MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ DIGITAL GAME EXPERIENCES IN THE CITY OF MAKKAH IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative study is to investigate middle school students" experiences with gaming in Makkah City in Saudi Arabia. This study described the current condition of video game usage and compared that depth of usage to current academic grade point average (GPA). Also, it showed the difference between gender, and students" age and described the types of video games and elements that attract students to play video games. There were 201 middle schools students from Makkah who participated in this study. The study found there was a significant relationship between hours spent playing video games and students" GPAs. They also showed a significant difference between gender in hours spent playing video games and that there was no significant statistical difference between the middle schools students" ages in hours spent playing video games. Additionally, male students were perceived to have higher positive attitudes toward video games than females. Finally, the results suggested that there are three underlying factors (competition, discover, and knowledge) that attract students to play video games.