
play online games

30
 I’m very competitive
and I always want to
win, so maybe when I
lose a game, I get
stressed a little bit but
not to the point that it Boost well
becomes prevalent; It’s being
Question like, it feels good, like
#3 I’m ok because I win
in a game.

so ummm video games Increases

give me satisfaction well-being
rather than stress plus
it actually makes me a Develop
great strategist since I strategic
play games that, I’ve thinking skills
played games that are
solely focus on having
strategy

So before there is a
lack of social
interaction, online
games become my
replacement for that Avoid stress
and it has become a big
help for me since I can
avoid being stressed.

31
 Uhh, it has many Maintaining a
effects on me since I stress free mind
can be relieved of my and body
stress when I play
except when I lose on a
streak but it still Stress-reliever
motivates me to study
since I know that after
schoolworks I can get
to play again.

Question 4

R1: Uhh, ako, dalawa yung lagi ko na nilalaro, is either valorant or league of legends.

Translation: Uhh, for me, I play two online games which can either be valorant or league of
legends.

R2: I don’t have a specific game right now, since you know I really told earlier that I
formerly focus on my socials right now. But uhh game I’ve played the most this year would
probably be the league of legends.

R3: Call of duty mobile.

R4: Yung palagi ko po nilalaro po ay yung mobile legends dahil player po ako ng UE eh and
dun pa din po and pati na din po yung clash of clans. Nilalaro ko lang po iyan kapag
nagsasawa ako sa mobile legends para po syang ice breaker sa akin.

Translation: The online game that I play the most is mobile legends since I’m a player of UE
and also clash of clans. I only play this game when I lose interest in mobile legends and it
acts as an ice breaker for me.

32
Question 5

R1: Uhh, I think yung fact na nakakalaro ko yung mga kaibigan ko nung pandemic, parang
mas lalong naging connected kami sa isa’t isa.

Translation: Uhh, I think the fact that I can play with my friends during the pandemic and it's
like we became more connected to each other.

R2: Yes so yeah ahhh, playing alone is uhmm playing alone is not really I mean playing
alone is my thing you know I play single player games such as batman arkham city or suffice
raid. However, uhh you really uhh you really can’t find the fun you know that specific fun in
a single player game, that’s why playing online games makes that fun level up. Uhh yeah it
helps me have a little reunion with my friends you know and basically create a connection
without having physical affection.

R3: Kasi sa call of duty mobile, mas better sya laruin kung naka open mic kayo, and ayun
dahil naka open mic kayo, nakakapag palitan kayo ng commands iyon, nakakapag-usap kayo
and habang naglalaro kayo, di niyo namamalayan na parang magkakasama lang din kayo.

Translation: Because in call of duty mobile, it is played better if each mic is open, and since
each of your mic is open, you can exchange commands and also talk with one another and
while all of you are playing, you don’t realize that it’s like you are together physically.

R4: Uhmm, sa totoo lang po wala po talaga ako kaibigan sa paglalaro. Palagi po ako mag-isa
pero meron naman po ako squad pero hanggang dun na lang kami.

Translation: Uhmm, to be honest I really don’t have that many friends when playing online
games. I am usually alone but I have a squad and we are only limited to that.

Question 6

R1: Uhh, kase sa valorant, meron dun parang option na mag-oopen mic ka sa mga random na
kakampi mo. So I think parang yung social skills ng mga nakakalaro ko dun is parang
na-aadapt ko dun ang na-aaply ko sya in real life pero parang di naman na-boboost yung
confidence ko sa real world kasi parang ganun pa din naman ako, pero di naman ako

33
lumalabas, parang yung way ko ng pag-interact is ganun pa din kasi di naman ako lumalabas
masyado.

Translation: Uhh, in valorant, I think there is an option there where you can open your mic
to communicate with random teammates. So I think that I can adapt the social skills of the
people I play with and from there apply it in real life but it’s like, it never really boost my
confidence when facing the real world like nothing has changed since I don't go out that often
making it seems like my way of interacting is the same because I don't go out much.

