CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM
Introduction

E-sports have become more popular over the years and

have exploded rapidly in different parts of the world

where skilled video gamers play competitively. It is the

same as traditional sports like basketball, baseball,

volleyball, and football, which are also played

competitively by the players. They only differ in the

players because when we think of athletes in traditional

sports, we think of someone with a physically fit body,

whereas in E-sports, you can play this E-sport even if

you are thin, obese, or have disabilities, unless you

have the skills for playing video games.

In some cases, people refer to a gamer as a nerd or

associate it with nerd culture (Kendall, 2011). The word

"gamers" can refer to a variety of people, although the

most common category for these is E-sports competitors or

online gamers. And it will be used throughout this study

to refer to people who play competitive video games.

Competitive video gamers are beginning to exhibit the

same athletic abilities as traditional athletes thanks to

technological advancements. The idea behind video games

has also evolved. Individuals are starting to engage in

video games competitively instead of just for fun in

events that closely resemble sporting competitions.

Modern civilization is mostly driven by digitalization,

which has a direct impact on sport as well. The societal

perception and function of sport are changing as a result

of the sport's digital evolution.

As a result, a range of changes are made to sport,

including new technology like the video assistance

referee in football, the use of big data for performance

and health diagnostics, and adjustments to movement

techniques. Numerous studies have demonstrated how

regular sports routines are altered by digitization.

However, there is still little information available

on electronic sport (E-sports), a hybrid o f gaming and

athletic competition that has experienced significant

growth during the during the past years, in large part

because of the development of digitalization and the

expansion of the computer game business. It is a

widespread phenomena that is especially well-liked in the

far east, such as China or South Korea, as well as in

Europe, North America, and Brazil. It has exceeded many

traditional sports in terms of player base,

spectatorship, and prize money, and it had an additional

boom during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

epidemic. Others dismiss the idea of competitive gaming

as sport, despite some academics' claims that E-sports

are a modern sport.

One of the best E-sport nowadays is Mobile Legends:

Bang Bang (MLBB) that made a huge impact to the

Philippines. We can see a gamer in different parts of the

Philippines no matter how old the gamer is. According to

JJ Lin, the E-sports manager for Montoon, in an article

by ABS-CBN in August 2019, the Philippines has the

second-highest number of Mobile Legends players, behind

Indonesia. The extremely popular Mobile Legends (also

known as ML), which has a large fan base in the nation,

was created by Montoon.

The first professional league for Mobile Legends,

the MLBB Professional League, was created as a result of

how popular it has become. It’s simple to see this rise

in the Philippines. Video games have made their way onto

popular social media sites like Facebook. On live video

streams, professional gamers and celebrities with

thousands of followers play games like Mobile Legends.

The Nationals, the first franchise-based electronic

sports league in the Philippines, has just begun their

inaugural season, and with their sponsorship from the MVP

Group of Companies, the E-sports sector as a $1 billion

industry is beginning to take shape (Beltran, 2018). The

rise of this game in the Philippines, Mobile Legends:

Bang Bang Professional League – Philippines or MPL-PH was

created, it is the Philippines’ professional league of

the popular game. The MPL-PH was established in 2018.

House bill no. 6118 Section 2 also known as Internet

Games Review and Classification act states that “all
stakeholders, especially the youth, greatly benefit from
the advances in technology and at the same time protected
from the various dangers and risks arising from its
unregulated use, especially in the area of video gaming,
by classifying and regulating online video games.”

In playing video games, it doesn’t mean that we must

play it in a bad way. We need to make sure that it’s

appropriate for the age of the gamer that’s why the house

bill no. 6118 seeks to review and classify video games

according to age suitability here in the Philippines

because not all video games are appropriate to the age of

all audiences. Most of the video games right now have

extreme portrayals of violence that may affect the

developing minds of the youth especially when they become

expose to this inappropriate video games.

Republic Act 1803 Section 2 also known as Truth in Video

Game Rating Act is the policy of the State to promote and
protect the physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and
social well-being of the youth. Pursuant to this policy,
this Act shall prohibit deceptive conduct in the rating
of video and computer games.

