Abstract
Game arcades that have turned into an important socialization area for children in Turkey, can affect children in many ways. The aim of the study is to investigate the factors that affect the digital game habits of children and young people in game arcades. In this context, the effect of game, environment and peers on the habits of children that are gaming in game arcades were investigated. Qualitative research method was preferred in the study. The study group consisted of 50 male and 2 female participants randomly selected from four game arcades. Semi-structured interview form was developed as a data collection tool and individual interviews were conducted with the children participating in the research. The findings show that children prefer digital games because they find it amusing, fun, enjoyable and exciting. Together with the changing game structure, it has emerged that multi-player online games affect the usage of game arcades of children. Children stated that they prefer to play in game arcades because they can be with their friends and there is no parental supervision. It was determined that children knew these environments through their friends and would not prefer these environments without their friends. Based on these findings, it was concluded that multi-player online games had an effect on the habits of children on using game arcades due to its facility of socialization with friends and playing without any restrictions.
Highlights
A game is defined as "any kind of competition based on agility, with the aim of developing physical and mental abilities" or "entertainment for having a good time while having certain rules and developing talent and intelligence" (URL-1, 2019)
When we look at the table, among the reasons why children play games in game arcades, the first place went to "digital games that are played in these environments are more enjoyable and attractive"
The point that needs attention is the findings that say children prefer digital games to be with their friends
Summary
A game is defined as "any kind of competition based on agility, with the aim of developing physical and mental abilities" or "entertainment for having a good time while having certain rules and developing talent and intelligence" (URL-1, 2019). By the 2000s, the elements of violence in digital games and the time children devoted to play began to increase (Anderson, Gentile & Buckley, 2007). With the widespread preference of digital games, many stakeholders, from parents to social scientists, educators and politicians, have increased concerns about the impact of digital games on children (Saleem, Anderson & Gentile, 2012). The increase in the researches about digital games in the literature can be considered as a reflection of this situation (Çavuş, Ayhan & Tuncer, 2016; Kim & Smith, 2017; Lin & Hou, 2016; Thorne, Smith, Morgan, Babic & Lubans, 2014; Toran, Ulusoy, Aydın, Deveci & Akbulut, 2016)
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