A personal computer game is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine.
Computer games have evolved from the simple graphics and game play of early titles like Space war! PC games are created by one or more game developers, often in conjunction with other specialists and either published independently or through a third party publisher. They may then be distributed on physical media such as DVDs and CDs, as Internet-downloadable shareware, or through online delivery services such as Direct2Drive and Steam.PC games often require specialized hardware in the user's computer in order to play, such as a specific generation of graphics processing unit or an Internet connection for online play, although these system requirements vary from game to game. Computer games and game addiction are often the subject of criticism, focusing largely on the influence of objectionable content and prolonged game play on minors.
The Entertainment Software Association and other groups maintain that parents are responsible for moderating their children's behavior, although the controversy has prompted attempts to control the sale of certain games. With the increased popularity of the Internet, online distribution of game content has become more common.Retail services such as Direct2Drive and Download.com allow users to purchase and download large games that would otherwise only be distributed on physical media, such as DVDs, as well as providing cheap distribution of shareware and demonstration games. Other services, allow a subscription-based distribution model in which users pay a monthly to download and play as many games as they wish. The Steam system, developed by Valve Corporation, provides an alternative to traditional online services.
Instead of allowing the player to download a game and play it immediately, games are made available for "pre-load" in an encrypted form days or weeks before their actual release date.On the official release date, a relatively small component is made available to unlock the game. Steam also ensures that once bought, a game remains accessible to a customer indefinitely, while traditional mediums such as floppy disks and CD-ROMs are susceptible to unrecoverable damage and misplacement. Multiplayer gaming was largely limited to local area networks (LANs) before cost-effective broadband Internet access became available, due to their typically higher bandwidth and lower latency than the dial-up services of the time. These advantages allowed more players to join any given computer game, but have persisted today because of the higher latency of most Internet connections and the costs associated with broadband Internet. LAN gaming typically requires two or more personal computers, a router and sufficient networking cables to connect every computer on the network.
Additionally, each computer must have a network card installed or integrated onto its motherboard in order to communicate with other computers on the network. Optionally, any LAN may include an external connection to the Internet. Online multiplayer games have achieved popularity largely as a result of increasing broadband adoption among consumers. Affordable high-bandwidth Internet connections allow large numbers of players to play together, and thus have found particular use in massively multiplayer online RPGs, Tanarus and persistent online games such as World War II Online.Although it is possible to participate in online computer games using dial-up modems, broadband internet connections are generally considered necessary in order to reduce the latency between players (commonly known as "lag"). Such connections require a broadband-compatible modem connected to the personal computer through a network interface card (generally integrated onto the computer's motherboard), optionally separated by a router.
Online games require a virtual environment, generally called a "game server." These virtual servers inter-connect gamers, allowing real time, and often fast paced action. To meet this subsequent need, Game Server Providers (GSP) have become increasingly more popular over the last half decade. While not required for all gamers, these servers provide a unique "home," fully customizable (such as additional modifications, settings, etc) - giving the end gamers the experience they desire.
Today there are over 500,000 game servers hosted in North America alone. Computer games have long been a source of controversy, particularly related to the violence that has become commonly associated with video gaming in general. The debate surrounds the influence of objectionable content on the social development of minors, with organizations such as the American Psychological Association concluding that video game violence increases children's aggression, a concern that prompted a further investigation by the Center for Disease Control in September 2006.Industry groups have responded by noting the responsibility of parents in governing their children's activities, while attempts in the United States to control the sale of objectionable games have generally been found unconstitutional. Video game addiction is another cultural aspect of gaming to draw criticism as it can have a negative influence on health and on social relations.
It has, in an extreme case, led to death as a result of prolonged game play. The problem of addiction and its health risks seems to have grown with the rise of Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs).Statement of the ProblemThis research aimed to discover the influence of computer on line games and its effects on the academic performance of high school students of Mount Carmel College, Baler, Aurora. This is the focus of the study and all questions stated should be categorically answered: 1) How do the respondents’ profile be described in terms of:1.1 Age,1.2 Gender,1.
3 Year,1.4 Residence,1.5 Parents occupation, 1.6 Presence of computer at home?2) What are computer on line games that are commonly played, hours the students spend playing and time of the day the high school students commonly play?3) How may the playing of computer on line games influence the life of the students?4) What are the effects of playing computer on line games on the academic performance of the students?5) Is there a significant relationship between profile and the influence of computer online games on high school students?6) Is there a significant relationship between computer online games in the academic performance of high school students?Hypothesis of the Study There is a significant relationship between the profile of the and influence of computer online games on the academic performance of the high school students.Significance of the Study This study is expected to bring important data that would be of a great impact to the students and their parents, school administrators and teachers and the researcher. The playing of computer online games is now a part of students’ culture.