An American self-regulatory organization called

‘’ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE RATING BOARD’’ (ESRB) assigns

age and content ratings to consumer video games. The

board assigns ratings according to their content. When

you purchase a game whether in a digital platform or a

physical copy of the games, you will see an ESRB rating

at the bottom side of the game. You will see a letter in

the ESRB rating, “E” means EVERYONE; this means the game

can be play by anyone of any age ‘AO” or ADULTS ONLY is

the highest rating by the ESRB. Games with this rating

contain extreme violence, graphic nudity, and strong

sexual themes. Most of these games aren’t yet suitable

for high school students because most of the gamers right

now are minor high school students.

Last April 2, 2022 the Philippine Society of

Mechanical Engineering of Sorsogon State University

announced a 2 days Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB)

tournament. It was open to all-male, all-female or mixed

teams with a required 5 main players and 1 optional

reserved players in every team. The first day of the

tournament was played by 3 teams the K.N.P.P. ,

MathEnics, and Gogol Beybies. At the end, the Gogol

Beybies get the crown in this tournament. Little by

little the schools are continuously adopting this kind of

sport, that some schools are including it in their

intramurals. Maybe Esports really needs by the schools,

because it has a lot of good effect that the students

will benefit. For example is even when they lose, it

teaches students sportsmanship and how to respect their

opponents. Everyone should master the skill of dealing

with disappointment and dissatisfaction as early in life

as they can. Students who struggle with social contact

can benefit from Esports as well.

Statement of the Problem

This study aims to determine the Effects of Playing

E-sports to the Mental Health of selected BPED 3rd year

students of Sorsogon State University A.Y. 2022-2023.

Specifically, it will seek to answer the following

questions:

1. What is the profile of the selected BPED 3RD year

students in terms of the following:

a. Age

b. Gender

c. Highest tournament participation

2. What are the effects and implications of excessive

gaming on the mental health of selected BPED 3rd year

students of Sorsogon State University?

3. What are the coping strategies of the selected BPED

3rd year students of Sorsogon State University to avoid

the negative effects of playing E-sports/Online Games?

4. What maybe proposed base from the study.

Significance of the study

This study gave its foremost significance to the

following group of persons:

Respondents. This study aims to provide benefits to them

since the respondents themselves were the gamers of E-

Sports in this study. So, this research may be beneficial

to them as this will give an adequate knowledge regarding

to the negative effects of playing E-Sports to the health

of chosen respondents of BPED 3rd year of Sorsogon State

University.

Family. With this research, every family of the student

may be given a view about what is playing computer games

and what are the negative effects on the health of

students of too much gaming. With this research, they may

be having an adequate insight about E-Sports and they

could discipline their children to minimize computer

gaming.
Community. This may help the community to decrease

addiction in computer gaming and may assist them towards

better and more in depth understanding of the objectives

of this research as well as the importance of eradication

or minimizing of negative effects.

Local Government Unit. The findings of this research

study may motivate the local government officials to take

actions to command the computer shop owners to ban

students in their shop when it is on class hours.

Future Researchers. This may serve as a guide and

reference for future researchers who will make similar

path and choose a topic related to my study. As this

research can provide them essential insights that could

further improve their work and understanding.

Teachers. This research may be beneficial to teachers as

this may be a cause to teach their students and give them

a lesson not only academically but also about the health

that may get specifically, in playing E-Sports.

School Head. The school head or the principal of the

school can declare a memo or an order to every teacher of

the school to address the negative effects of playing

computer or mobile games.

Scope and Delimitation

 This study focuses on the effects of playing E-

sports to the mental health of selected BPED 3rd year

students of Sorsogon State University, A.Y. 2022–2023.

Only selected students from BPED 3rd year who play e-

sports or online games are included in this study.

This study will not cover other health issues that

are not considered part of mental health. Other grade

levels are not included in the scope of the study.

Definition of Terms

For better understanding of the study, the following

terms were defined either conceptually or operationally

by the researcher.

E-Sports/Online Games – is the activity of playing

computer games against other people on the internet,

often for money, and often watched by other people using

the internet, sometimes at special organized events;

Computer online games (Cambridge Dictionary). In this

study it is defined as a competitive game, where the

players of this game are called gamers.

