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Positive effects of online games on the growth of college students: A qualitative study from China

1 School of Nursing, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China

2 School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China

Chaoqun Dong

Jingjing zhang, associated data.

The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.

This study aimed to explore the positive effects of online games on college students’ psychological demands and individual growth.

A qualitative study design was carried out in September 2021. Semi-structured, in-depth, and individual interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 undergraduates who played the online game “Glory of Kings” from six universities. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the positive features caused by “Glory of Kings”.

College students reported three positive effects of online games, namely, satisfying the need for personal growth, meeting the requirement of social life and promoting academic performance.

College educators and families should take advantage of the positive effect of online games to guide college students to use online games reasonably.

1. Introduction

According to the survey data of the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), by the end of December 2021, the number of netizens in China reached 1.032 billion, of which the number of online game users reached 554 million ( CNNIC, 2022 ). The number of game apps reached 709,000, accounting for 28.2% of all apps ( CNNIC, 2022 ). Online games include massive, multiplayer, online role-playing games (MMORPGs), first-person shooter (FPS), real-time strategy (RTS) games, and other games ( Park et al., 2016 ). MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game, a subgenre of RTS games where two teams of five players usually play against each other ( Mora-Cantallops and Sicilia, 2018b ), is one of the most popular online games in China because of its competitive, interactive, and simple operating characteristics. Specifically, “Glory of Kings,” as a MOBA game, is listed at the top of the Chinese mobile game charts for contemporary college students ( Huang, 2021 ).

Online games are criticized by educators because many students invest a lot of time, money, and energy into games, which seriously affects their academic studies, social interaction, and physical and mental health, and ultimately leads to the tragedy of online game addiction ( Freeman, 2008 ; Kuss and Griffiths, 2012 ; Blinka and Mikuška, 2014 ; Xu et al., 2017 ). Online game addiction, as one of the most serious behavioral addictions ( Lopez-Fernandez, 2018 ), could cause a series of physical and mental problems, such as poor sleep, depression, anxiety, or even death ( Ferguson et al., 2011 ; Kuss and Griffiths, 2012 ; Wei et al., 2012 ). Meanwhile, parents’ opposition to online games can also be observed in family education. Studies have shown that the more addicted adolescents are to online games, the worse their parents’ attitude toward online games ( Jeong and Kim, 2011 ). Many adolescents who love playing online games face restrictions or prohibitions from their parents over the time spent on the Internet or other ways. For example, in a study of 2,021 adolescents, parental restrictions were 1.9 times higher among adolescents who were overly addicted to online games than among other adolescents ( Wu et al., 2016 ). Parents who do not show enough attention to their children promptly can lead to children using online games to divert negative family-related emotions ( Xu et al., 2021 ).

However, it is worth noting that the majority of studies focus on the negative effects of online games ( Lo et al., 2005 ; Ng and Wiemer-Hastings, 2005 ; Yc, 2006 ; Smyth, 2007 ; Li and Wang, 2013 ), while positive effects are neglected. In fact, playing online games at a moderate level could be beneficial to players’ personal psychological growth and interpersonal relationships ( Ko et al., 2005 ; Yee, 2006b ; Granic et al., 2014 ). In terms of emotional experience, existing research on the emotional impact of online games suggests that they have the potential to reduce depression, stress and obtain happiness ( Wu and Liu, 2007 ; Ari et al., 2020 ; Pine et al., 2020 ). In the process of psychological development, college students’ cognitive, memory, and other mental skills are proved to be enhanced by online games ( Boot et al., 2008 ; Glass et al., 2013 ; Oei and Patterson, 2013 ). There is evidence that games have the potential to provoke thought about the player’s personal development and ideals and increase the sense of self-realization if the players have strong ability in online games ( Nuangjumnong, 2014 ; Bopp et al., 2016 ; Mora-Cantallops and Sicilia, 2018a ). In social life, online games also establish the value of social connectedness and enhance the sense of interaction ( McClelland et al., 2011 ; Snodgrass et al., 2011 ; Oliver et al., 2016 ). Sublette and Mullan (2010 , p. 20) argue that through online games “socialization may just shift in focus: while real-world relationships eroded for some players.” It is further proposed that intimacy in games will also extend to offline real life, and shared game experience will reinforce offline communication ( Kim and Kim, 2017 ; Lai and Fung, 2019 ). MOBA games focus on personality development and teamwork in battle ( Yang et al., 2014 ; Mora-Cantallops and Sicilia, 2018b ). In other words, electronic space expands social communication to the virtual field ( Yee, 2006a ) and increases the team cooperation consciousness, leading to diverse communication ways. Besides, in terms of learning, online games are proven to help students engage in learning activities ( Iaremenko, 2017 ; Schenk et al., 2017 ; Calvo-Ferrer and Belda-Medina, 2021 ).

Existing research confirms that the academic performance and satisfaction of Chinese college students positively impact on the continued use of the “Glory of Kings” and promote the reconstruction of the player’s social image ( Chen and Chang, 2020 ). As mentioned above, previous studies have examined various positive aspects of online games, but the studies are based on foreign cultural contexts. Research subjects from different cultural backgrounds may have different perceptions and influences on online games, so it is culturally significant to study the positive influence of online games on Chinese college students. In other words, whether they can apply to the Chinese culture and environment or whether similar conclusions can be drawn among the Chinese college gamer population, has not been verified. Moreover, although “Glory of Kings” is widely concerned and popular among college students, few scholars in China try to evaluate the positive impact of “Glory of Kings” on college students. The design and development of “Glory of Kings” have distinctive Chinese cultural characteristics, therefore, the choice of “Glory of Kings” as a carrier for the study has cultural significance. Secondly, the widespread usage of “Glory of Kings” among college students provides universality for the study. Third, since most of the existing studies are quantitative, qualitative research can enrich the existing research results, explore new experiences, and make relevant suggestions for higher education and family education. In conclusion, given the current popularity and influence of “Glory of Kings” in China, an in-depth study of Chinese college student players was conducted using it as a medium for qualitative research.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. participants.

A purposive sampling method was adopted to select college students who were “Glory of Kings” players from six universities or colleges in Zhejiang Province. Inclusion criteria: (1) college students; (2) playing the “Glory of Kings” game for more than 1 year; (3) have participated in the “Glory of Kings” game in the ranking tournament; and (4) informed consent and voluntary participation. Exclusion criteria: (1) college students suspended from school due to physical problems; (2) students who have a medical history of mental illness or psychiatric disorders and who were screened as having mental problems in the students’ general psychological test. The sample size was determined based on the principle of theoretical saturation. Interviews were conducted until reached theoretical saturation—that is, when the 18th participants did not provide new insights, and two more interviews were conducted to verify if new information would emerge. In the end, no new ideas were found to emerge making the sample size appropriate for this study. Among 23 students who were invited to participate, one student refused to participate due to lack of interest, and two persons were unable to participate due to time conflicts. Eventually, 20 college students (13 males and 7 females) were interviewed. Their ages ranged from 18 to 21 years, and their experience in playing the “Glory of Kings” game ranged from 2 to 6 years. The detailed information of participants is shown in Table 1 .

