EFFECTS OF MOBILE LEGENDS TO THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS OF ESTIPONA NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

Mobile games are always associated with poor academic performance. They largely

influence the participation of students during class. Mobile Legends, Clash of Clans, and Clash

Royale are some of the examples of these mobile games However, some research studies have

been proven that mobile games can bring positive learning outcomes. Mobile gaming has a

negative impact on students' academic performance, but it has the potential to increase

participation and cognitive ability. Teachers can use mobile gaming as incentives and enhance

vocabulary and mathematical intellect. Mobile games are brain-challenging and can help a person

solve more complex problems. Ericka C, (2019).

According to Debolina Banerjee, (2021) Mobile Legends Bang Bang is a MOBA game

that pits five players against five other players in a 10-minute-long match, with teamwork and

strategy playing an important role. Mobile Legends Bang Bang was released in 2016 and became

popular in Southeast Asia. It was originally released as Magic Rush: Heroes, but due to a lawsuit,

it was re-released as Mobile Legends Bang Bang.

As scrutiny to Divya M, (2021) statement, There are few countries which are the strongest

countries in playing mobile legends. There are many teams playing well which made the country

Indonesia as Indonesia is the strongest country in Mobile legends.

 According to studies, playing online games, particularly Multiplayer Online Battle Arena,

can help people improve their eye and hand coordination (MOBA). These games place significant

demands on the brain through strategic planning, selective attention, sensorimotor skills, and

teamwork. The study found that players of these games process information faster, devote more

cognitive power to individual visual stimuli, and more effectively allocate limited cognitive

resources between successive stimuli over time. (Kershner, 2020)

Online games like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang can also be used to relieve stress. Some

students who play this game are simply having fun. It also piqued students' interest. A game like

this can be used as a coping tool after being exposed to stressful situations, such as having a heavy

load of academic activities (Scott, 2020)

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang has recently gained popularity among the younger generation.

According to some studies, it has a positive impact on student learning and even overall education.

According to Bautista (2019), Mobile Legends: Bang Bang can help players improve various skills

that can be applied in real-life situations. The best examples of skills that can be developed and

nurtured while playing Mobile Legends: Bang Bang are strategic thinking, critical thinking, and

multitasking abilities. The primary goal of this game is to achieve victory.

Marg Pilapil, (2019). state that Mobile legends have become the part of our everyday activity,

offering fun to millions. People spend their leisure time to play games which also helps them to

maintain their mental health. Some studies have shown that playing mobile games increases the

ability to memorize, decision making and more. Mobile games have many advantages which make

it beneficial to play anywhere, anytime.

In coming years, mobile games will surely reach new heights However, these game applications

have turned out to cause excessive gaming and even gaming addiction. Most of the people, got

crazier and addicted to it.

Many children, teenagers and even adults addicted to the game even willing to spend money to

access or play the game becomes more fun, even a field of money for those who can seize the

opportunity in the application of a game. That’s why there are many Negative Effects of playing

Mobile legends.

Garcia (2020) discovered that students who became addicted to Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

may end up with poor academic performance. When students devote a lot of time to this, they tend

to neglect their schoolwork. This will result in a low grade, and sometimes a failing grade.

Furthermore, a student's learning ability and concentration problems may deteriorate.

Rationale of the Study

The main objective of this research is to investigate the effects of playing Mobile Legends

on the academic performance of senior high school students at Estipona National High School.

There are several reasons why this study is necessary. First, gaming has become an integral part of

the modern youth culture. As such, it is essential to determine how much time students spend

playing Mobile Legends and whether this affects their academic performance.

Second, research has shown that excessive use of technology can have detrimental effects on

students' academic performance. Therefore, it is important to understand the extent to which

playing Mobile Legends affects academic performance.

 Furthermore, this study is relevant because the senior high school level is a critical stage in

the students' academic life, as they prepare for higher education. It is therefore important to

understand the factors that may affect their academic performance, and gaming is one such factor.

This research will provide insight into the effects of playing Mobile Legends on senior high school

students' academic performance and will help identify areas where interventions can be made to

improve their academic performance.

Statement of the problem

The general objective of this study is to find the effect of online games in academic

performance of Senior High School (SHS) students of Estipona National High School.

Specifically, this study seeks to answer the following sub- questions

1)What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

a) Name

b) Gender

c) Strand

2) How long(time) the respondents use to play mobile games (mobile legends)?
3)What are the possible effects of playing mobile games (mobile legends) to the SHS students in

terms of:

a) Behavior

b) Health

Hypothesis

The increasing prevalence and accessibility of mobile games among senior high school

students have a negative impact on their academic performance, as these games can be a significant

distraction and cause a decline in study habits and time management skills. Additionally, excessive

use of mobile games may lead to a decrease in cognitive function, such as memory retention and

critical thinking skills, which can also contribute to lower academic performance.

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Significance of the Study

Each study has its own value and relevance in various ways. Prior to them, the significance

of critical thinking in making decisions while selecting university courses was emphasized.

Continuing this research will serve and supply the reader with a number of benefits

The following persons, according to the researchers, will benefit from this study

Mobile Legends Players. The result of this study will help the ML players to know that there is a

effects of playing mobile games (mobile legends) in their health and behavior.

Students. The result of this study can give them an ideas and information about the effects of

Mobile games (Mobile legends) to the behavior and health aside from negative effects.

Future Researchers. The result of the study will be serving as a guide of other researchers who

would embark conduct of study of similar nature

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Scope and Delimitation

This study will focus on the effects of mobile games on academic performance among

senior high school students in a specific region or school. The study will include students who

regularly play mobile games and those who do not. It will examine the relationship between the

amount of time spent playing mobile games and academic performance, as well as the types of

mobile games played and their impact on academic performance. The study will also consider

other factors that may affect academic performance, such as gender, socioeconomic status, and

prior academic performance. However, this study is limited to senior high school students only,

and the results cannot be generalized to other age groups or educational levels. Additionally, this

study will rely on self-reported data from students, which may be subject to biases and

inaccuracies.