Mental Health – is a state of well-being in which the

individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope

with the normal stresses of life, can work productively

and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his

or her community (World Health Organization). In this

study, it refers to the cognitive, behavioral, and

emotional well-being.

Effects – is a change which is a result or consequence of

an action or other cause (Lexico Dictionary). It is

defined in the study as the outcome of playing E-sports.

Gamer – is a person who plays games (Merriam-Webster).In

this study it refers to the person who play computer

games either online or offline.

 CHAPTER II

THEORETICAL, CONCEPTUAL AND OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORKS OF THE

STUDY

This chapter presents the various related literature

and studies that have important bearing to the present

study, the synthesis of the state-of-the-art, gap bridged

by the study, and the conceptual paradigm.

Related Literature

A number of related literature which provide

essential information to the present study were reviewed

by the researcher.

Esports is define as “a form of sports where the primary

aspects of the sport are facilitated by electronic systems;

the input of players and teams as well as the output of the

Esports system are mediated by human-computer interfaces.” In

more practical terms, Esports refer to competitive video game

according to Hamari and Sjöblom (2017) . Gaming competitions,

or Esports, have gained a lot of worldwide popularity.

Millions of devoted spectators watch games online while

millions of players compete in several tournaments and events.

Obviously, Esports differ greatly from traditional sports like

football and baseball, but because they have a sizable fan

base and competitive gaming, many people claim that Esports

are legitimate sports. This competitive video game became more

popular during the COVID-19 outbreak that sports activities

were postponed due to this epidemic, and as a result, Esports

became more and more well-liked. Even during the outbreak,

Esports made it possible for individuals to maintain

connections. Esports events that drew massive crowds had to move

online and offer the same entertainment value, if not more, than

in-person events.

The pandemic surely affected each and everyone that leads

to higher depression, GAD symptoms, and acute stress and

marginally higher intrusive thoughts. According to Nguyen et

al. (2020), COVID-19 lockdown measure could negatively affect

eating behavior, physical activity, and mental health among

outpatients. Due to these lockdowns, it causes psychological

stress among students, making it difficult for them to focus

on studying. Taking steps to support students is essential

during those challenging time, whether they’re learning

remotely or in classrooms. Playing online games is one way to

overcome the time we all spend waiting to be back to normal.

However, Ellis et al. (2020) found that online games that

use augmented reality features, such as Pokémon Go, promoted

physical and mental health and relieved distress among

individuals during social restrictions. In this way, the

people had the chance to connect with others despite the

quarantine protocol.

In the article of street directory said that gaming does

have its positive aspects as well. For instance, by limiting

gaming to a certain number of hours a day, there can be some

positive effects. Scientific studies have found that online

games can train the human mind to be agile and alert. Gamers

are always exposed to conditions whereby they must learn to

adapt and develop certain strategies in order to survive. At

the end of the day it will depend on whether the gamer in

question can avoid getting addicted and treats gaming as a

great pastime (Khurana 2019).

Bachhuber and Saulnier (2012) also stated that, playing

online games is an effective way of enhancing a student’s

reading comprehension. Through formative testing, they found

out that online games can help a student improve his/her

grammar, vocabulary and comprehension because they can have an

interactive way to learn English or any other language.

(Rioflorido, 2017) also agree and stated in his article

that playing online games, according to some research is

beneficial. It enables the mind of the players to be more

active, especially those puzzle-based games. It helps the

player to come up with decisions in tight situations,

especially those adventure games that keep the players to be

alert, active and strategic.

But at some point, there are also some consequences to

being addicted to video games, which can manifest in a number

of ways, including wrist, neck, and elbow pain, skin blisters,

and sleep disorders. Long-term addiction could lead to

obesity, weakness or numbness in the hands, and even blood

clots.

In the article of GMA News, said that many parents will

have thought it for a long time, but they now have a new

argument to limit their children’s “screen time”: addiction to

video games has been recognized by World Health Organization

as a mental health disorder (Kelland, 2018). Limiting the time

spending in front of computers is such a good way to control

ourselves getting addicted to the online games.