The basic information of the “Glory of Kings” player interviewees.

M, male; F, female. Years of playing “Glory of Kings” is calculated from the first time start playing the game.

2.2. Data collection

Participants were recruited in September 2021 with the assistance of the university’s gaming societies. The gaming societies presented the study recruitment information to members via social media. Participation was voluntary, and no incentive was offered for participation. The demographic information was collected before the interview, and the GPA information was collected at the beginning and end of the semester. The pilot-tested, semi-structured interviews were conducted using pre-determined, open-ended questions. The interviewers were conducted by two senior undergraduate students who had acquired knowledge of psychology, interpersonal communication, and qualitative research through relevant training prior to conducting this study. When conducting the interviews, they would follow a unified syllabus and agree on the follow-up questions. The interviews were conducted in a combination of online and offline formats. For participants located in Wenzhou City, interviews were conducted face-to-face in a meeting room at Wenzhou Medical University, where the environment was quiet and undisturbed. For participants located outside of Wenzhou City, online video interviews were conducted using social media. In addition to questions on demographic information, the interview syllabus was as follows:

• 1. Why do you play games?
• 2. How do you feel about being a player in the game of “Glory of Kings?”
• 3. What do you expect to gain from playing the game of “Glory of Kings?” And what do you actually gain from the game?
• 4. What is your experience with playing the game? And what experiences do you find enjoyable?
• 5. What are the best and worst things you think happen in the game?
• 6. What personal changes do you think have occurred after playing the game?
• 7. Is there anything else you would like to talk about on this topic?

All interviews were conducted at the time most convenient to the participants, and the interview schedule was determined 1 day in advance. Before the interview, participants were told about the procedures, such as how long the interview would last, the topics to be discussed, and permission to record the interview. Each interviewee lasted for approximately 30–40 min. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed within 24 h after the interview. Two researchers independently completed and checked transcription to reduce personal biases.

2.3. Data analysis

Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data ( Braun and Clarke, 2006 ) and data were analyzed using qualitative analysis software NVivo 10. The steps were as follows: (1) transcript reading, preliminary coding, and note-taking; (2) developing final codes by reading and rereading the transcripts to identify patterns and themes; (3) developing a thematic mind map; (4) defining and naming themes and sub-themes, and (5) preparing the final report with an analysis of the selected fragments. Data were analyzed by two researchers to ensure reliability, when other researchers examined and validated the data, codes, and analyses by holding regular research team meetings. Textual information was discussed by the researchers several times until a consensus was reached. In addition, the results of the preliminary analysis were shared with the participants for their reviews and comments. The analysis was done in Chinese and the quotes were then translated into English and checked by a native translator who was not involved with the data collection (see Table 2 for an example of the process).

Thematic analysis of transcribed data from interviews with 20 people with the online game “Glory of Kings”.

Examples of meaning units, condensed meaning units, and subthemes and theme.

2.4. Ethical considerations

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Wenzhou Medical University (2022-028). This study complies with the Helsinki Declaration’s guidelines. After obtaining both verbal and written information about the study, the participants signed informed consent. Written informed consent was obtained from the individuals for the participation in this study and the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article, and the data was password-protected and encrypted. Each participant was assigned a coding reference, which referred to the participant’s number and gender (i.e., M3 refers to respondent 3, Male gender). During the interviews, the researchers treated the participants with respect, listened intently, and responded to their questions.

Three themes were identified from the data material, namely, meeting the college student’s personal growth, satisfying the social needs of college students, and promoting academic performance.

3.1. Meeting the need for personal growth

3.1.1. relieve stress and achieve happiness.

Online games, because of the characteristics of confrontation, entertainment and challenge, make it a way for college students to vent their emotions. Most interviewees believe that the fast pace of university brings them great study pressure. Also, college students of different grades report different sources of stress, such as pressure from parents, peers, academics, etc. However, no matter what kind of stress leads to negative emotions, they can be relieved through entertainment games. Following are typical quotes from gamers who said that the game can relieve negative emotions and bring positive feelings.

Game is not a necessity, but I would occasionally indulge in it. I like to live happily in virtual games (M5, 20-year-old).

When encounter troubles, I choose to play a few rounds of games. Although the pleasure brought by the game is temporary, it could fade away the troubles (M1, 20-year-old).

I went through a particularly bad period last semester… Later, I fell in love with “Glory of Kings,” and sometimes I even stayed up late to play games… However, when I was addicted to games temporarily, my pressure was released, which provides enough energy and enthusiasm to face difficulties (F7, 19-year-old).

3.1.2. Overcome the shortcomings and gain self-awareness

Due to the nature of “Glory of Kings,” it provides a platform for college students to fully enhance their consciousness. The characteristics of the five different roles in this game can also further prompt players to recognize their shortcomings and provide a reference for players to understand themselves. Players whose self-awareness is not clear enough get a clearer understanding through the game, and players whose self-perception is vague or even sometimes wrong get a chance to correct it. Following are typical quotes from gamers who have better self-awareness.

Gradually, I started to think about the reason, until I realized that I lacked a sense of the big picture and cooperation. Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to work with my team on offense, which provides me with a better chance of victory. In life, I also recognized similar shortcomings and corrected them (F1, 19-year-old).

I prefer to play the role as an assassin, but I’m always not good at it. Later, my teammates suggested that I should be bolder and more adventurous. Under the guidance and practice, I gradually became proficient (M12, 18-year-old).

I am an untalkative person in life, but through playing games, I try to actively communicate with my teammates and gradually become more cheerful and good at communication (F4, 19-year-old).

3.1.3. Gain achievement and self-realization

Contrary to the harsh real society, the virtual game world demonstrates a new relatively equal social environment in its unique way and rich content. College students can explore multiple identities by experiencing multiple avatars or changing the appearance of avatars, thereby creating a virtual self-image that is sometimes compensatory and even restorative. Following are typical quotes from gamers who said that the game can bring them positive feelings.

I may be an ordinary person in life, but being a core character in games brings confidence (M1, 20-year-old).

In the virtual world of online games, college students can present themselves without the constraints of the single evaluation system of academic performance in real life. It provides the best arena for college students to gain achievement and fulfill their needs.

Sometimes I feel inferior because of my poor academic performance, and my classmates often treat me with colored glasses… Ranking as a king in the game, many players are willing to team up with me, which gives me a sense of accomplishment and brings back the confidence I lost in real life.

3.2. Satisfying the need for social life

3.2.1. broaden the social network.

