The Negative Impact of Online Games on Student’S Behavior

In the era of technology today, online games are very popular in Indonesia even all over the world. According to Byron in Scoot & Porter-Armstrong (2013, p. 2), an online game is a digital game that utilises a live network connection in order to be played and is usually done through a games console, a portable gaming device, or a personal computer.

Almost everyone likes to play it, ranging from kindergartens, primary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools and adults. But the majority who play it are the students.

Indeed, market research indicates that the average number of hours spent each week on online gaming is increasing, with 12–14 year olds spending the most time on these games (NPD GROUP in Scoot & Porter-Armstrong, 2013, p. 2).

The reasons they play it is to relieve boredom after doing daily activities and as a means of pastime. However, the phenomenon of games online has made a lot of students become addicted so that cause negative impacts on their behavior.

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In 2010, Sublette & Mullan state that the types of video games that are consuming players‘ time and attention are dominated by the role-playing style of MMOGs, the MMORPGs. MMORPGs allow gamers to create their own avatar to explore and play with others from across the globe in self-contained, persistent, and immersive online worlds (Scoot & Porter-Armstrong, 2013, p. 2).

Some online games that are classified as MMORPGs such as: World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Izanagi Samurai Ninja Online, etc. Generally, those games contain elements of violence.

Some games containing elements of violence stimulate aggressive behavior that deviates among students. They tend to follow the characters within the game. It makes them want to try it in the real world. Consequently, those innocent people sometimes become victims of violence and even cause death.

Carnagey and Anderson (quoted by Hollingdale & Greitemeyer, 2014, p. 2) found that rewarding violence increased in-game violence and that rewards for killing other racing drivers and pedestrians, in the race-car video game Carmageddon 2, increased levels of hostile emotion, aggressive thinking and aggressive behaviour. While, Wei (2007, p. 378) states that playing violent videogames was found to be significantly related to greater tolerance of violence, lower emphatic attitude toward others, and a higher level of aggression.

Many cases that caused by violence content in online games. For example, Lee Malvo, the adolescent charged with a series of fatal sniper shootings in the Washington, D.C., area in 2002, cited his exposure to violent video games in his defense (Olson, Kutner & Warner, 2008, p. 57).

While in Indonesia especially in Bukit Tinggi, there was a violence case that was did by the students of elementary school, in a video recording that had duration of 1 minute 53 seconds, it showed the male students was beating up a female student in the corner of the room. KPAI claims that the violence was caused by the influence of television and online games. So, the supervision of parents and teachers is very necessary to avoid the violence around them.

Online games also become a media for the spread of pornography. Ferguson and Hartley (2009, p. 325) argue, "pornography as a form of media has invited a great deal of interest and controversy, especially regarding behavior related to sex offending and rape.”. There are some games containing elements of pornography such as playboy the mansion and 7sins.

Absolutely these games do not deserve to be played by students who are still classified as children. Because children will imitate what he sees and plays. No wonder, a lot of cases today about sexual violence, rape, and free sex in all circles. The last few months of March 2016, it circulated a photo in social media, there was a couple of elementary school students had just finished having sex in a hotel room. It proves that in their minds have been poisoned by pornography.

The existence of game online cause the nature of individualism among the students. They prefer to be alone rather than socialize in the community. They are busy with their own world, causing indifference toward the people around them. It happened because online games can give them what they want, such as wealth and power. It has recently been claimed (Olson, Kutner, and Warner, 2008, p. 63) that boys talked about playing games with violent content as a way to express their fantasies of power and glory.

They will also feel like being a special person. For example in the gaming world they become heroes who help others and have a duty to fight crime. In fact, in the real world they are just ordinary people who do not have any achievement and has many problems in their environment. So, online games only make them to live in their fantasies and engrossed with their own world without considering other people in real life.

The gamers also tend to ignore their obligations either at home or at school. They become lazy and do not obey the commands of their parents. When their parents asked them to keep their little brother for a while, they said, “yes, i will do it.”, but they were busy playing games. They also forget the time to pray and even to tidy up their rooms, they did not want.

D.A Gentile et al (2003, p. 6) state that a number of studies have shown a negative association between amount of video game play and school performance for children, adolescents, and college students (e.g. Harris & Wiliams 1985; Creasey & Myers, 1986; Lieberman, Chaffee, & Roberts, 1988; van Schie & Wiegman, 1997; Roberts, Foehr, Rideout, & Brodie, 1999; Anderson & Dill, 2000; Walsh, 2000).

In school, gamers who have addicted do not concentrate on their learning. They play games when their teacher teach in class. They do not pay attention to what their teacher said before, so when they are given the test, they do not know the answer of question. As a result, it may lead to a decrease in their learning achievement. For example, high-school students who report spending more time playing video games or who report spending more money on video games had poorer grades in English classes (Harris & Wiliams by Gentile et al, 1985, p. 6).

Besides, the gamers tend to force their parents to meet their financial needs so that they can play games. if their desire is not achieved, it will arise the urge to commit theft. Consequently, parents or others become their victims. chairman of the division of socialization KPAI, Erlinda said on republika.co.id that recently there were parents who filed counseling to her due to child's addiction to the game, the parents got losses of up to 40 million rupiahs because of the level of game addiction is severe (Jakarta, Monday 25/4). Then in this case, online games affect the financial extravagance.

In conclusion, online games have addictive properties, causing negative impacts on the behavior of gamers. Seeing the negative impact that is caused by online games such as violence, pornography, theft, individualisme, even indifference to the obligations, of course, it is needed a solution to reduce or even overcome the negative impact.

The role of parents is very important to resolve this issue. Parents should monitor their children play games and then choose games appropriate to their age. Next, make a joint agreement to limit the time playing online games, and give an explanation of the effects of playing online games and any behavior that should not be imitated. In addition, parents should encourage their children to play their environment that can spark creativity and awaken their concern for society and the environment.

Finally, this issue does require attention from various parties, including government, parents or employers engaged in Internet services. Because we can not hinder the development of technology. So, do not let the existence of online games makes this generation does not have the capability anything, except his ability in playing the game.

References

• Olson, C. K, Lawrence, A. K., Dorothy E. W. (2008). The role of violent game content: Boy’s perspectives. Journal of Adolescents Research, 23, 55-75.
• Hollingdale, J., Tobias. G. (2014). The effect of online violent games on levels of aggression. PloS ONE, 9, 1-5.
• Gentile, D. A., Paul J. L., et al. (2003). The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggresive behaviors, and school performance. Journal of Adolescent, 9, 5-22.
• Ferguson, C. J. , Richard D. H. (2009). The influence of pornography on rape and sexual assault. Aggression and violent behavior, 14, 323-329.
• Sublette, V. A ; Barbara M. (2010). Consequences of play: A systematic review of the effects of online gaming. Int J Ment Health Addiction, 10, 3-23.
• Scott, J., Alison P. Porter-Armstrong. (2013). Impact of multiplayer online role-playing games upon the psychosocial well-being of adolescents and young adults: Reviewing the evidence. Psychiatry Journal, 1-8.
• Wei R (2007) Effects of playing violent video games on Chinese adolescents’ proviolence attitudes, attitudes towards others, and aggressive behavior. Cyberpsychology ; Behaviour 10: 371–380.