The Relationship Between Digital Gaming and Behaviors, Thoughts, and Feelings among Saudi College Students

Abstract

This study is investigating the relationships between playing video games and aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. The participants are Male and female Saudi college students at Taibah University. The study conducted for two main purposes. Examining correlations between the amount of violence in video games played and aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings is the first purpose. While the other purpose is examining the relationship between the amount of time playing video games in childhood and in current time with aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. The theoretical framework was drawn for this study consists of two theories: social learning theory and catharsis. Social learning theory relies on observation and imitating lead to copy that actions in reality. Regarding video games impact, the players might imitate the violence and copy that behaviors in real life. Catharsis has the opposite viewpoint of observing violence in social learning theory. Catharsis suggests that observing and experiencing violence in video games help in getting out of negative emotions such anger in real life. A self- report questionnaire is used in collecting data. The present study used the same research design for Anderson and Dill Study 1 (2000). Adapted questionnaire in their study and two items from video game index they created are used in this study. SPSS used in all statistical analysis. Correlations and regression are run in order to answer all research questions. The major findings suggested that there are no relationships in general between the amount of violence in video games and the amount of time playing video games and aggressive behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. However, there is a positive moderate correlation between the amount of time playing video games in childhood and verbally aggressive behaviors among only female Saudi college students. The present study suggests to consider culture aspect in measuring video games impact by using GCAM criteria which they are working on to improve and make them more clear. There are other factors might effect the relationship also beside violence level in video games such as competitiveness in games, pace of action, and difficulty.