College students can make friends around the world with common interests in the virtual world. The game’s forum provides the means to initiate a chat or team invitations to skilled players, as well as the option to team up with players in the same city. Through this avenue, strangers can converse with each other across geographical distances and blur cultural boundaries. Following are typical quotes from gamers who widened the breadth of interpersonal communication.

I spend most of my time playing games with my real friends, sometimes accepting game invitations from strangers and meeting skilled friends (F4, 19-year-old).

Because of the game, I met people of different ages and professions who taught me about game operations (M6, 19-year-old).

3.2.2. Increase social interaction

Online games offer everyone a convenient way to socialize and reduce social costs. The majority of participants reported that they would choose “Glory of Kings” as a common hobby to better integrate into the surrounding circle of friends. And some students will consciously take some compensatory actions against their friends who do not play games to maintain their friendship. Following are typical quotes from gamers who widened the breadth of interpersonal communication.

Playing games with unfamiliar individuals could quickly promote mutual understanding (F7, 19-year-old; M4, 21-year-old).

Playing games together can promote communication between roommates and increase common language (F2, 19-year-old).

I have a friend who does not play games and I tried to teach her to play but she refused. So I would study or eat with her after finishing the game time, and our relationship has always been tight (F5, 19-year-old).

3.2.3. Value teamwork

In the game “Glory of Kings,” college students work as a team to promote friendship and learn from each other’s strengths. Cooperation is necessary for the progress of this game, and there is also a respondent who says he has transformed from a solitary player to a competent collaborator. Every interviewee agreed that they preferred to work with the team and were willing to do their best to cooperate with their teammates when playing the game and even sacrifice for teammates when necessary. Following are typical quotes from gamers who enjoyed teamwork.

Sometimes I could not figure it out on my own, but a team could succeed (M1, 20-year-old).

I used to fight alone when I think that just be happy with myself. But gradually I fell in love with playing in team battles and was happy to cooperate with the team. Meanwhile, if I do not focus on team cooperation, there will be no communication in the game, and the road to promotion will be bumpy (M3, 19-year-old).

3.3. Promoting academic performance

3.3.1. improve learning ability.

The topic of academics was constantly mentioned and excavated in the interviews. The interviewees mentioned that online games helped them to master some transferable skills, such as problem-solving ability, quick thinking ability, etc. These abilities are usually trained unconsciously in games, and the player is able to experience the corresponding ability improvements in the real world when the match is over. Following are typical quotes from gamers who improved their ability to learn.

By studying the characters’ skill matching and line-ups in the game, my mind seemed to be more flexible and my problem-solving efficiency improved (M8, 18-year-old).

In order to improve my game skills, I watched the live video of the game host and learned their skills. As time passed, I found it easier to follow the teacher’s explanation in class while I could not keep up with the teacher’s quick thinking before (F2, 19-year-old).

3.3.2. Increase interest in learning

The combination of abstract and complex knowledge with online games can change the current passive input education model and make students more interested and effective in learning. Following are typical quotes from gamers who said that they could accept the teaching content more effectively in the process of playing games.

The teacher introduced the historical relationships between different characters using the heroic characters from “Glory of Kings,” which suddenly made a sleepy history lesson come to life (F2, 19-year-old).

Some interviewees also proposed that combining the virtual currency obtained in the game with the correct rate of answering questions in the virtual classroom of college students can improve students’ classroom performance. Following are typical quotes from gamers who proposed that the mechanics of the game can be realized in the real world.

Using this way of learning can motivate me to arrange my online game time rationally, reduce my dependence on online games and enjoy studying more (F6, 20-year-old).

4. Discussion

This study examines whether “Glory of Kings” has a positive impact on college students. The qualitative nature of this study allows players to fully articulate specific aspects of their perspectives and allows researchers to analyze their views and attitudes in depth.

4.1. The impact on personal growth

Most participants in our study believe that the pressure in their university life can be relieved through online games which are consistent with the findings of Ari et al. (2020) . The pressure from various aspects, such as academics, family, and social lives, as well as the confusion about the future, bring contemporary college students under more psychological pressure. Online games make it a way for college students to escape from reality and vent their suppressed emotions, and some students also accompany the relief method of verbal catharsis in the process. These findings are similar to those of Pine et al. (2020) that college students enjoy the happiness that accompanies the release of stress when gaming.

College students are in an important period of strengthening their self-consciousness system. As a medium, “Glory of Kings” provides players with a competitive platform whose ultimate goal is victory. In order to continue to win, players need to constantly reflect and summarize ( Kow, 2017 ). Larsen (2020) proposed seven aspects of the skill theory framework to guide players to improve their skill level in the game. Therefore, players can correspond to the theoretical framework and reflect on their shortcomings and deficiencies. By having the opportunity to overcome shortcomings and reflect on themselves in the game world, ultimately a clearer self-awareness can be projected and benefit the player in the real world.

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, the ultimate human need is self-actualization. Likewise, college students need to be respected and expect to gain achievement ( Zhong and Yao, 2013 ). Liao et al. (2017) proposed that people will form virtual personalities on the Internet through self-remodeling, while virtual personalities are often different from the real world. In real life, the differences in economic conditions, living areas, material conditions, status, and the increasingly fierce competition environment often limit college students’ achievement experience. In online games, the boundary between physical reality and virtual reality will be blurred by more personalized and immersive environments ( Young, 2009 ; Soutter and Hitchens, 2016 ; Kuo et al., 2017 ), resulting in a convenient way for college students to get achievements. Like the ordinary student M8, he was appreciated by others for his superb gaming skills. In conclusion, achieving self-worth and reaching potential are the goals to meet the need for self-actualization ( Liao et al., 2017 ).

4.2. The impact on interpersonal communication

In the case of “Glory of Kings,” which is a confrontation that unfolds by grouping, the system offers both the opportunity to form teams on one’s own and the option of random matching. Online games try to expand player interactivity and social friendships in the setting of game rules to attract more players, which coincides with the needs of college students to interact with people ( Ducheneaut and Moore, 2004 ). Linked to the trait of awakened autonomy among college students, they will establish emotional communication with like-minded friends they meet in “Glory of Kings,” and will also subjectively choose whom to team up with, which may be teammates they meet through the game or friends in the real world. The game provides a more comfortable communication platform for strangers in real life, thus widening the breadth of interpersonal communication.

Most of the participants in this research also tend to play “Glory of Kings” with their friends. According to the study by Croes and Antheunis (2021) , people’s intimacy is directly proportional to the frequency of interaction. Consistent with the conclusion of Lai and Fung (2019) , college students will not alienate their friends and feel lonely because of excessive investment in playing games. On the contrary, the emotions and experiences shared in the virtual game world can strengthen the bond between them ( Granic et al., 2014 ). College students can fight side by side with their friends in the gaming world, and discuss gaming skills together offline. The game does not destroy or isolate their relationships. On the contrary, the tacit cooperation and communication between players in the game make the relationship closer.

