International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

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The Effects of Online Games on Student’s Academic Performance

Open access

Sharliana Che Ani, Norul Huda Mohd Ghazali, Mohd. Sofi Ali, Kwang Yong Shin, Mageswari Subramaniam, Noorul Akmal Shafii

Pages 1632-1645 Received: 11 May, 2023 Revised: 15 Jun, 2023 Published Online: 17 Jul, 2023

http://dx.doi.org/10.46886/IJARBSS/v13-i7/8825
This study aimed to investigate the effects of online games on students’ academic performance. The study employed a descriptive qualitative in-depth interview conducted with 30 students, aged 10-17, from private and public schools in Kuala Lumpur. Interviews were conducted face-to-face as well as through phone or video calls interviews where physical accessibility is restricted. The interview consists of mostly semi-structured questions focusing on “the negative effects of online games on their academic performance”, “the positive impacts of online games on their academic performance”, “the positive impacts of online games on learning” and “the appealing features of online games” and followed probing questions. The researcher also followed all ethical regulations in ensuring that all participants’ details were kept private and that the participants were well informed about the interview procedures beforehand. The findings disclosed that most students playing online games for long hours at night and going to bed late had a significant impact on their performance in school. There were obvious implications of the effects of online games on the academic performance of most of the students whereby their subjects’ grades were deteriorating. The class, lack of revision, and unattended homework due to the divergence of focus to online games. Students state that online learning games used in the classroom can motivate them to learn better, improve languages and make fast decisions. Based on the findings of the study, the negative effects didn’t reach the addiction level with the moderate effect taking place now might worsen as time goes by unless remedial action is taken immediately. The researchers recommended that to maintain the good academic performance of students, parents should also play an important role by setting limits on how often and how long their child is allowed to play online games. Parents are also encouraged to form a bridge of communication between them and their children, so that there will be a mutual understanding between them as well as to ease conflicts.
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