R2: Uhh I would say ahmmm you know since ummm it develops my you know uhh develop,
something develop in me while playing games you know being a tactician or a strategist.
Some ahh I make my decisions. I make my decisions quickly however I make it. I make my
decision quickly but I think of it wisely like uhh if this is worth it or like how do I encounter
this problem. My brain works very quickly because of online games. Ahh no interacting in
my decisions. Yeah I think I already said it you know the decision making part. Since you
know in friends uhh you have like “hey where do you want to eat” I decide it, decide very
quickly. So I used that decision skill in making social interaction.

R3: So ayon, dahil sa paglalaro ko ng online game, like yung sa call of duty, may
na-eencounter ako, may mga times na may nakakausap ako na random yon tapos hanggang sa
nasanay na ako na makipag-usap sa ibang tao and hanggang ngayon pag nagpupunta ako
kunwari sa ibang lugar na kaunti yung kakilala ko, unlike before na nahihiya ako, mas madali
ko na sila na-aaproach na kausap, kaya ko na sarili ko.

Translation: So yeah, because of online gaming, like in call of duty where there are times
that I talk to random people and until I get used to talking to other people and until now when
I go somewhere that has a few people that I know that unlike before when I was shy to
converse with them, I find it easier now to approach them for a talk and handle it on my own.

R4: Uhmm, nag-iimprove social skills ko po pag nag-communicate kami ng mga kasama ko
po dahil ang paglalaro ng mobile legends ay kailangan ng communication para manalo and
na-boboost din yung confidence ko dahil palagi mo sila nakakausap ay masasanay ka na din
makipag-usap sa kanila na hindi ka na mahihiya.

Translation: Uhmm, my social skills improve when communicating with my friends since
playing mobile legends needs communication in order to win and it also boosts my

34
confidence because I always talk to them which allows me to get used to it until I can interact
with them without being shy.

SOP # 2 Participant’s words Initial Code Subthemes Master

Themes

I play two online games

which can either be valorant
or league of legends.

The online game that I play Multi-platform

the most is mobile legends Opportunity
Question # since I’m a player of UE and for social
4 also clash of clans. interaction

Call of duty mobile.

But uhh game I’ve played the

most this year would Single-platform
probably be the league of
legends.

Uhh, I think the fact that I can

play with my friends during Builds
the pandemic and it's like we social
became more connected to connections
each other.

you really can’t find the fun

you know that specific fun in
a single player game, that’s Sense of
why playing online games belongingness

35
 makes that fun level up. Uhh Gregarious
yeah it helps me have a little
Question # reunion with my friends you
5 know and basically create a
connection

I am usually alone but I have

Form social
a squad and we are only
groups
limited to that.

Since each of your mic is

open, you can exchange
commands and also talk with
Can be Builds trust
one another and while all of
dependable
you are playing, you don’t
realize that it’s like you are
together physically.

So I think that I can adapt the Social

social skills of the people I Development
play with and from there
apply it in real life but it’s Adaptive Enculturation
like, it never really boost my
confidence when facing the
real world

I make my decision quickly

but I think of it wisely like
uhh if this is worth it or like Improves
how do I encounter this decision
problem. My brain works making skills
Question # very quickly because of
6 online games.

36
 like in call of duty where
there are times that I talk to Builds
random people and until I get communication
used to talking to other skills Develops
people interpersonal
skills

my social skills improve

when communicating with
my friends since playing
mobile legends needs Boost
communication in order to confidence
win and it also boosts my
confidence

Question 7

R1: Uhh yung pag-balance ko ng time, parang pag ako kasi may schoolworks, inuuna ko
muna yung paglalaro kasi limited lang yung time ko na maglaro compared sa paggawa ko ng
schoolworks kasi hati-hati kami ng kuya ko sa paggamit ng computer, so pag time ko na
gumagamit ako ng computer, naglalaro na ako nun. Tapos after ko na maglaro, dun na ako
maglalaro. Tapos yung strategies ko paano, I think parang, ano ulit yung tanong? R1: Sa akin
kasi ano eh, pag-interact sa real world, di naman kasi ako lalabas eh, kaya di ko alam paano
sagutin yung question na yon sorry.

