Examination of gender‐based video game‐playing classes: Influencing determinants and relations to academic achievement

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundTheir ubiquity is particularly notable as video games become increasingly intertwined with the technological revolution. Despite this prominence, gender disparities in adolescent video gaming remain under‐explored.ObjectivesThis research aims to determine the frequency classes of video game playing based on gender, analyse the variables (age of first digital device/internet use, weekday/weekend internet frequency in and out of school, economic, social, and cultural status) that might influence assignment to these classes, and reveal the differences in PISA scores among these classes.MethodsOur study utilises multiple group latent class analysis and multinomial logistic regression to investigate the video gaming frequencies of 6890 Turkish students (49.1% female, 50.9% male) from the PISA‐2018 exam. A three‐step multiple logistic regression was employed to identify the effect of the variables on assignment probabilities. Also, the multivariate Delta method tested mean differences between classes for PISA scores.Results and ConclusionsThis study classifies Turkish students from PISA 2018 into four video gaming preference frequency classes (frequent, regular, casual, and non‐video game players) based on gender. Our study reveals that frequent male gamers begin using digital devices and the internet earlier than their female counterparts, spending more time gaming outside school. Notably, the frequency of video game play, which varies by gender, was found to have a significant effect on academic achievement.