Sport has also not escaped from being impacted by the

consequences of the isolation and economic crisis related to

the COVID-19 pandemic. Wong et al. (2020) stated in their

article “Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports and

exercise.” that the pandemic has put many countries in

a state of lockdown and sporting events and it include some

huge event like the 2020 Olympics. Sport businesses have been

threatened with bankruptcy and exercise professionals lose

their jobs. At the same time, online physical training is more

available than ever. The loss of training facilities as social

locations has potentially huge health impacts for the

individuals.

In the article of Philstar (2021) said that, In every

difficult situation, there is an opportunity. While the

global health crisis forced people to stay in quarantine, it

also opened the doors for digital Esports and new gaming
content that help continue to fuel the passion of gamers and

Esports enthusiasts. This is when the Esports boom in the

Philippines, where in every home there is at least one gamer

since no one is allowed to go out of the house. It is a way to

connect to the others and yet still following the home

quarantine implemented by the IATF and the government. It is

also became a source of income for the streamers since then

and up to now.

The Philippines has always been one of the leading

countries in the Esports industry according to Lojo (2021) in

her article. The past few years has been a very successful

years for the Esports scene in the Philippines, with multiple

Filipino teams across a variety of titles such as Dota 2,

VALORANT, League of Legends: Wild Rift, and Mobile Legends:

Bang Bang (MLBB) either competing in their respective games’

world championship tournaments or getting crowned as world

champions themselves.

Because of the success achieved by the Philippine

professional gamers the Lyceum of the Philippines University

(LPU), a Manila-based Philippine university, offers a Bachelor

of Science in Esports. The four-year degree is offered in

partnership with Blacklist International-owner Tier One

Entertainment, who helped develop the curriculum this is how

big the Esports Industry in the Philippines are.

Related Studies
 A number of related studies have been reviewed by

the researcher which bears significance to the present

study.

According to the study conducted by Jenny et al.

(2016), The recent popularity of competitive video gaming

has spawned from Asia. South Korea may be the most

involved country; it even has a television channel

devoted largely to E-Sports (Wingfield, 2014). Asia sets

also the biggest stage for international competitions.

Considering that the majority of viewers come from this

region.

A cross-sectional study in Tehran (capital of Iran)

by Elham Dirandhe, Muhammad-Reza Sohrabi Ali Darendhe

(2013) have studied and explained both the positive and

negative effects of gaming of life of gamers, target’s

perceived dangerousness, sociodemographic

characteristics. According to them a child starts to play

video games around the age of 7 years. Through the

research it is found that some video games can help to

cure some mental diseases.

The study conducted by (Robinson 2016), state that

when your child plays video games, it gives his brain a

real workout. In many video games, the skills required

to win involve abstract and high level thinking. These

skills are not even taught at school. Some of the mental

skills enhanced by video games include following

instructions, Problem solving and logic (When a child

plays a game such as The Incredible Machine, Angry Birds

or Cut The Rope, he trains his brain to come up with

creative ways to solve puzzles and other problems in

short bursts), Hand-eye coordination, fine motor and

spatial skills (Daphne Bavalier).

2009’s Annual Review of Cyber therapy and

Telemedicine included a study that found that gamers who

suffered from mental health issues such as stress and

depression were able to vent their frustration and

aggression by playing video games — and showed a noted

improvement. The study hypothesized that games gave

certain “Type A” personalities time to relax in “a state

of relative mindlessness” that allowed them to avoid

reaching “a certain level of stressful arousal” as they

tried to relax (Rahaman, 2015).

But even the Esports or playing online games give

benefits, the gamers are also at risk of several physical

and mental health complications if proper care is not

taken.

According to the study conducted by Malek et al.

(2017), In 2011, Pediatrics published a study about video

addiction issues. Participants were third, seventh and

eighth grade students who were interviewed three times

during a three-year period. This study is an example of a

well-designed and conducted research, since the same

students were interviewed during a given period, allowing

authors to observe certain regularity in the responses as

well as tracking changes in that period. According to the

result, children who reported video games addiction were

also more prone to anxiety and depression and they had

poorer school success (Nakaya, 2015).

Aside from mental problems, gaming can cause

physical harms like muscle pain. Today there are some

real life active games for Xbox Kinect and Nintendo Wii,

which actually needs you to move in front of the camera,

track your motions and turn them into gaming commands.