The result of this study could help the students to see the influence in their life and the effects of playing computer online games on their academic performance. It also helps them to realize that their low academic performance is not only on the teacher factor but also with the attitude of the students himself towards their study habits. Parents are the one who support the students financially.This study helps to provide the parents with further and deeper insight on how their children spend extravagantly their money in playing of computer online games and how it influence the life and how it affects the academic performance of their children. This study will enhance involvement of the parents to discipline and guide their children to go and play computer on line games during school hours. For school administrators and teachers, this study also provides foresight on to how teaching strategies could arouse and encourage the pupils’ interest in studying their lessons instead of playing computers.
This study will also encourage them to discourage the computer shops to offer on line games played by the students during school hours. Hopefully, this study will eventually help them to continue further studies related with this research work.Scope and Limitation This study includes the 100% or total enumeration of the high school students of Mount Carmel College, Baler, Aurora A.Y.
2008-2009. There are one hundred eighty-five (185) first year students, one hundred fifty (150) second year students, one hundred sixty-three (163) third year students and one hundred sixty-seven (167) fourth year students.A resume of literature related to the influence of computer on line games and its effects on the academic performance of the high school students and also studies made by foreign and local authors relevant to this study are hereby presented in this chapter.Profile of StudentsAge Johannes Fromme reveals that computer games were now a part of children’s culture.
The interactive video and computer games belong to the new multimedia culture that is based on the digital computer technology. These games have become increasingly popular in the past 20 to 25 years, especially among young people. In the beginning they were mainly played by youth and young adults who were enthusiastic about computers. During the early nineties, however, video and computer games became a matter-of-course in the everyday life of young people, including children.
Based also from the study of Johanne Fromme, he emphasize that computer activities was performed by children 6-13 years old.The third study he wants to refer to was carried out by the same research association in Germany, but it addressed a different age group: 12 to 19 year olds. Again young adults were asked to report which of the named PC activities they practised regularly. The results indicate another gender difference: In this age group playing computer games is the most popular activity for boys, but not for girls. The same difference does not exist in the the 6 to 13 age group where playing computer games (alone) is the most popular kind of PC use for both boys and girls.
This might lead to the following hypotheses: Girls lose some interest in computer games when they get older and turn towards the more "serious" types of PC use. Boys, on the other hand, mainly use the PC as a "game machine" throughout their childhood and teenage years. But as the findings come from two different samples and not from a longitudinal study we cannot take these as granted statements, yet. GenderMore than half of the boys (55.
7 percent) and about 29 percent of the girls reported they played regularly, about 40 percent of the boys and 51 percent of the girls said they played casually, and about 6 percent of the boys and 20 percent of the girls said they did not play computer games. Only 2.2 percent of our sample never played any video or computer game. The questionnaire included several questions for those who did not play.
The children's answers informed us that they had decided not to do so, mostly because they were engaged in other activities (Fromme, Meder & Vollmer, 2000: 167-175). Lacking access to a computer or a console does not seem to be of any relevance here.On the whole video and computer games seem to be a matter-of-course for most of the children. But there are significant gender differences here - and in most other areas of the study. Boys play more often and more regularly than girls do.
This indicates different media use styles, and to some extent different leisure preferences of boys and girls. Boys and girls reported different preferences. The favorite games of the boys were action and fighting games (33 percent), sport games (21 percent) and platform games (17 percent). The favorite games of the girls, on the other hand, were platform games (48 percent) and think or puzzle games (20 percent). As the different types of games represent different contents these findings probably reflect well-known gender differences with regard to relevant interests.
We can assume that these gender differences also are connected to the fact that most of the games neither present active female characters (Fromme & Gecius, 1997) nor deal with topics that girls usually show interest in - such as beauty or social relations (Schorb, 1993; Jungwirth, 1993; Kafai, 1996).Games Commonly PlayedA second question referred to the favorite games of the children. In order to reduce the complexity of the questionnaire we decided to ask the children to name their current favorite video or computer game (open question). It remained the task of the researchers to decide how they fit into our typology of computer games (Fromme, Meder & Vollmer, 2000: 35). Altogether 915 children responded, and most of them were able to tell the name of their favorite game.
The others wrote down a short description or explained it to the interviewers (e.g. car racing, a game where you have to arrange cards). Hours the students Spend Time in Playing.