Most of our participants recognize that they liked the teamwork model of “Glory of Kings.” Consist to the study by Chen and Chang (2020) , a MOBA mobile game, it simulates a real-world situation in which temporary teams of strangers complete complex tasks in a short period. It can provide players with a unique platform for teamwork in such scenarios where social relationships need to be established quickly. It is further suggested in the study of Ewoldsen et al. (2012) that this can increase pro-social behaviors outside of the game environment, such as social and civic activities. It follows that teams derive satisfaction from existence, which is part of the meaning of collective effort. Choosing the group and cooperating to reach the same goals is precisely what is essential in real life as well.

4.3. The impact on academic performance

Contrary to conventional beliefs that playing games is intellectually lazy and sedating, playing games is shown to promote a wide range of cognitive skills ( Granic et al., 2014 ). Compared with non-gamers, gamers show faster and more accurate attention allocation, and higher spatial resolution enhanced mental rotation in visual processing, these skills are transferred to other spatial tasks outside the game context ( Green and Bavelier, 2012 ). In addition, scholars speculate that problem-solving skills can also be developed. On the whole, there are many good principles of learning built into good online games ( Adachi and Willoughby, 2013 ), which could be applied to school learning tomorrow.

For this generation that grows up with the Internet, online games are an integral medium of communication and learning and have great potential for schools and workplaces to increase engagement, creativity and lifelong learning skills ( Gee, 2003 ; Turkay and Adinolf, 2012 ; Granic et al., 2014 ). From the existing overall analysis results, the condition of the online games has more positive learning effect than traditional teaching condition. In addition to improving learning and memory ( Sitzmann, 2011 ; Wouters et al., 2013 ), online gameplay has the potential to motivate individuals to participate in educational settings to improve students’ interest in learning ( Clark et al., 2016 ).

4.4. Suggestions for parents and college management

By considering both the negative effects and potential benefits of the existence of games, many scholars proposed some balanced perspectives on the use of games for real-world personal growth with the intervention and supervision of a third party. The influence of the family is a pivotal factor, as it contributes significantly to the socialization of adolescents ( Liu et al., 2015 ). Parental regulation through restrictive mediation or conversational mediation in adolescents’ gaming is one important factor that may limit adolescents’ gaming behavior ( Colasante et al., 2022 ).

On the other hand, it is unscientific for parents to blindly prohibit their children from online games ( Chen et al., 2020 ). More and more parents accept the Internet and games as valuable learning tools ( Willoughby, 2008 ). Those parents help children become consumers to judge the advantages of games, plan a variety of leisure activities, mediate violent temptation games, and help children find the meaning of online games through positive communication ( Chiu et al., 2004 ). Indeed, co-playing games with parents are associated with heightened prosocial behavior for girls ( Coyne et al., 2011 ). In addition, researchers suggest that adolescents who receive the correct family education for the online game may learn ways to meet basic needs and self-control ( Griffiths and Meredith, 2009 ; Liu et al., 2015 ; Chen et al., 2020 ). Parents should create a harmonious family atmosphere by continuously improving their parenting skills and building close relationships with their children, which is in line with the suggestions of Chiu et al. (2004) . Meanwhile, parents should keep in touch with teachers to understand their children’s confusion as well as their use of the Internet at school to actively cooperate with the school’s policies.

Schools are digital education providers and prevention centers. Our results suggested that educators can take advantage of game-based education to facilitate problem-solving ability and to increase the study interests of college students ( Whitton and MacLure, 2017 ). Moreover, universities or colleges can use online games as a potentially useful and beneficial educational tool to promote students’ positive emotions. For example, a school in Seoul, South Korea, set up an online game course that covers the humanities of games, game terminology, game manipulation, Q&A with professional players, and game science to positively impact students at different grades and schools in public education sites ( Choi and Bang, 2021 ).

Many colleges and universities in China nowadays create electronic competitive social organizations and used network games in their daily teaching, not only to enrich students’ extracurricular life, but also to provide a platform for college students to find like-minded friends to play online games reasonably. Furthermore, some universities or colleges combine health education of online games with ideological and political work and try to establish college students’ mental profiles to understand their overall psychological conditions when they are playing online games. More strategies are needed to maximize the positive impact of online games on college students and help them grow healthily.

5. Implication

Despite the negative perception of online games in the Chinese cultural context, our study re-examines the impact of online games from the gamer’s perspective. To a certain extent, online games meet the personalized requirements of college students’ personal growth in Chinese collectivist culture, realize the need for the social interaction satisfaction, and enhance creativity in learning ( Chen and Chang, 2020 ). The higher education nowadays should more scientifically guide teachers and parents to change their attitudes toward online games and recognize the benefits of online games ( Whitton and MacLure, 2017 ). Meanwhile, the advantages of online games can be exploited to benefit more students by promoting their problem-solving ability through game-based education, contributing to more productive physical and mental health and learning ( Granic et al., 2014 ).

6. Limitation

Although this study shows that “Glory of Kings” has a positive impact on contemporary college students, it should be noted that the data are cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are still needed to confirm the long-term impact of “Glory of Kings” on college students. Secondly, the data is only derived from the feedback that respondents actively self-reported, which means that there may be some hidden part of the self-reflection content of respondents. Thirdly, relevant quantitative studies can be carried out to further verify and analyze the results of this study.

7. Conclusion

In this study, it is found that meeting the need for personal growth, satisfying the need for social life and promoting academic performance are the main positive effects of playing online games. Some suggestions that enhance the supportive role of online games are structured for family and college education.

Data availability statement

Ethics statement.

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Wenzhou Medical University (2022-028). Written informed consent was obtained from the individual for the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article.

Author contributions

FL and DZ contributed to the conceptualization and writing—original draft. SW was in charge of the data collection and analysis. RZ assisted in data collation and analysis as well as literature search. CD and JZ contributed to the writing, reviewing, and editing. All authors contributed to manuscript revision, read, and approved the submitted version.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express gratitude to the colleagues who offered constructive and illuminating feedback, and to Guohua Zhang and Bingling Xia, who helped shape earlier versions of this article with their comments.