Translation: Uhh the way I balance my time, it's like when I have schoolworks, I prioritize
playing because I only have limited time to play compared to when doing my schoolworks
because my older brother and I share a computer, so when it's my time to use a computer, I'm
going to play immediately. Then after I play, that’s the time I will play. Then my strategies
are, I think, what's the question again? For me, interacting in the real world, I'm not going
out, so I don't know how to answer that question, sorry.

37
R2: Uhhh simply I take a break, you know I don’t really like to grind for hours just to get
uhh this is just an example uhh like a specific achievement. You know I take a break. I need
to take a break to cleanse my mind and simply recharge. Uhh, interacting with physical
people can be one of the ways I recharge myself physically and mentally.

R3: Before di sya ma-balance talaga eh, more on laro ako and ngayon naman nung medyo
nagluwag-luwag na, mas nagkaka-time na ako sa family ko kasi ayun nga sa friends, mas like
nakakapag usap-usap na kami kasi mas nakakapag-bonding kami unlike before na puro
online games kasi parang mas gusto mo kausap yung random ganon.

Translation: Before I really can’t balance it, I play more but now that the community
covid-19 restrictions are starting to ease, I find more time with my family just like with my
friends, we communicate more than ever since we are able to bond with each unlike before
that I purely play online games because it seems like I prefer talking to random people like
that.

R4: Uhmm, hindi ko po talaga na-babalance, hindi po dahil mas madami ako nilalahad na
oras sa paglalaro kaysa sa real world dahil unang-una, bawal ako lumabas dahil meron po
virus na kumakalat, pangalawa eh mas gusto ko sa bahay dahil wala din namang dapat gawin
sa labas at pangatlo ay gusto ko po mapag-isa kaysa makipag-usap sa ibang tao. Parang po
yung tawag na introvert ganon po.

Translation: Uhmm, I really can’t balance it since I lend more time playing online games
compared to interacting with the real world since first of all, I cannot go outside because of
the spreading virus. Secondly, I prefer to stay indoors since there is really not that much to do
outside and lastly, I like to be alone instead of talking to other people. It's like being
introverted.

Question 8

RI: Uhh, may mga times kasi na, tawag dito, uhh diba parang may na-mention ako kanina na
tuwing weekends parang nagpupuyat ako, so ayun siguro yung nakakaapekto sa pagiging
addicted ko sa paglalaro.

38
Translation: Uhh, there are times that, what’s that called, uhh like I mentioned something
earlier that every weekend I stay up late at night, so maybe that is what affects me being
addicted to online gaming.

R2: Ohh uhh simply because the satisfaction you get from winning plus the memories you
can make with your friends while playing this game whether you lose or not. Cause simply
the fun is there you know it won’t disappear that fast, so yeah that makes video games
addictive. The satisfaction and the experience.

R3: Ayun nga, yung pag-iinteract ko sa mga friends ko, parang sobrang tagal and nag-eenjoy
ako masyado nakakalimutan ko na gawin yung mga needs ko gawin yon and dahil nga sa
nakakapag usap-usap kami parang magkakasama kami. Uhmm ayun yung dahilan kung bakit
nagiging addict ako sa online video games.

Translation: the way I interact with my friends, it’s like it becomes prevalent and I enjoy it
so much that I forget to do the things I need to accomplish and since we can talk with one
another, it’s like we are together physically. Uhmm, that is the reason why I become addicted
to online video games.

R4: Uhmm, yung, ilang beses na po lalo na po pag wala po talaga ginagawa buong araw,
buong araw po ako naglalaro, kakain lang po at tapos maliligo tas lalaro na agad. Pero pag
kasi medyo, ngayon po kasi tinitigil ko na kasi alam ko sa sarili ko na mali yung ginagawa ko
kaya tinigil ko na yung pag-aaddict ng paglalaro.

Translation: Uhmm, a few times already, especially if there is nothing much to do for the
entire day, I play online games all day. I just eat, take a shower and play immediately
afterwards. But now I stop overplaying since I know in myself that what I am doing is wrong
so I stop my gaming addiction.

