CHAPTER II

THE REVIEW RELATED LITERATURE

RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter presents the review of related literature and studies relevant to the current
investigation. This helped the researcher in conceptualizing the variables included in the study.
The review also enabled the researcher in determining the extent at which previous researches
have explored this topic which serves as the spring board for the current research. It focuses on
the effects of mobile games towards the academic performance among students of Barobaybay
Academy Mission School, Inc.

MOBILE GAMES

Mobile gaming is one of the factors which affect academic performance of students. Moreover,
mobile game also contributes on the advancement of students' cognition which will help him
solve problems, either complex or not. Mobile gaming brings negative impacts on students'
academic performance. Despite of this, it is proven that mobile games have the potential to
increase participation of students. This can be done through applying this activity in the
learning process inside the classroom. Teachers can use mobile gaming as incentives for
students. Aside from this, several mobile games enhance vocabulary and mathematical intellect
of students. Additionally, cognitive ability can be developed through mobile gaming since game
apps are technologically developed to test the critical thinking and analytical skills of a person.
Mobile games are brain-challenging in nature which can help a person solve more complex
problems.1

FOREIGN STUDIES

Mobile Games is one that is largely composed of technology. In a relatively short span of
time we have been immersed in a world of high-definition Clash of Clans, Rules of Survival,
mobile Legends, "green" cars, outrageous thrill rides, 3-D technology, etc. But no area of
technology has become as prominent as that of online gaming.

Anand (2007) said that, the penetration of online games into the United States alone is huge,
with at least 90% of homes having children that have played (rented or owned) video games.
This is a record level that continues to increase. 55% of console players and 66% of online
players are over 18. The college demographic seems to be the major group of gamers simply
because they have a lack of parental supervision and they have more flexible schedules,

1
Ericka Canarias (2019), https://ojs.aaresearchindex.com
allowing for more play time. As with any other innovation in society, the introduction of online
games brought the question "What are the negative effects or consequences?"

Smyth (2007) notes that there seems to be an increased interest in research in the area of
video gaming to answer this question. And there does indeed seem to be much research on the
topic in recent years. In overviewing the research, one main concern seems to be whether the
playing of online games impacts academic performance in a negative or positive way and what
those consequences are.

One study done by Anand (2007) found a negative correlation between the amount of time
spent playing online games and the GPA and SAT scores of students. This means that GPA and
SAT scores decreased as time spent playing increased. However, Anand (2007) did recognize
the limitation of using SAT scores because they represent a one-time standardized score. Using
GPA is more credible because it represents a continuous measurement of school performance.
He also found that males were more prone to these results than females, because males tend
to play online games more.

Skoric, Teo, and Neo (2009) went one step farther and studied addiction to video gaming versus
simple engagement in online gaming. Although no definitive definition of addiction was given,
they found that those addicted to gaming consistently performed negatively in the academic
setting, while there was no negative correlation between time spent playing or engagement
and academic performance.2

Shao-I, Jie-Zhi, and Der-Hsiang (2004) also studied addiction (once again no definitive
definition was given) and noted a decrease in school performance when the student was
addicted to gaming. They found that gaming addiction physically impacts academic
achievement because the student is too involved in the game to do homework or prepare
academically. There are also others that have found decreased academic performance in
relation to involvement in playing online games.3

Jackson et al (2008) found that time spent playing games was a negative predictor of academic
performance and that those who played online games more often had poorer grades than
2
Anand (2007),
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6129331_A_Study_of_Time_Management_The_Correlation_between_Video_Game
_Usage_and_Academic_Performance_Markers

3
Shao-I, Jie-Zhi and Der-Hsiang (2004), https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cpb.2004.7.571
those who played less. That encouraged participants to report different feelings about playing
online games. Some of the negative consequences indirectly related to school performance, in
that participants reported often missing lectures, skipping homework, etc. They also found that
these consequences were more likely to impact males, because males play more often and
were more likely to report losing track of the time while playing.4

FOREIGN LITERATURE

In an experiment by Williams (2006), school performance increased after the participants

dramatically decreased (limited time spent using technology to 30 minutes per day) their usage
of all technology, including online games.5

Jaruratanasirikul, Wongwaitaweewong, and Sangsupawanich (2009) found that the excessive

playing of online games (five hours or more per session) resulted in school grades that were
below a 3.00 average, and that time spent playing was a predictor of academic performance.
They also suggested that video games indirectly lead to decreased performance through
promoting violence. Finally, they noted that playing video games took time away from school
activities, homework, social interaction, etc. Then there are those in the research field who
have come up with neutral results.6

