Game, Environment and Peer Effect on Children on the Digital Gaming Habits in Game Arcades
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.
Keywords
References
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