Question 9

R1: Uhh negative? Ahh katulad nung sinabi ko kanina, ayon, parang nagpupuyat na ako,
tapos may mga times na, na-iiskip ko na yung oras ko ng pagkain. Siguro yun yong
detrimental effects. Tapos meron din times na sobrang stress ako o kaya nagagalit ako ng

39
sobra dahil sa video games, parang nilalabas ko yung galit ko sa mga bagay-bagay parang
kunwari sinasapak ko yung pader.

Translation: Uhh negative? Ahh like what I have said earlier, I stay up late at night, and
there are times that I skip meals at the right time. Maybe those are the detrimental effects to
me. Then there are also times that I’m under too much stress or I get angry too much because
of video games, that I like vent my anger towards random things like for example I’m hitting
the wall.

R2: Cause I don't really like having specific negative effects in video games, but I’ll still
answer it. Maybe uhh ok not maybe, the negative effect that video games or online video
games gave me is that uhmm I have less attention to the people that need me the most during
that time you know when I’m playing video games. Then suddenly they’re going to like they
want to talk to me or they need to do something. I would simply you know, don’t give them
attention or just don’t care “I’m still playing”. So maybe uhh what do you call this, yeah so
basically I’m ignoring people when I’m playing and that’s the negative effect that video
games probably gave me. I know it’s not a good habitat that’s why these past few months I’ve
been lessening my video games consumption, lessening playing.

R3: So kanina nga, may tulong siya pagdating sa mental health, pagdating naman sa physical,
palagi ka kasing puyat kakalaro, and dati kasi madalas inaabot ako madaling araw and yung
inaabot na ako hanggang sa mag-umaga and ayun na nga nagkakasakit na ako.

Translation: So earlier I said, it had help me when it comes to mental health, when it comes
to physical, however, I always stay up late at night playing games, and before I often stay up
early in the morning and since that I stay up that long playing video games until morning and
because of that, I get sick.

R4: Ang negative effect po para sa akin ay yung para po sa last question yung gaming
addiction. Dahil kapag ikaw ay addict na addict sa isang laro, wala ka na ibang magagawa
kundi maglaro at maglaro lamang. Isa din dito ay nakukuha ng stress dahil hindi lahat ng
araw ay palagi ka panalo.

Translation: The negative effect for me is like the last question which is gaming addiction.
Because if you are very addicted to a game, you have nothing else to do but play and play.
One of these is you get stressed since not all the time you are winning.

40
 SOP # 3 Participant’s words Initial Code Subthemes Master
Themes

Before I really can’t balance

it, I play more but now that
the community covid-19
restrictions are starting to Bonding
ease, I find more time with
my family just like with my
friends

You know I take a break. I

need to take a break to
cleanse my mind and simply
recharge. Uhh, interacting
Question # Promotes
with physical people can be
7 tranquility Healthy
one of the ways I recharge
gaming
myself physically and
environment
mentally.

especially if there is nothing

much to do for the entire day,
I play online games all day. I Free time
just eat, take a shower and
play immediately afterwards.

41
 Cause simply the fun is there
you know it won’t disappear
Gaining
that fast, so yeah that makes
satisfaction
video games addictive. The
Feeling a
satisfaction and the
sense of
experience.
euphoria

the way I interact with my

friends, it’s like it becomes
prevalent and I enjoy it so
Over-enjoyed
much that I forget to do the
things I need to accomplish

Unstable
I prioritize playing because I
gaming
only have limited time to
environment
play compared to when
Procrastination
doing my schoolworks
because my older brother and
Question #
I share a computer.
8

Uhmm, I really can’t balance

it since I lend more time
playing online games
Addictive
compared to interacting with
the real world

42
 I mentioned something
earlier that every weekend I
stay up late at night, so
maybe that is what affects Vigil
me being addicted to online
gaming.

there are times that I skip

meals at the right time.
Maybe those are the
detrimental effects to me.
Then there are also times that Lose of
I’m under too much stress or appetite and
I get angry too much because evokes anger
of video games, that I like
vent my anger towards Unhealthy
random things like for Gaming
example I’m hitting the wall. Environment

Question # the negative effect that video

9 games or online video games
gave me is that uhmm I have Neglecting
less attention to the people interactions
that need me the most during
that time

43
 I always stay up late at night
playing games, and before I
often stay up early in the
Lack of sleep
morning and since that I stay
and contract
up that long playing video
illnesses
games until morning and
because of that, I get sick.