Smyth (2007) studied the difference between playing massively multiplayer online role-playing
games (MMORPG) and playing other types of online games and found that even though the
MMORPG group reported greater interference in academic work (such as skipping homework,
missing a class, etc) as opposed to the other groups, overall the groups did not differ in
academic performance.7

Hart et al (2009) used the Problem Online Game Playing survey to measure four different areas
of life, including academic behavior, impacted by the playing of online games and suggested
that there was not a significant correlation in any area. However, there is also plenty of

4
Jackson et al (2008), https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/san-rafael-national-high-school/high-school/effects-on-playing-
online-games-in-academic-performances-among-grade-12-humss-students-in-sapa-anding-national-high-school-rm-ext-
chapter-1/29763862#:

5
Williams (2006), Why Game Studies Now? Gamers Don't Bowl Alone
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1555412005281774

6
Jaruratanasirikul, Wongwaitaweewong, and Sangsupawanich (2009)
https://www.academia.edu/38584832/PLAYING_ONLINE_GAMES_AND_STUDENT_PERFORMANCE_AMONGGRADE_11_STUDE
NTS_OF_UM_PANABO_COLLEGE

7
Smyth (2007), https://www.scirp.org/(S(lz5mqp453edsnp55rrgjct55))/reference/ReferencesPapers.aspx?
ReferenceID=1327036
research to suggest that interactive online games can actually lead to increased academic
performance (Anand, 2007).8

Jackson et al (2008) found that the usage of games is causally related to an increase in visual-
spatial skills, which often come in handy in the fields of science, mathematics, technology, and
engineering.9

RELATED STUDIES

Online games are criticized by educators because many students invest a lot of time, money,
and energy into games, which seriously affects their academic studies, social interaction, and
physical and mental health, and ultimately leads to the tragedy of online game addiction (Xu et
al., 2017).10

Wei et al., (2012) Online game addiction, as one of the most serious behavioral addictions
(Lopez-Fernandez, 2018), could cause a series of physical and mental problems, such as poor
sleep, depression, and anxiety.11

However, it is worth noting that the majority of studies focus on the negative effects of online
games (Lo et al., 2005; Ng and Wiemer-Hastings, 2005; Yc, 2006; Smyth, 2007; Li and Wang,
2013), while positive effects are neglected. In fact, playing online games at a moderate level
could be beneficial to players’ personal psychological growth and interpersonal relationships
(Ko et al., 2005; Yee, 2006b; Granic et al., 2014).12

In terms of emotional experience, existing research on the emotional impact of online games
suggests that they have the potential to reduce depression, stress and obtain happiness (Wu
and Liu, 2007; Ari et al., 2020; Pine et al., 2020).

8
Hart et al (2009), https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/san-rafael-national-high-school/high-school/effects-on-playing-
online-games-in-academic-performances-among-grade-12-humss-students-in-sapa-anding-national-high-school-rm-ext-
chapter-1/29763862

9
Jackson et al (2008), https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/san-rafael-national-high-school/high-school/effects-on-playing-
online-games-in-academic-performances-among-grade-12-humss-students-in-sapa-anding-national-high-school-rm-ext-
chapter-1/29763862.

10
Xu et al., 2017), Positive effects of online games on the growth of college students: A qualitative study from China
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1008211/full

11
Wei et al., 2012), Positive effects of online games on the growth of college students: A qualitative study from China
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1008211/full

12
Ko et al., (2005); Yee, 2006b; Granic et al., (2014) Positive effects of online games on the growth of college students: A
qualitative study from China https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1008211/full
In the process of psychological development, college students’ cognitive, memory, and other
mental skills are proved to be enhanced by online games (Boot et al., 2008; Glass et al., 2013;
Oei and Patterson, 2013).

There is evidence that games have the potential to provoke thought about the player’s personal
development and ideals and increase the sense of self-realization if the players have strong
ability in online games (Nuangjumnong, 2014; Bopp et al., 2016; Mora-Cantallops and Sicilia,
2018a).

Spending hours every day sitting in front of a computer playing video games can have severe
implications for your physical health. When you spend most of your time sitting in front of a
screen absorbed in games, it is easy to forget to eat regular meals, drink water, exercise, and
take care of your overall health.

In social life, online games also establish the value of social connectedness and enhance the
sense of interaction (McClelland et al., 2011; Snodgrass et al., 2011; Oliver et al., 2016).
Sublette and Mullan (2010, p. 20) argue that through online games “socialization may just shift
in focus: while real-world relationships eroded for some players.” It is further proposed that
intimacy in games will also extend to offline real life, and shared game experience will reinforce
offline communication (Kim and Kim, 2017; Lai and Fung, 2019). 13

13
Feiyue Li et. al, (2023), https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1008211/full