Funding Statement

This research was supported by the Wenzhou Science and Technology Bureau Project (R20220086) and Zhejiang Province Curriculum Ideological and Political Education Research Project.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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• DOI: 10.18502/KSS.V3I6.2447
• Corpus ID: 55830233

Online Gaming: Impact on the Academic Performance and Social Behavior of the Students in Polytechnic University of the Philippines Laboratory High School

• Dennis O. Dumrique , Jennifer G. Castillo
• Published in KnE Social Sciences 4 June 2018
• Education, Computer Science, Sociology

20 Citations

Online gaming frequency and student's academic performance in the kathmandu valley, the effect of gaming habits on achievement motivation, social support, and personal achievements: a structural equation modeling approach, distance education during the covid-19 pandemic: the impact of online gaming addiction on university students’ performance, the extent of engagement to social networking sites, the impact of playing mobile games, and the students’ learning experiences: an assessment, unlocking the power of online gaming: exploring its potential as a language and communication tool in the english classroom - a survey, computer games addiction and class performance of selected philippine senior high school students, international journal of multidisciplinary: applied business and education research, the differences of elementary school students' interest on traditional games and online games, depression and motivation of gaming as predictors of internet gaming disorder (igd) symptoms among malaysian youths, an assessment of the mobile games utilization and it’s effect to one’s computational thinking skills, one reference, adolescent online gaming addiction, related papers.

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A theoretical framework for online game society: the case of league of legends

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League of Legends is the largest online game in the world, but is under-represented in video game studies. Its community is large and multi-sited, but known for competitive and toxic behaviours. This paper presents a qualitative research project into video game sociology, using League of Legends as the research site. It draws on Bourdieu's established social theory alongside empirical ethnography and remediates it, creating a theoretical framework which models the underlying social structure of wider virtual worlds and online communities in a flexible, adaptable way.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Positive effects of online games on the growth of college students: a qualitative study from china.

• 1 School of Nursing, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
• 2 School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the positive effects of online games on college students’ psychological demands and individual growth.

Methods: A qualitative study design was carried out in September 2021. Semi-structured, in-depth, and individual interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 undergraduates who played the online game “Glory of Kings” from six universities. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the positive features caused by “Glory of Kings”.

Results: College students reported three positive effects of online games, namely, satisfying the need for personal growth, meeting the requirement of social life and promoting academic performance.

Conclusion: College educators and families should take advantage of the positive effect of online games to guide college students to use online games reasonably.

1. Introduction

According to the survey data of the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), by the end of December 2021, the number of netizens in China reached 1.032 billion, of which the number of online game users reached 554 million ( CNNIC, 2022 ). The number of game apps reached 709,000, accounting for 28.2% of all apps ( CNNIC, 2022 ). Online games include massive, multiplayer, online role-playing games (MMORPGs), first-person shooter (FPS), real-time strategy (RTS) games, and other games ( Park et al., 2016 ). MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game, a subgenre of RTS games where two teams of five players usually play against each other ( Mora-Cantallops and Sicilia, 2018b ), is one of the most popular online games in China because of its competitive, interactive, and simple operating characteristics. Specifically, “Glory of Kings,” as a MOBA game, is listed at the top of the Chinese mobile game charts for contemporary college students ( Huang, 2021 ).

Online games are criticized by educators because many students invest a lot of time, money, and energy into games, which seriously affects their academic studies, social interaction, and physical and mental health, and ultimately leads to the tragedy of online game addiction ( Freeman, 2008 ; Kuss and Griffiths, 2012 ; Blinka and Mikuška, 2014 ; Xu et al., 2017 ). Online game addiction, as one of the most serious behavioral addictions ( Lopez-Fernandez, 2018 ), could cause a series of physical and mental problems, such as poor sleep, depression, anxiety, or even death ( Ferguson et al., 2011 ; Kuss and Griffiths, 2012 ; Wei et al., 2012 ). Meanwhile, parents’ opposition to online games can also be observed in family education. Studies have shown that the more addicted adolescents are to online games, the worse their parents’ attitude toward online games ( Jeong and Kim, 2011 ). Many adolescents who love playing online games face restrictions or prohibitions from their parents over the time spent on the Internet or other ways. For example, in a study of 2,021 adolescents, parental restrictions were 1.9 times higher among adolescents who were overly addicted to online games than among other adolescents ( Wu et al., 2016 ). Parents who do not show enough attention to their children promptly can lead to children using online games to divert negative family-related emotions ( Xu et al., 2021 ).

However, it is worth noting that the majority of studies focus on the negative effects of online games ( Lo et al., 2005 ; Ng and Wiemer-Hastings, 2005 ; Yc, 2006 ; Smyth, 2007 ; Li and Wang, 2013 ), while positive effects are neglected. In fact, playing online games at a moderate level could be beneficial to players’ personal psychological growth and interpersonal relationships ( Ko et al., 2005 ; Yee, 2006b ; Granic et al., 2014 ). In terms of emotional experience, existing research on the emotional impact of online games suggests that they have the potential to reduce depression, stress and obtain happiness ( Wu and Liu, 2007 ; Ari et al., 2020 ; Pine et al., 2020 ). In the process of psychological development, college students’ cognitive, memory, and other mental skills are proved to be enhanced by online games ( Boot et al., 2008 ; Glass et al., 2013 ; Oei and Patterson, 2013 ). There is evidence that games have the potential to provoke thought about the player’s personal development and ideals and increase the sense of self-realization if the players have strong ability in online games ( Nuangjumnong, 2014 ; Bopp et al., 2016 ; Mora-Cantallops and Sicilia, 2018a ). In social life, online games also establish the value of social connectedness and enhance the sense of interaction ( McClelland et al., 2011 ; Snodgrass et al., 2011 ; Oliver et al., 2016 ). Sublette and Mullan (2010 , p. 20) argue that through online games “socialization may just shift in focus: while real-world relationships eroded for some players.” It is further proposed that intimacy in games will also extend to offline real life, and shared game experience will reinforce offline communication ( Kim and Kim, 2017 ; Lai and Fung, 2019 ). MOBA games focus on personality development and teamwork in battle ( Yang et al., 2014 ; Mora-Cantallops and Sicilia, 2018b ). In other words, electronic space expands social communication to the virtual field ( Yee, 2006a ) and increases the team cooperation consciousness, leading to diverse communication ways. Besides, in terms of learning, online games are proven to help students engage in learning activities ( Iaremenko, 2017 ; Schenk et al., 2017 ; Calvo-Ferrer and Belda-Medina, 2021 ).

Existing research confirms that the academic performance and satisfaction of Chinese college students positively impact on the continued use of the “Glory of Kings” and promote the reconstruction of the player’s social image ( Chen and Chang, 2020 ). As mentioned above, previous studies have examined various positive aspects of online games, but the studies are based on foreign cultural contexts. Research subjects from different cultural backgrounds may have different perceptions and influences on online games, so it is culturally significant to study the positive influence of online games on Chinese college students. In other words, whether they can apply to the Chinese culture and environment or whether similar conclusions can be drawn among the Chinese college gamer population, has not been verified. Moreover, although “Glory of Kings” is widely concerned and popular among college students, few scholars in China try to evaluate the positive impact of “Glory of Kings” on college students. The design and development of “Glory of Kings” have distinctive Chinese cultural characteristics, therefore, the choice of “Glory of Kings” as a carrier for the study has cultural significance. Secondly, the widespread usage of “Glory of Kings” among college students provides universality for the study. Third, since most of the existing studies are quantitative, qualitative research can enrich the existing research results, explore new experiences, and make relevant suggestions for higher education and family education. In conclusion, given the current popularity and influence of “Glory of Kings” in China, an in-depth study of Chinese college student players was conducted using it as a medium for qualitative research.

