Read the passage given below.
Playing videogames provides entertainment and many social and psychological rewards. However, videogame addiction also needs to be considered. Researchers have noted that the number of hours spent playing videogames is not necessarily a core indicator of addiction. Instead, several factors such as how fun or challenging a game is, or being able to play with friends are also important determinants to understanding whether a game is addictive or just engaging.
A study investigated the reasons for smartphone game addiction. This was done by analysing the reviews of games. Reviews were collected from games across different categories in an app store. A total of 25,200 reviews were collected containing references to the game being addictive. These reviews were analysed and the number of times different factors were mentioned for terming a game as addictive was recorded.
Table 1: Frequency of factors associated with smartphone gaming addiction, as seen in the reviews of the games.
It was seen that 22.37% of the total reviews in the study that described a game as 'addictive', also described it as 'challenging'. This was the most common factor associated with addictive games, out of all the 9 factors. This was followed by 15.7% of the reviews mentioning the factor of ' friends'. Although it is a cliché, the ubiquity of the internet has made the world a global village. Friends can now play and interact as a group, build virtual relationships within the game, and attain social recognition from others, without even meeting in person. All of these factors can be highly engaging to players, and for some, these could become addictive.
Question 2 (i)
Based on the passage, state any two reasons why we need to study videogames.
1. __________
2. __________
Answer:
- Videogames need to be studied to better understand their positive effects on people.
- The factors that could increase addiction to a game need to be understood better.
- If videogames are understood better, steps can be taken to prevent addiction to them.