Still majority of video games involve sitting in front of

computer or TV screen with little or no movement. As a

study of Pediatrics International found publishes,

“excessive television-game playing” led to increasing

muscle stiffness, mainly in the shoulder areas (Regal,

2012).

Those who played violent video games online against

human opponents expressed greater tolerance of violence,

a lower empathy attitude and more aggressive behavior

than those who played against computer opponents.

Engagement with/against human opponents may strengthen

gaming experiences and therefore, in accordance with the

GAM, increase their effects on players’ thoughts,

feelings and behavior (https://www.healthychildren.org).

According to the report of The Indian Express, A 19-

year-old man, who was arrested for allegedly killing his

parents and sister, was addicted to online battle

game PUBG (Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds), a senior

Delhi police officer was quoted as saying by news agency

PTI. Suraj alias Sarnam Verma killed his

father Mithilesh, mother Siya and sister in the early

hours of Wednesday and later ransacked the house to make

it look like a case of robbery. He was arrested the same

evening (Express Web Desk, 2018).

Preventing video game addiction is beneficial to

avoid the issues that accompany this compulsion.

Instituting limitations on time spent playing video games

may help people avoid developing compulsions to playing

these games. People can consciously choose to pursue

other activities, such as outdoor sports, reading books,

housework, or spending time with friends and family,

instead of playing video games. Parents should provide

ongoing supervision and limits on the time children spend

playing video games to prevent compulsions from starting.

It may also help to talk about the fact that the action

in video games can go on for a long time, but the games

can always wait for the next playing opportunity

(www.newbeginningsdrugrehab.org).

Synthesis of the State-of-the-art

Based from the literature and studies reviewed both

foreign and local, the following similarities and

differences in terms of scope, methods, respondents and

findings are noted. The studies mentioned provided the

researcher with the valuable insights and information on

how to carry the objectives of the study.

Hamari and Sjöblom (2017), define Esports as “a form

of sports where the primary aspects of the sport are

facilitated by electronic systems; the input of players

and teams as well as the output of the Esports system are

mediated by human-computer interfaces and refer to

competitive video game”. This is similar to the study

conducted by Jenny et al. (2016), stated that the recent

popularity of competitive video gaming has spawned from

Asia.

The articles of Ellis et al. (2020) , Khurana

(2019), Bachhuber and Saulnier (2012) and Rioflorido

(2017) has all the same thoughts that playing online

games or spending in front of computer or mobile phones

have a positive impact to the students. The same as the

study conducted by Robinson (2016)stated that when your

child plays video games, it gives his brain a real

workout. In the study of Rahaman (2015) also agree and

found out that gamers who suffered from mental health

issues such as stress and depression were able to vent

their frustration and aggression by playing video games —

and showed a noted improvement.

However, Nguyen et al. (2020) stated in their

article that playing Esports could negatively affect

eating behavior, physical activity, and mental health

among outpatients. This is similar to the study of Malek

et al. (2017), Pediatrics published a study about video

addiction issues. According to the result, children who

reported video games addiction were also more prone to

anxiety and depression and they had poorer school success

(Nakaya, 2015). As a study of Pediatrics International

found publishes, “excessive television-game playing” led

to increasing muscle stiffness, mainly in the shoulder

areas (Regal, 2012).

In the article of GMA News, the parents are

limiting their child’s screen time, since based on the

article of Kelland (2018), stated that the addiction to

video games has been recognized as a mental health

disorder by the World Health Organization. It is

beneficial to prevent video game addiction in order to

avoid the problems that come along with this compulsion.

Limiting the amount of time spent playing video games may

prevent people from becoming addicted to them.

Gap Bridged by the Study

The present study aimed to focus mainly on the

effects of playing E-sports on the mental health of the

students. This study aimed to identify the effects and

implications of excessive gaming on the mental health of

selected BPED 3rd year students of Sorsogon State

University and also to know the coping strategies of the

selected BPED 3rd year students of Sorsogon State

University to avoid the negative effects of playing E-

sports and online games.

It could be noted that the mentioned related

literature and studies focused mainly on the positive and

negative effects of playing Esports or online games in

times of pandemic where everyone needs to stay inside the

house for the quarantine. It also discusses the

prevention of getting addicted to playing Esports or

online games by limiting the hours of time spent on

computers or mobile phones. However, there has not been a

lot of attention given to the effects of playing Esports

on the physical, emotional, and social health of the

students.

