Prevalence of Cyberbullying and Addiction in Mobile Gaming among Tertiary Students in one University in the Philippines: An Ethical Discussion in the lens of Consequentialism

Abstract

Mobile gamification has been explored to understand the possibility of its application to promote engagement and motivation for learning among students. However, it cannot be disputed that the growing market for mobile games has drawn several ethical setbacks. Two of the setbacks arising from mobile gaming are addiction and cyberbullying. Mobile Game Addiction and Cyberbullying are ethical concerns that should be addressed respectively as it hampers regular individual activities particularly of students in an academic institution. In the Philippines, very few or no studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence of ethical concerns in mobile gaming specifically on Mobile Game Addiction and Cyberbullying. It is the role of the present study to determine the prevalence of Cyberbullying and Addiction in the context of Mobile Gaming among students of one University in the Philippines through the Quantitative Approach. Existing Surveys were used to determine the possible prevalence of Cyberbullying and Addiction. Additionally, a discussion on consequentialism about the ethical dilemma in mobile gaming is addressed through Qualitative approach. From the Game Addiction Test, the over-all mean suggested that thirty-six (36) out of the eighty-eight (88) respondents are at risk for Mobile Game addiction, whereas, six (6) can be classified as mobile game addicts. The test also revealed that the respondents play mobile games for Mood Modification (the need to shift from a bad mood to a good mood). For Cyberbullying, it is not conclusive that majority of the respondents have experience or have initiated cyberbullying in mobile games. Nevertheless, a few of the respondents have become a victim or have initiated cyberbullying. Ethical discussion on Consequentialism and recommendations are discussed in the latter part of the paper.