2. Materials and methods

2.1. participants.

A purposive sampling method was adopted to select college students who were “Glory of Kings” players from six universities or colleges in Zhejiang Province. Inclusion criteria: (1) college students; (2) playing the “Glory of Kings” game for more than 1 year; (3) have participated in the “Glory of Kings” game in the ranking tournament; and (4) informed consent and voluntary participation. Exclusion criteria: (1) college students suspended from school due to physical problems; (2) students who have a medical history of mental illness or psychiatric disorders and who were screened as having mental problems in the students’ general psychological test. The sample size was determined based on the principle of theoretical saturation. Interviews were conducted until reached theoretical saturation—that is, when the 18th participants did not provide new insights, and two more interviews were conducted to verify if new information would emerge. In the end, no new ideas were found to emerge making the sample size appropriate for this study. Among 23 students who were invited to participate, one student refused to participate due to lack of interest, and two persons were unable to participate due to time conflicts. Eventually, 20 college students (13 males and 7 females) were interviewed. Their ages ranged from 18 to 21 years, and their experience in playing the “Glory of Kings” game ranged from 2 to 6 years. The detailed information of participants is shown in Table 1 .

Table 1. The basic information of the “Glory of Kings” player interviewees.

2.2. Data collection

Participants were recruited in September 2021 with the assistance of the university’s gaming societies. The gaming societies presented the study recruitment information to members via social media. Participation was voluntary, and no incentive was offered for participation. The demographic information was collected before the interview, and the GPA information was collected at the beginning and end of the semester. The pilot-tested, semi-structured interviews were conducted using pre-determined, open-ended questions. The interviewers were conducted by two senior undergraduate students who had acquired knowledge of psychology, interpersonal communication, and qualitative research through relevant training prior to conducting this study. When conducting the interviews, they would follow a unified syllabus and agree on the follow-up questions. The interviews were conducted in a combination of online and offline formats. For participants located in Wenzhou City, interviews were conducted face-to-face in a meeting room at Wenzhou Medical University, where the environment was quiet and undisturbed. For participants located outside of Wenzhou City, online video interviews were conducted using social media. In addition to questions on demographic information, the interview syllabus was as follows:

1. Why do you play games?

2. How do you feel about being a player in the game of “Glory of Kings?”

3. What do you expect to gain from playing the game of “Glory of Kings?” And what do you actually gain from the game?

4. What is your experience with playing the game? And what experiences do you find enjoyable?

5. What are the best and worst things you think happen in the game?

6. What personal changes do you think have occurred after playing the game?

7. Is there anything else you would like to talk about on this topic?

All interviews were conducted at the time most convenient to the participants, and the interview schedule was determined 1 day in advance. Before the interview, participants were told about the procedures, such as how long the interview would last, the topics to be discussed, and permission to record the interview. Each interviewee lasted for approximately 30–40 min. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed within 24 h after the interview. Two researchers independently completed and checked transcription to reduce personal biases.

2.3. Data analysis

Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data ( Braun and Clarke, 2006 ) and data were analyzed using qualitative analysis software NVivo 10. The steps were as follows: (1) transcript reading, preliminary coding, and note-taking; (2) developing final codes by reading and rereading the transcripts to identify patterns and themes; (3) developing a thematic mind map; (4) defining and naming themes and sub-themes, and (5) preparing the final report with an analysis of the selected fragments. Data were analyzed by two researchers to ensure reliability, when other researchers examined and validated the data, codes, and analyses by holding regular research team meetings. Textual information was discussed by the researchers several times until a consensus was reached. In addition, the results of the preliminary analysis were shared with the participants for their reviews and comments. The analysis was done in Chinese and the quotes were then translated into English and checked by a native translator who was not involved with the data collection (see Table 2 for an example of the process).

Table 2. Thematic analysis of transcribed data from interviews with 20 people with the online game “Glory of Kings”.

2.4. Ethical considerations

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Wenzhou Medical University (2022-028). This study complies with the Helsinki Declaration’s guidelines. After obtaining both verbal and written information about the study, the participants signed informed consent. Written informed consent was obtained from the individuals for the participation in this study and the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article, and the data was password-protected and encrypted. Each participant was assigned a coding reference, which referred to the participant’s number and gender (i.e., M3 refers to respondent 3, Male gender). During the interviews, the researchers treated the participants with respect, listened intently, and responded to their questions.

Three themes were identified from the data material, namely, meeting the college student’s personal growth, satisfying the social needs of college students, and promoting academic performance.

3.1. Meeting the need for personal growth

3.1.1. relieve stress and achieve happiness.

Online games, because of the characteristics of confrontation, entertainment and challenge, make it a way for college students to vent their emotions. Most interviewees believe that the fast pace of university brings them great study pressure. Also, college students of different grades report different sources of stress, such as pressure from parents, peers, academics, etc. However, no matter what kind of stress leads to negative emotions, they can be relieved through entertainment games. Following are typical quotes from gamers who said that the game can relieve negative emotions and bring positive feelings.

Game is not a necessity, but I would occasionally indulge in it. I like to live happily in virtual games (M5, 20-year-old).

When encounter troubles, I choose to play a few rounds of games. Although the pleasure brought by the game is temporary, it could fade away the troubles (M1, 20-year-old).

I went through a particularly bad period last semester… Later, I fell in love with “Glory of Kings,” and sometimes I even stayed up late to play games… However, when I was addicted to games temporarily, my pressure was released, which provides enough energy and enthusiasm to face difficulties (F7, 19-year-old).

3.1.2. Overcome the shortcomings and gain self-awareness

Due to the nature of “Glory of Kings,” it provides a platform for college students to fully enhance their consciousness. The characteristics of the five different roles in this game can also further prompt players to recognize their shortcomings and provide a reference for players to understand themselves. Players whose self-awareness is not clear enough get a clearer understanding through the game, and players whose self-perception is vague or even sometimes wrong get a chance to correct it. Following are typical quotes from gamers who have better self-awareness.

Gradually, I started to think about the reason, until I realized that I lacked a sense of the big picture and cooperation. Since then, I’ve made a conscious effort to work with my team on offense, which provides me with a better chance of victory. In life, I also recognized similar shortcomings and corrected them (F1, 19-year-old).

I prefer to play the role as an assassin, but I’m always not good at it. Later, my teammates suggested that I should be bolder and more adventurous. Under the guidance and practice, I gradually became proficient (M12, 18-year-old).

I am an untalkative person in life, but through playing games, I try to actively communicate with my teammates and gradually become more cheerful and good at communication (F4, 19-year-old).