Conceptual Framework

Figure 1 shows the conceptual paradigm where input,

process and output of the study are thoroughly explained.

It also illustrates the flow of the study.

The input component shows the profile of the selected

BPED 3RD year students in terms of Age, Gender and Highest

tournament participation. The effects and implications of

excessive gaming on the mental health of selected BPED

3rd year students of Sorsogon State University. And the

coping strategies of the selected BPED 3rd year students

of Sorsogon State University to avoid the negative

effects of playing E-sports/Online Games. The process

component includes the questionnaire and formulating of a

proposed plan that will enhance the information of

negative effects of playing E-Sports. The output of the

study is to proposed plan or suggestions to enhance the

awareness on dedicated respondents regarding the health

effects on playing Esports.

The feedback reflects the effectiveness of the

output and input. Additionally, it requires the accurate

 analysis and interpretation of the data acquired through

the process used.

Input Process Output

I. Profile of the
selected BPED 3RD
year students in
terms of Age,
Gender and
Highest
tournament
participation.
II. Effects and Proposed or
implications of suggestions to
excessive gaming Documentary
enhance the
on the mental Analysis
awareness on
health of dedicated
selected BPED 3rd respondents
year students of Survey regarding the
Sorsogon State health effects
University on playing
III. Coping Esports.
strategies of the
selected BPED 3rd
year students of
Sorsogon State
University to
 - ----

FEEDBACK

Figure 1. Conceptual Paradigm

CHAPTER III

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

This chapter discusses the research design and

methodology employed in the study which includes research

design, sample instrument, data collection and analysis

and procedures.

Research Design
 This study determined the effects of playing E-

sports to the mental health of the selected BPED 3rd year

students of Sorsogon State University A.Y. 2022-2023. The

descriptive survey method of research was used in the

study. The descriptive survey method allowed the

researcher to arrive at clearer data as to the effects of

playing E-sports in the context.

The respondents of the study were the selected BPED

3rd year students of Sorsogon State University A.Y. 2022-

2023. The data were gathered through documentary analysis

and questionnaire checklist. The data gathered were

analyzed and interpreted by the use of appropriate

statistical measures and tools.

The Sample

The primary sources of the data were taken from 30

respondents from the Sorsogon State University, Sorsogon

City Campus. The respondents were chosen using a

purposive or judgmental sampling technique. Since gamers

have a wealth of knowledge and experience playing E-

Sports, they are the responders to this study.

Table I shows the sample of the study.

Table I

The Respondents
 Number of

Respondents Respondents Percentage

Boys 15 50%

Girls 15 50%

TOTAL 30 100%

The Instrument

The main instruments used in the study were a

questionnaire and a checklist. In an attempt to know the

effects of playing E-sports on the mental health of the

students, the study comes up with a questionnaire and

checklist that consists of three parts. Part I pertains

to the background of the respondents’ involvement in

playing Esports and consists of 5 questions. Part II is

the list of the effects and implications of excessive

gaming on the mental health of selected BPED 3 rd year

students of Sorsogon State University, which will be

answered through a checklist. And the last part is also

to be answered through a checklist about the coping

strategies of the selected BPED 3rd year students of

Sorsogon State University to avoid the negative effects

of playing E-sports or online games.

Data Collection Procedures

To clear the appropriateness of the questionnaire

and checklist, it was presented to the researcher’s

adviser for some comments. It was also submitted to the

panel for some suggestions particularly on its content.

Before the actual administration and distribution

of the questionnaire and checklist, a request letter was

prepared by the researcher for approval of the

distribution of the said instruments. After which, the

distribution of the questionnaire and checklist followed.

The researcher personally distributed the questionnaire

and checklist to the target respondents last 2022.

The questionnaire and checklist was retrieved at

the same date. After the retrieval of the questionnaire

and checklist, the responses were tallied and tabulated.

Data Analysis Procedure

The data gathered by the researcher were tallied,

analyzed, and interpreted.

Percentage was used to determine the effects of

playing E-sports on the mental health of selected BPED 3rd

year students and also what coping strategies should be

used to avoid the negative effects of playing E-sports or

online games.