Because if you are very

addicted to a game, you have
nothing else to do but play
and play. One of these is you Caused stress
get stressed since not all the
time you are winning.

Table 1: Themes identified on the impact of video games on a student’s mental health.

Master themes Online games creates a sense of importance on time,

makes us outgoing, relieves us from physical and
mental exhaustion, offers companionship, and increases
well-being

Improves overall mental health Time management, focus, depends on the priorities,
Friendly reunion, boredom, rest, boost well-being,
develop strategic thinking skills, stress-reliever,
avoid stress.

44
 Based on the transcribed answers of the four participants, we researchers got a
glimpse of the impact of online video games on them. As stated before, we have divided our
interview questionnaire into three sections that correspond to a variable of our research that
being mental health, social well-being, and gaming environment. To put into discussion, a
breakdown of results is to be provided. Firstly, on the effects of online gaming on their
mental health, we have correlated the first three questions to show how the amount of time is
spent by each participant playing online games and their motivation to do so during the
COVID-19 pandemic to their mental health. With the first theme “improves overall mental
health” shows that playing online video games 3-4 hours a day on average proved a positive
impact on their mental health which mostly reduces stress, gains a sense of satisfaction, and
encourages strategizing which improves critical thinking skills. It also allows them to feel a
sense of connectedness and spend quality time with their friends and escape the feeling of
loneliness and isolation during the lockdown, overall boosting their mental well-being.

“Uhh, I think meron kasi, diba kapag naglalaro tayo, ehh, ako, especially ako,
competitive ako parang gusto ko manalo, so siguro yung, pagnatatalo ako, na-iistress ako ng
unti, di naman parang sobrang nakakaepekto. Pero ayun parang nakakaramdam lang ako ng
kaunting stress.... Parang ano, maganda sa pakiramdam, parang uhh ok ako kasi nanalo ako
sa isang game“ (Canonoy, 2022)

Table 2: Themes identified on how video games affect a student’s social life.

Master themes Online games create an opportunity for social

interaction. It also provides a sense of belongingness,
builds trust, promotes enculturation, and develops
interpersonal skills

Social Development Multi-platform, single-platform, builds social

connections, gregarious, form social groups,
can be dependable, Adaptive, improves decision
making skills, builds communication skills, boost
confidence

45
 In terms of social well-being, we discovered that online gaming has a considerable
impact on each respondent's sense of belonging. We connected questions four, five, and six to
see how each of the online games our participants play helps them improve their social skills
and build connections with their friends and other people. From the data collected, we have
identified several online games such as Call of Duty: Mobile, League of Legends, Valorant,
and Clash of Clans to which each participant had shared how these games affect their social
well-being. Some of the participants said through these online games, they can bond with
their friends and interact with them as if they are physically with one another, build squads,
or create a little reunion within a virtual world. To further solidify this, we asked the
participants if they have an experience where online gaming has improved their confidence
when interacting with people in the real world.

Based on their responses, one mentions that he adapts the social skills that his random
teammates in game posed in their virtual interaction and then apply them in real life. Others
also stated an improvement in their communication skills while slowly overcoming the fear
of approaching others in a conversation and a boost in their confidence. The last participant
stated that he became a better decision maker through online games, able to make quick and
wise decisions in a given scenario such as deciding where to eat with friends during a social
gathering and even make use of that skill in making social interactions.

