Critical Evaluation of the Reasons for Pubg Game Addiction

Abstract

Social media is exploring at a very high speed. It is an important aspect of today’s changing lifestyle. Online shopping, online booking for travel, food, grocery, etc. have become a part of social media. Also online gaming has come up with unique elements to communicate during playing, thus engaging the players for a longer period of time. This research is focusing on finding the various reasons for the popularity of the PubG online game as it has become the most played game by the college students.

Introduction

An online game is a video game played over some form of computer network. This network is usually the internet or equivalent technology. According to oxford dictionary, “A video game which is or can be played over a computer network (now usually the Internet); especially one enabling two or more players to participate simultaneously from different locations.”

The term ‘Online Gaming’ has multiple interpretations today, as internet and network platforms facilitate procurement or game-play of almost all games. Online gaming is defined based on:

• Channels used to procure or access the game.
• Device used to play
• Mode of game-play

Online games include all genres and can be played across single-player, multiplayer and massively multiplayer formats.

According to the Cambridge Business English Dictionary, Social media refers to the forms of media that allow people to communicate and share information using the internet or mobile phones. It includes websites, blogs and applications that enable the users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

Now-a-days, online games have also come up, enabling the players to communicate while playing. Although online games cannot be treated as 100% part of social media, but due to its communicating feature and as it can be played only through the use of internet, we cannot deny that somewhere it is connected to social media.

About PubG

Player unknown’s Battleground (PubG) is an online game which now-a-days has become very much popular among the college as well as school students. The game was launched on 20th December 2017 by Brandon Green, designer and director of Pubg Game and Chang Hang Kim, owner of a game development company – Ginno Games, in South Korea. In February 2018, the game was launched for Android and iOS to enable the players to play through mobile phones.

In PUBG, 100 players are taken off on an island with the help of a parachute, where they have to fight each other till the end. Every single one of them wants to be the last one standing and win. Thus, there is a do or die situation. Players can either play alone or they can make their own team of 2 or 4 players and get into the ground. They loot homes and hunting for weapons, armor and many different things, which are used to fight with each other. And at the game’s end, the player gets in-game currency, which is based on the time survival and other players being killed in a game. And that currency is used to buy weapons and other things inside the game.

Review of Literature

According to the research conducted by Internet service provider Jana for Quartz, PUBG MOBILE has made a substantial impact on Indian mobile gamers. (As per India Today – 28th Jan 2019) Out of the total 1,047 Indian respondents, around 61.9% respondents voted it as a top online game, beating other games such as Fortnite, Free Fire and others. And a majority of these players spend at least eight or more hours on the game on a weekly basis.

Navya H. Ajjar (Dept. of MCA, Adarsh Institute of Management & Information Technology, Bengaluru), in her research paper on ‘Impact of Online Games Among Young People in India’, has stated various effects of online gaming on health, family, lifestyle, etc. both positive and negative. Some of the positive effects include problem solving, quick thinking, hand-eye co-ordination, team work, etc. whereas the negative effects include aggressive behaviour, suicidal tendency, postural disorders, attention problem, etc.

Aditya Pratap Singh, in his paper on ‘Impact of Online Games on Young Indians, Leaving Victims’ published on 17th July 2017 by the International Journal of Legal Developments and Allied Issues, considers youth as the backbone of India’s development as it consists of 55% of the population. The study was conducted to understand the reasons for online games addiction and associated problems of younger generations. The problems found include severe health issues, family disputes, etc.

Objectives of the Study

• To understand the concept of Online gaming.
• To understand the different features of PubG game.
• To find out reasons for excessive playing of PubG game.

Research Methodology

This research is based on the primary data collected through a questionnaire. The Sample size is 30 college students of age group 16 to 20 years residing at Vasai-Virar studying in different colleges who play / has played PubG game. The history of this game is collected through secondary sources.

The limitations of this research are:

• It is mostly based on primary data.
• Only the male students of age group 16 to 20 have been surveyed.
• Samples are not from all the colleges of Vasai-Virar.

Data Analysis and Interpretation

Out of the 30 respondents, who all play PubG game, majority of the students (26 students i.e. 86.7%) are between 18 to 20 years. 30% students are engaged in playing for less than an hour, 50% students are engaged in playing for 1-3 hours, 13.3% students are engaged in playing for 3-5 hours while 6.7% students play for more than 5 hours in a day.

Besides PubG, the other games played by the students are / were GTA 5, Temple run, Pokemon Go, Counter strike, etc., the most played games being Clash of clans (44% students) & Subway surfer (32% students)

According to 63.3% students, PubG is better than other games while 16.7% students state that it is not. 20% students state that PubG might be better than other games. PubG is better than other games due to various reasons. The most unique feature is that it can be played with friends (as per half of the students surveyed). Other attracting features according to 12 students are communication during playing and excellent gaming features. Also the amazing weapons and most number of players, attract the students to play this game.

• 33.3% students think that they are addicted to the game while 66.7% don’t. All the students playing for 3-5 hours or more than 5 hours in a day accept that they are addicted. Out of the 15 students, playing for 1-3 hours, only 4 students think that they are addicted to the game.
• 56.7% (i.e. 17 students) still play this game regularly, 40% (i.e. 12 students) play sometimes while only 3.3% (i.e. only 1 student) has stopped playing this game. It shows that out of the 17 students who play regularly, only 10 students accept that they are addicted to the game.
• 13.3% students agree that the game has affected their studies while 53.3% students disagree. 33.3% students state that the game might have affected their studies.
• 13.3% students agree that the game has affected their family life while 76.7% students disagree. 10% students state that the game might have affected their family life.

Research Findings

PubG has become popular because of the following reasons:

• Enable to play with friends and communicate with them while playing.
• Excellent gaming features and amazing weapons
• Most number of players (i.e. 100) playing at a time

The 17 students who are still playing the game regularly are addicted to the game while 12 students who play sometimes are on the verge of addiction (mostly those who play more than 2 hours)

Suggestions

• Indeed PubG has flourished the gaming industry and has made a huge impact on the minds of students. But students should understand that gaming is a part of entertainment or a leisure time activity. It should not become a part of one’s daily schedule.
• Students should give priority for physical games rather than online/mobile games.
• Awareness should be created regarding overuse of mobile phones for gaming.
• Education can be more interesting through inclusion of online assignments, practical projects, etc. As online gaming is preferred by students, digitalization in education may increase the interest of students in studies.

Conclusion

Social media has greatly influenced the gaming industry, thus flourishing online gaming. The unique features of PubG game are a result of high competition in the gaming industry. These features were created by understanding the loopholes of other games. The features are indeed appreciable, but engage the players to play for more time. It has been observed that most of the games preferred by students are battle games which include war situations. This can have a negative impact on the minds of players, especially teenagers. Addiction to online gaming can be overcome through involvement in social activities, engaging self in pursuing hobbies, playing physical sports, etc. There is surely a scope for future research to find out more solutions for online gaming addiction.