3.1.3. Gain achievement and self-realization

Contrary to the harsh real society, the virtual game world demonstrates a new relatively equal social environment in its unique way and rich content. College students can explore multiple identities by experiencing multiple avatars or changing the appearance of avatars, thereby creating a virtual self-image that is sometimes compensatory and even restorative. Following are typical quotes from gamers who said that the game can bring them positive feelings.

I may be an ordinary person in life, but being a core character in games brings confidence (M1, 20-year-old).

In the virtual world of online games, college students can present themselves without the constraints of the single evaluation system of academic performance in real life. It provides the best arena for college students to gain achievement and fulfill their needs.

Sometimes I feel inferior because of my poor academic performance, and my classmates often treat me with colored glasses… Ranking as a king in the game, many players are willing to team up with me, which gives me a sense of accomplishment and brings back the confidence I lost in real life.

3.2. Satisfying the need for social life

3.2.1. broaden the social network.

College students can make friends around the world with common interests in the virtual world. The game’s forum provides the means to initiate a chat or team invitations to skilled players, as well as the option to team up with players in the same city. Through this avenue, strangers can converse with each other across geographical distances and blur cultural boundaries. Following are typical quotes from gamers who widened the breadth of interpersonal communication.

I spend most of my time playing games with my real friends, sometimes accepting game invitations from strangers and meeting skilled friends (F4, 19-year-old).

Because of the game, I met people of different ages and professions who taught me about game operations (M6, 19-year-old).

3.2.2. Increase social interaction

Online games offer everyone a convenient way to socialize and reduce social costs. The majority of participants reported that they would choose “Glory of Kings” as a common hobby to better integrate into the surrounding circle of friends. And some students will consciously take some compensatory actions against their friends who do not play games to maintain their friendship. Following are typical quotes from gamers who widened the breadth of interpersonal communication.

Playing games with unfamiliar individuals could quickly promote mutual understanding (F7, 19-year-old; M4, 21-year-old).

Playing games together can promote communication between roommates and increase common language (F2, 19-year-old).

I have a friend who does not play games and I tried to teach her to play but she refused. So I would study or eat with her after finishing the game time, and our relationship has always been tight (F5, 19-year-old).

3.2.3. Value teamwork

In the game “Glory of Kings,” college students work as a team to promote friendship and learn from each other’s strengths. Cooperation is necessary for the progress of this game, and there is also a respondent who says he has transformed from a solitary player to a competent collaborator. Every interviewee agreed that they preferred to work with the team and were willing to do their best to cooperate with their teammates when playing the game and even sacrifice for teammates when necessary. Following are typical quotes from gamers who enjoyed teamwork.

Sometimes I could not figure it out on my own, but a team could succeed (M1, 20-year-old).

I used to fight alone when I think that just be happy with myself. But gradually I fell in love with playing in team battles and was happy to cooperate with the team. Meanwhile, if I do not focus on team cooperation, there will be no communication in the game, and the road to promotion will be bumpy (M3, 19-year-old).

3.3. Promoting academic performance

3.3.1. improve learning ability.

The topic of academics was constantly mentioned and excavated in the interviews. The interviewees mentioned that online games helped them to master some transferable skills, such as problem-solving ability, quick thinking ability, etc. These abilities are usually trained unconsciously in games, and the player is able to experience the corresponding ability improvements in the real world when the match is over. Following are typical quotes from gamers who improved their ability to learn.

By studying the characters’ skill matching and line-ups in the game, my mind seemed to be more flexible and my problem-solving efficiency improved (M8, 18-year-old).

In order to improve my game skills, I watched the live video of the game host and learned their skills. As time passed, I found it easier to follow the teacher’s explanation in class while I could not keep up with the teacher’s quick thinking before (F2, 19-year-old).

3.3.2. Increase interest in learning

The combination of abstract and complex knowledge with online games can change the current passive input education model and make students more interested and effective in learning. Following are typical quotes from gamers who said that they could accept the teaching content more effectively in the process of playing games.

The teacher introduced the historical relationships between different characters using the heroic characters from “Glory of Kings,” which suddenly made a sleepy history lesson come to life (F2, 19-year-old).

Some interviewees also proposed that combining the virtual currency obtained in the game with the correct rate of answering questions in the virtual classroom of college students can improve students’ classroom performance. Following are typical quotes from gamers who proposed that the mechanics of the game can be realized in the real world.

Using this way of learning can motivate me to arrange my online game time rationally, reduce my dependence on online games and enjoy studying more (F6, 20-year-old).

4. Discussion

This study examines whether “Glory of Kings” has a positive impact on college students. The qualitative nature of this study allows players to fully articulate specific aspects of their perspectives and allows researchers to analyze their views and attitudes in depth.

4.1. The impact on personal growth

Most participants in our study believe that the pressure in their university life can be relieved through online games which are consistent with the findings of Ari et al. (2020) . The pressure from various aspects, such as academics, family, and social lives, as well as the confusion about the future, bring contemporary college students under more psychological pressure. Online games make it a way for college students to escape from reality and vent their suppressed emotions, and some students also accompany the relief method of verbal catharsis in the process. These findings are similar to those of Pine et al. (2020) that college students enjoy the happiness that accompanies the release of stress when gaming.

College students are in an important period of strengthening their self-consciousness system. As a medium, “Glory of Kings” provides players with a competitive platform whose ultimate goal is victory. In order to continue to win, players need to constantly reflect and summarize ( Kow, 2017 ). Larsen (2020) proposed seven aspects of the skill theory framework to guide players to improve their skill level in the game. Therefore, players can correspond to the theoretical framework and reflect on their shortcomings and deficiencies. By having the opportunity to overcome shortcomings and reflect on themselves in the game world, ultimately a clearer self-awareness can be projected and benefit the player in the real world.

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory, the ultimate human need is self-actualization. Likewise, college students need to be respected and expect to gain achievement ( Zhong and Yao, 2013 ). Liao et al. (2017) proposed that people will form virtual personalities on the Internet through self-remodeling, while virtual personalities are often different from the real world. In real life, the differences in economic conditions, living areas, material conditions, status, and the increasingly fierce competition environment often limit college students’ achievement experience. In online games, the boundary between physical reality and virtual reality will be blurred by more personalized and immersive environments ( Young, 2009 ; Soutter and Hitchens, 2016 ; Kuo et al., 2017 ), resulting in a convenient way for college students to get achievements. Like the ordinary student M8, he was appreciated by others for his superb gaming skills. In conclusion, achieving self-worth and reaching potential are the goals to meet the need for self-actualization ( Liao et al., 2017 ).