“So ayon, dahil sa paglalaro ko ng online game, like yung sa call of duty, may
na-eencounter ako, may mga times na may nakakausap ako na random yon tapos hanggang
sa nasanay na ako na makipag-usap sa ibang tao and hanggang ngayon pag nagpupunta ako
kunwari sa ibang lugar na kaunti yung kakilala ko, unlike before na nahihiya ako, mas
madali ko na sila na-aaproach na kausap, kaya ko na sarili ko” (Trinidad, 2022)

Table # 3: Themes identified if the gaming environment of the student is beneficial or

harmful to them.

46
 Master themes Online games produces a healthy and unhealthy gaming
environment

Unstable Gaming Environment Bonding, promotes tranquility, free time, gaining

satisfaction, over-enjoyed, procrastination, addictive,
vigil, loss of appetite, invoking anger, neglecting
interactions, lack of sleep, contract illness, and
cause stress

Lastly, for the final variable which is the gaming environment, we have prepared three
questions that will determine how each participant balances their time when playing video
games and creating a healthy interaction with the real world, the factors that make them
addicted to online video games, and its detrimental effects on their health. From the
responses, participants have various ways of balancing their time playing video games and
interacting with the real world. The first one prioritizes online gaming first before committing
to schoolworks but does not have a definite way of maintaining a healthy connection to the
world, the same as the fourth who plays more often due to personal reasons such as the
inability to go outside due to the virus and the need to be alone and avoid any social
interactions. Others take breaks to relax the mind and also physically interact with people as
one way of recharging the body while another participant spends quality time with his friends
and family rather than play online video games for hours.

For the factors that cause gaming addiction, results show that one of the participant's
main factors for it is overplaying to the point of losing proper sleep time. One also mentioned
that the satisfaction obtained from winning in online games and the memories created with
friends is a factor for gaming addiction since it creates a temporary sense of euphoria making
it addictive. Other participants make online gaming a daily routine if there are not many tasks
to do on that specific day leading to gaming addiction. While the last one stated that being in
social interaction with friends in a virtual world can be a push factor to gaming addiction to
the point of neglecting to do other important tasks which overall denotes that the constant
need for belongingness can result in such. In connection, the participants also gave answers to
the last question on how these factors that lead to their gaming addiction may have brought

47
any negative effects to them. This is to further establish the purpose of the research which is
to identify how a poor gaming environment can lead to detrimental effects.

The first participant continues his answer by elaborating that his gaming addiction has
caused him a loss of sleep and added that it also made him skip meals at the right time. Also,
it brought a surging amount of stress in the case of losing in a game which provokes him to
vent his anger towards random things or even punched walls in his house. For the second
participant, it shows that his gaming addiction has impacted more of his interaction with
people, neglecting conversations during game time or simply ignoring their presence when
immersed in a game. The third participant also suffered from his gaming addiction that
brought him sickness by often staying up all night playing until morning. The last participant
also had similarities with the first one showing that his gaming addiction, which can be
uncontrollable at times, also leads to stress for the same reason that not all the time he wins in
a game. In conclusion, all the answers that the respondents have given proved to align with
our research problems and it provides clear and concise ideas for the researchers to further
expound and interpret in the discussion section.

“Uhh negative? Ahh katulad nung sinabi ko kanina, ayon, parang nagpupuyat na ako,
tapos may mga times na, na-iiskip ko na yung oras ko ng pagkain. Siguro yun yong
detrimental effects. Tapos meron din times na sobrang stress ako o kaya nagagalit ako ng
sobra dahil sa video games, parang nilalabas ko yung galit ko sa mga bagay-bagay parang
kunwari sinasapak ko yung pader” (Canonoy, 2022)

CHAPTER V: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

DISCUSSION

As said earlier we proposed 9 questions to obtain the answers of our research

questions. We divided it to three sections: (1) The first section determines the impact of
videogames on student’s mental health; (2) The second describes the student’s social life

48
through the use of video games during the pandemic; (3) The third section contains the
gaming environment of the participants, wherein it determines how they balance their
gaming activity. We specifically divided these into three sections to further implore and get
our needed data.

