A Field Research on Digital Playing Tendencies and Addiction of High School Students

Introduction

The continuous advancement of technology and the increase in digitalization increase the importance of individuals' virtualization and digital addiction levels day by day. Virtualization and digital addiction draw attention as an important agenda topic in many developed or developing countries in the world. At this point, the virtualization of individuals causes the virtualization of society over time, and the society creates the impulse of virtualization.

With the development of technology, there is a great transformation in the world.

In parallel with the rapid development of technology, digital media tools such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, and televisions, which have entered almost every home, have become an integral part of life. So much so that some people cannot do without digital media tools. This situation has revealed the concept of digital addiction today (Montag & Walla, 2016).

It has been revealed by more and more researchers that digital addiction affects the emotions and personality traits of individuals. Individuals who interact intensively with technological tools begin to decrease the importance they attach to interaction and bonding with other individuals and to break away from social life.

With the widespread use of digital media tools, it has become possible to access computer games or digital games easily from almost any environment.

However, since digital games are prepared to attract everyone's attention, not only children or young people, but also adults may become addicted to these games.

“Digital game addiction”; It can be defined as the inability of individuals to stop playing games for a long time, to identify the game with real life, to become unable to fulfill their basic responsibilities due to playing games, to prefer playing games to other activities, to make sacrifices from their social relationships or not to give up digital games despite having to sleep deprivation (Gürcan, 2007). Ozhan & Uslu, 2008). In this context, it is seen that computer games, which have become so important and effective in the lives of children, young people and adults, cause digital game addiction.

Games always have an important place in people's lives. In the past, games such as hide-and-seek, hopscotch, and hopscotch have been legendary games for those who play these games. With the development of technology, such games have been replaced by games on the computer and atari, and because of these games, people have begun to spend less time with their friends. Nowadays, studies on digital game addiction have begun to be carried out due to the fact that even young children have mobile phones in their hands, computers, tablets or game consoles are in almost every home, and the interest in these is increasing day by day (Köksal, 2015, p. 27).

It is possible to say that children who follow technology closely today show intense sympathy for digital games and digital games have become one of the popular culture concepts among young people.

Griffiths (2009) determined seven criteria to determine the child's digital game addictions. These seven items are; “Does he play games almost every day?”, “Does he play video games for long periods of time?”, “Does he play games for excitement and enthusiasm?”, “Does he feel restless, uncomfortable, and unstable when he does not play?”, “Does he have a social life to play? and does he sacrifice his sportive activities?”, “Does he prefer to play games instead of doing his homework?”, “He tries to reduce the time he plays, but does not succeed?” is If the child answers yes to at least four or more of these seven items, he/she said that he/she has problematic playing behavior (Act. Hazar, 2016, pp. 82-83).