The Relationship Between Computer Gambling and Academic Performance of High School Students

Abstract

While some sources say that playing video games has potential benefits whether in medicine or science, other sources take a different view and say that it can have various negative impacts. Video games are becoming more attractive thanks to their social, intellectual and emotional possibilities compared to television, movies or radio. The issue of gaming is increasingly discussed today mainly due to the large number of available platforms on which to play. Games are becoming more and more realistic both in terms of graphics and artificial intelligence. It is relatively difficult to avoid the influence of games with ever-improving mobile games or games on social networks. Playing games is no longer a home affair but it has become ubiquitous. All of these aspects can have a negative impact on pupils’ welfare across all age groups and may pose a risk of possible addiction. The aim of this paper is to describe the impact of computer gambling on school performance. The subject of this study was a group of 138 high school students studying to be computer science teachers. In addition, the authors also examined the latest gaming trends of the current generation of high school students and possible manifestations of addiction to playing video games in this group of individuals. The research was carried out using a questionnaire survey, projective methods (word association experiment and incomplete sentence test) and analysis of school documents. The aim of the questionnaire survey was to determine the player preferences of the examined individuals and their subjective perception of their own playing of games. Projective methods were used to determine the affective responses of individuals to stimuli related to playing games. School documentation was a source of records of a particular student. The study’s findings suggest a potential relationship between playing video games and academic performance of the individuals and the obvious signs of addiction in some of the individuals involved.