In the first section of our questions, the participants suggest that playing online
videogames brings them a positive impact on their mental well-being. Such as a way of
reducing stress, gaining a sense of satisfaction, boosting well-being, having time
management, focus, a way of rest, and developing critical thinking skills with the use of
online video games related to strategy. Also it provides them a sense of connectedness and
having a friendly reunion wherein they spend quality time with their friends during the
lockdown and also helps them avoid boredom, and detrimental factors such as loneliness and
isolation. In relation to this Brennan (2021), states that playing video games stimulates the
mind by relieving stress from internal and external factors He also states that playing video
games provides us with great satisfaction and encourages strategizing and analyzing aspects
which depend on the complexity of the game, which in turn improves our critical thinking
skill.

As stated by the author also, it provides a means of interaction. Now combining these
findings, we can say that online video games provided the participants a positive impact on
themselves. In which they use these as a coping mechanism during the covid-19 lockdown,
wherein we were not able to freely go outside due to restrictions and just stayed at our homes
as a safety precaution. Now with the help of online video games, it was a way for us to
reduce stress not only to the effects of covid-19 as well as a way of dealing with our stress
from online classes and. Moreover, with the limitations of activities outside, we engaged in
engaging indoor activities and one of them was playing video games which in turn brought us
a sense of satisfaction. Also it developed a form of connectedness through the use of playing
online video games.

For our second section, we ask the participants a series of questions regarding their
social life during the covid-19 pandemic. They responded that playing video games like Call
of Duty: Mobile, League of Legends, Valorant, and Clash of Clans which are Multi and single
platform, affects their social well-being. And by playing online video games, it provides them
a sense of feeling that although they are in a video game they interact as if they are physically
with one another and create a little reunion inside the game. Also they responded that with

49
the interaction of random people in online video games, it has enhanced their social skills and
applied it to real-life interactions. Furthermore, it also helped them improve their
communication skills, overcoming their fear of approaching others, forming social groups,
boosting confidence, adapting and enhancing decision making skills.

Gossett (2020), states along the paper that a stronger sense of social identity arises
with the factor of Massive Multiplayer Online Game (MMO) present. The role of social
identity within the MMO correlates with the factors of higher self-esteem, sense of
belongingness and lessens the feelingness of loneliness. Researchers also found that an online
multiplayer game produces positive effects not only individually but also in terms of being
connected to others. To further implore on this, the author states that players who engage in a
certain MMO expands their relationship towards that certain game in a way of developing
connectedness to one another. These findings conclude that playing online video games has a
huge factor on the growth and satisfaction of the participant’s towards their social life.

Based on the responses we got, all the games that they have stated have one element
in common and that is the MMO aspect. In which it contains the factors of connecting to
people in real-time and the sense of belongingness to players that are given roles provided
by the games they play. With these factors present in online video games the aspect of growth
towards the individual has greatly changed,as mentioned by the participant. The
communication skill he adapted through online games developed and slowly overcame his
fears of engaging people in conversations. Also with the effect of covid-19 pandemic, online
video games were a way of being a substitute for what was lacking during the lockdown and
the pandemic Wherein it played the role of participants to reconnect with their friends and
spend quality time together in the midst of the pandemic .

On our third section, which focuses the gaming environment of the participants on how
they balance their time while playing online videogames and creating a healthy interaction
with the real world. It also covers the detrimental effects that gaming addiction has brought to
the participants. First of all are the responses towards the gaming environment, the
respondents said that they balance their time on playing online video games by prioritizing
online gaming first before tackling school activities, taking breaks, interacting with other
people, and spending quality time with friends and family. Now the factors that cause gaming
addiction replied by the participants are overplaying, satisfaction gained by winning and the
push of quality time spent with friends.