Definition of Terms

The following terms used in this study were defined to give clarify for further

understanding of the research study.

Mobile Games- Mobile games are games designed for mobile devices, such as

smartphones, feature phones, pocket PCs, personal digital assistants (PDA), tablet PCs and

portable media players.

MOBA - Multiplayer online battle arena, is a type of strategy role-playing game with a

simple goal to defeat opponents in a battle.

 MVP – Most valuable player

Online - Online, in telecommunications and technology, indicates a state of connectivity.

Teamwork - It's the ability to work with others and to help others attain their full potential

and achieve the shared goals.

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 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter highlights some related literature and studies that are relevant to understanding the

different aspects of research. It contains conglomeration of the researcher gains from books,

magazines, journals, internet and other electronic source.

Related Literature

Due to the popularity of smart terminals and the advancement of 5G networks, mobile games

are currently the most popular type of games, as well as profitable tools for major internet

platforms. Mobile games can be combined from different levels and content categories, covering

different, personalities and preferences (Martin et al., 2020)

According to Benny (2018) Mobile games have both positive and negative effects, such as

addiction. People spend more and more time on their mobile phones, and an "addictometer" app

can help monitor how much time they spend on their devices. However, it is important to consider

the effects of mobile gaming in a global context, both good and bad.

It has been found in the studies of (Dananjaya & Kusumastuti, 2019) Students Perception

on Online Game Mobile Legends for Vocabulary Development, that playing Mobile Legends could

increase the students’ vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation, and translation of new found words

being heard while engaging in the said game. Similarly, they exclaimed that playing ML is a great

tool in developing their communication skills for they would have to communicate well with
foreign players in order to understand the game’s system and to achieve victory since the game

relies on teamwork playing mobile games can cause loss of productivity, one may not play for

hours in a row, but probably doing it several times a day, take a couple of minutes just to check

the game or complete a simple action instead of concentrating on the task one is doing.

According to previous study of Kuss & Fernandez (2016) that aimed to maximize the interest,

game addiction is the ultimate goal rather than intention which means attractive products will

enable users to play games frequently and even become loyal user. Since the study confirmed the

vital role of perceived visibility in forming addiction, game developers should realized the vital

role of social function of mobile games and put significant resources into developing and

delivering social mobile games.

Nowadays, students spend too much time on online games. Inappropriate use of online

games leads to problems such as distraction and addiction. Internet games addiction is

characterized by cognitive and emotional deficits. Online addiction involves playing games

uncontrollably for many hours. Students use online games to relieve them of their stresses but the

excessive use of online games may lead to worsened learning ability, concentration problems, poor

academic performance and decreased interactions with other people. Catherine L. Jongco (2022)

Today many of us have stayed up more than once playing our favorite online computer games.

Online games have many genres including casual games.

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Online games can range from single text-based games incorporating complex graphics and virtual

worlds populated by many players simultaneously. Online games consumed at least 9 hours for
teenagers playing online does have positive views as for recreational purposes, but it could also do

to opposite views and be destruction instead Sanny Salapas (2019).

According to Dumrique & Castillo (2019) students' learning takes place unexpectedly, but

the inappropriate usage of playing online games also leads to some problems such as being

distracted in school. The studies revealed that the human brain is easy to destruct. Therefore,

playing this game can bring a huge impact on the student academic performance.

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Chapter III
 METHODS OF STUDY AND SOURCE OF DATA

This study presents the method to be used in gathering data for the study. It also describes the

research design, respondents for the study, locale of the study, the sampling method, data gathering

instrument, data gathering procedure, and data analysis. In this chapter readers and researcher can

either conclude about the flow of the study and what can be its result. This can be a great help

because of the methods that are used and show below.

Research Design

This study will employ a case study research design. It will attempt to explore how mobile

legend affect students lifestyle. This study will use a research design which is qualitative research.

Qualitative research can help identify what are the thoughts of the students regarding mobile

legends.

Research Instrument

The research instrument used for this study is a semi-structured interview guide. The guide

consists of open-ended questions that will be asked to the participants. The questions will focus on

their usage of Mobile Legends, how it affects their academic performance, and their opinions on

its effects.

Locale of the Study

The researchers will conduct the study in Estipona National High School of Estipona Pura Tarlac

Respondents of the Study

The respondents of the study will be senior high school students who play Mobile Legends.

The participants will be both male and female students, and they will be from different academic

track.

Sampling Design

The sampling design for this study will be a simple random sampling method. This method

will ensure that every senior high school student from Estipona National High School has an equal

chance of being selected for the study. The sampling frame will be the entire population of senior

high school students enrolled in Estipona National High School.

Data Gathering Instrument

The data gathering instrument for this study will be a self-administered survey

questionnaire. 11

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 The questionnaire will consist of two parts. The first part will gather demographic

information about the respondent, such as age, gender, and academic performance. The second

part will gather information about the respondent's mobile legends gaming habits, such as the

frequency of playing, the amount of time spent playing, and the impact on their academic

performance.

Data Gathering Procedures

The first step to be taken is to ask permission from the school principal to conduct the

interview. Tap researcher then will seek approval from the informants to become a part of the study

considering the informed consent and research ethics. Upon the approval, the researcher will

proceed with the interviews.

I will be conducting interview and ask my interviewee to share some informations about

what they have experienced. Third i will write their statements regarding their experiences and the

effects of mobile legend to them. The researcher will also gather perspective to the both sides,

students perspective of mobile legend and how it affects them.

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