Abstract
Today, with the developing technology, the use of computers, mobile phones and the internet has become indispensable tools of people’s lives. Technology has created new risks while facilitating the living conditions. Especially, there are various addiction concepts that negatively affect human life. Digital game addiction has been added to the concepts of addiction. Game addiction negatively affects the cognitive, psychological and social life of the individual. It is seen that such addiction rapidly spreading around the world are also widespread among children and young people in Turkey. The young population in Turkey is quite intense; it is necessary to investigate the problems related to digital games and find the optimal solution. In this research, it is aimed to investigate the digital game addiction, communication and loneliness perception levels of university students in terms of demographic variables. The sample of the study included 646 students studying at İnönü University in the 2018-2019 academic year. A survey that consists of personal information form, Digital Game Addiction Scale, Communication Skills Scale and UCLA Loneliness scale were used to collect data. The data obtained from the study were analyzed using independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance test (ANOVA) and Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation Analysis. According to the results; digital game addictions of the participants vary according to gender, grade, parental educational degree, daily playing time and number of siblings. However, income level has no effect on digital gaming addiction. While gender, grade level, mother’s educational degree, duration of play and number of siblings have effects on communication skills; father’s education level and income level have no effect on it. There are significant relationships between students’ perception of loneliness and gender, mother and father educational degree and duration of playing time. One of the main finding obtained in the study; is a significant relationship between digital game addiction and communication skills while there is no statistically significant correlation between digital game addiction and loneliness.
Highlights
The developing information and communication technology has changed the daily lives and habits
The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of digital game addiction levels on level of loneliness and perception of communication skills by using demographic variables. 356 female and 290 male students from İnönü University participated in this study
It is thought that individuals who are addicted to digital games feel lonely and cannot establish social relations with their environment
Summary
The developing information and communication technology has changed the daily lives and habits. The importance of internet and virtual environment in the lives has increased. Children who previously played traditional games with their friends in street and parks prefer to play on computer in electronic virtual environments (Horzum, Ayas, & Balta, 2008; Gentile, 2009; Yiğit, 2017; Bülbül, Tunç, & Aydil, 2018; Göldağ, 2018). As a result of these preferences, the number of individuals who are addicted to digital games increases day by day in the world. Among the most important problems, digital gaming addiction is seen as a danger for children and young people and it is a danger for individuals of middle age and older as well. Griffiths stated that playing excessive and continuous digital games may lead to addiction and defined as the unconscious use of computer and video games that cause social or emotional problems in the individual (Griffths, 1995)
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