50
 Lastly are the negative effects that gaming addiction has implored to the participants.
They state that the effect of gaming addiction upon them made them lose their sense of time,
stressed, uncontrollable anger, and ignoring other people. According to Uk Rehab (n.d),
people who experience gaming addiction can develop a detrimental effect on an individual.
They also state that gaming addiction is a “brain’s reward system”, with the experience of
video games it creates increasing rates of addictive stimuli through the use of gaming
platforms which over time produces a chemical in the brain called dopamine. After a while it
develops a sense of tolerance in our brain towards dopamine, because of the constant
influence of video games wherein the factors of satisfaction and pleasure are present.
Additionally, gaming addiction also has an affect towards an individual’s emotional state such
as irritability which entices the ability to quickly lose temper and isolation wherein we don’t
interact with other people just to spend more time gaming. Raymer Jr (2021), implies that
with the rise of dopamine levels which is the factor that leads to gaming addiction, it causes
alarming concerns such as maladaptive behaviors and raving coping mechanisms. This also
encourages the players consuming a large amount of time playing which leads to unhealthy
sleeping habits, unhealthy diets and being isolated from the real world. He also mentioned
that the possible symptoms of gaming addiction leads to psychological problems,
procrastination, being occupied with online games, and degrading quality relationships with
people.

As stated in their response, even though they have ways of balancing their time while
playing video games such as taking breaks and physical interaction. The factor that causes
gaming addiction and negative effects to the participant’s, still plays a role in the individual.
Online video games provide many uses to the individual such as the satisfaction found in the
game, which can have a positive and negative effect. Now with the factor of playing online
video games for satisfaction which , we find an unprecedented area that most individuals fail
or lately recognize. The more we yearn for the satisfaction found in the game it drives people
to play or spend more time in the game. Which can cause the individual to lead to gaming
addiction, because one of the factors that causes this phenomenon is overplaying by gaining
the specific satisfaction we want on the game. Based on the findings and literature from other
sources, this concludes that a poor gaming environment can cause serious implications to the
participants who play online video games. Which leads to detrimental effects if not treated in
a proper manner.

51
 With the factors that cause gaming addiction are present to the participants. We have
here a DPSEEA conceptual framework wherein this will serve as guides or steps for the
participants and individuals who experience gaming addiction, to further achieve a healthy
gaming environment as well as attempting to lessen their detrimental effects.

CONCLUSION

From the data that we have transcribed and discussed has been a huge leverage to the
success of our paper. Furthermore, as online video games becomes increasingly popular to
students, it is important to understand that videogames act as a social environment that take
place within a virtual world where students go to in times of stress acquired from school so
that to feel a sense of belonging being accompanied by their friends or random people and
build social connections. It is also a tool for improving mental well-being while
simultaneously evoking detrimental effects if used poorly. Zooming back into the research
problems and its development throughout the course of the study, it has become evident that
online video games indeed show a significant impact on the student’s mental and social
well-being.

To take this a step further, a summary of our findings based on the responses of our
participants through the conducted interview, online games shows a positive effect on the
mental well-being of a student, often reducing their stress and making them happy because
they are able to bond with their friends while playing. Also, the strategies they apply while
playing video games help them to develop their critical thinking skills. Negative effects also
lead them to show signs of anger issues, a loss of sleep and appetite, as well as interaction
with others. Playing online video games also affects the respondents' social well-being. This
pandemic has become a barrier to communicating with their friends and other people, so
playing online video games has become a way to build connections with their friends and
other people. From the results gathered, it shows that online games facilitate better
communication among respondents and other people in order to plan their strategy to win the
game. It also creates an environment where they can feel a sense of belonging, and interact
with friends and randoms in a game that develops their social skills and builds a strong bond
with each other. Lastly, it allows them to acquire skills such as improved decision-making

52
and communicating with confidence when engaging other people in a conversation outside
the virtual world.

Overall, it is a great reminder that online video games truly play an important role in
our lives because it is more than just a virtual environment that brings thrill and enjoyment
through its impeccable visuals and stunning graphics. At its core, online games bring distant
people together amidst uncertainties of health crises such as COVID-19 and it also helps
them cope with personal battles in life such as stress, loneliness, and depression. Though the
threat of a poor gaming environment is at hand which could lead to devastating health effects,
the importance that we researchers gave to this shows how much of a societal issue it can be
that once ignored because huge stakes are at risk. So taking the initiative, we have conducted
this study not only for ourselves but for the future researchers who would also perform the
same topic. Through our literature review, study frameworks, methodology, and gathered
results which ultimately proves that online games affect the quality of life both mental and
social of students made this research a success.

53
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