4.2. The impact on interpersonal communication

In the case of “Glory of Kings,” which is a confrontation that unfolds by grouping, the system offers both the opportunity to form teams on one’s own and the option of random matching. Online games try to expand player interactivity and social friendships in the setting of game rules to attract more players, which coincides with the needs of college students to interact with people ( Ducheneaut and Moore, 2004 ). Linked to the trait of awakened autonomy among college students, they will establish emotional communication with like-minded friends they meet in “Glory of Kings,” and will also subjectively choose whom to team up with, which may be teammates they meet through the game or friends in the real world. The game provides a more comfortable communication platform for strangers in real life, thus widening the breadth of interpersonal communication.

Most of the participants in this research also tend to play “Glory of Kings” with their friends. According to the study by Croes and Antheunis (2021) , people’s intimacy is directly proportional to the frequency of interaction. Consistent with the conclusion of Lai and Fung (2019) , college students will not alienate their friends and feel lonely because of excessive investment in playing games. On the contrary, the emotions and experiences shared in the virtual game world can strengthen the bond between them ( Granic et al., 2014 ). College students can fight side by side with their friends in the gaming world, and discuss gaming skills together offline. The game does not destroy or isolate their relationships. On the contrary, the tacit cooperation and communication between players in the game make the relationship closer.

Most of our participants recognize that they liked the teamwork model of “Glory of Kings.” Consist to the study by Chen and Chang (2020) , a MOBA mobile game, it simulates a real-world situation in which temporary teams of strangers complete complex tasks in a short period. It can provide players with a unique platform for teamwork in such scenarios where social relationships need to be established quickly. It is further suggested in the study of Ewoldsen et al. (2012) that this can increase pro-social behaviors outside of the game environment, such as social and civic activities. It follows that teams derive satisfaction from existence, which is part of the meaning of collective effort. Choosing the group and cooperating to reach the same goals is precisely what is essential in real life as well.

4.3. The impact on academic performance

Contrary to conventional beliefs that playing games is intellectually lazy and sedating, playing games is shown to promote a wide range of cognitive skills ( Granic et al., 2014 ). Compared with non-gamers, gamers show faster and more accurate attention allocation, and higher spatial resolution enhanced mental rotation in visual processing, these skills are transferred to other spatial tasks outside the game context ( Green and Bavelier, 2012 ). In addition, scholars speculate that problem-solving skills can also be developed. On the whole, there are many good principles of learning built into good online games ( Adachi and Willoughby, 2013 ), which could be applied to school learning tomorrow.

For this generation that grows up with the Internet, online games are an integral medium of communication and learning and have great potential for schools and workplaces to increase engagement, creativity and lifelong learning skills ( Gee, 2003 ; Turkay and Adinolf, 2012 ; Granic et al., 2014 ). From the existing overall analysis results, the condition of the online games has more positive learning effect than traditional teaching condition. In addition to improving learning and memory ( Sitzmann, 2011 ; Wouters et al., 2013 ), online gameplay has the potential to motivate individuals to participate in educational settings to improve students’ interest in learning ( Clark et al., 2016 ).

4.4. Suggestions for parents and college management

By considering both the negative effects and potential benefits of the existence of games, many scholars proposed some balanced perspectives on the use of games for real-world personal growth with the intervention and supervision of a third party. The influence of the family is a pivotal factor, as it contributes significantly to the socialization of adolescents ( Liu et al., 2015 ). Parental regulation through restrictive mediation or conversational mediation in adolescents’ gaming is one important factor that may limit adolescents’ gaming behavior ( Colasante et al., 2022 ).

On the other hand, it is unscientific for parents to blindly prohibit their children from online games ( Chen et al., 2020 ). More and more parents accept the Internet and games as valuable learning tools ( Willoughby, 2008 ). Those parents help children become consumers to judge the advantages of games, plan a variety of leisure activities, mediate violent temptation games, and help children find the meaning of online games through positive communication ( Chiu et al., 2004 ). Indeed, co-playing games with parents are associated with heightened prosocial behavior for girls ( Coyne et al., 2011 ). In addition, researchers suggest that adolescents who receive the correct family education for the online game may learn ways to meet basic needs and self-control ( Griffiths and Meredith, 2009 ; Liu et al., 2015 ; Chen et al., 2020 ). Parents should create a harmonious family atmosphere by continuously improving their parenting skills and building close relationships with their children, which is in line with the suggestions of Chiu et al. (2004) . Meanwhile, parents should keep in touch with teachers to understand their children’s confusion as well as their use of the Internet at school to actively cooperate with the school’s policies.

Schools are digital education providers and prevention centers. Our results suggested that educators can take advantage of game-based education to facilitate problem-solving ability and to increase the study interests of college students ( Whitton and MacLure, 2017 ). Moreover, universities or colleges can use online games as a potentially useful and beneficial educational tool to promote students’ positive emotions. For example, a school in Seoul, South Korea, set up an online game course that covers the humanities of games, game terminology, game manipulation, Q&A with professional players, and game science to positively impact students at different grades and schools in public education sites ( Choi and Bang, 2021 ).

Many colleges and universities in China nowadays create electronic competitive social organizations and used network games in their daily teaching, not only to enrich students’ extracurricular life, but also to provide a platform for college students to find like-minded friends to play online games reasonably. Furthermore, some universities or colleges combine health education of online games with ideological and political work and try to establish college students’ mental profiles to understand their overall psychological conditions when they are playing online games. More strategies are needed to maximize the positive impact of online games on college students and help them grow healthily.

5. Implication

Despite the negative perception of online games in the Chinese cultural context, our study re-examines the impact of online games from the gamer’s perspective. To a certain extent, online games meet the personalized requirements of college students’ personal growth in Chinese collectivist culture, realize the need for the social interaction satisfaction, and enhance creativity in learning ( Chen and Chang, 2020 ). The higher education nowadays should more scientifically guide teachers and parents to change their attitudes toward online games and recognize the benefits of online games ( Whitton and MacLure, 2017 ). Meanwhile, the advantages of online games can be exploited to benefit more students by promoting their problem-solving ability through game-based education, contributing to more productive physical and mental health and learning ( Granic et al., 2014 ).

6. Limitation

Although this study shows that “Glory of Kings” has a positive impact on contemporary college students, it should be noted that the data are cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are still needed to confirm the long-term impact of “Glory of Kings” on college students. Secondly, the data is only derived from the feedback that respondents actively self-reported, which means that there may be some hidden part of the self-reflection content of respondents. Thirdly, relevant quantitative studies can be carried out to further verify and analyze the results of this study.

7. Conclusion

In this study, it is found that meeting the need for personal growth, satisfying the need for social life and promoting academic performance are the main positive effects of playing online games. Some suggestions that enhance the supportive role of online games are structured for family and college education.

Data availability statement

The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article/supplementary material, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding authors.

Ethics statement

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Wenzhou Medical University (2022-028). Written informed consent was obtained from the individual for the publication of any potentially identifiable images or data included in this article.

Author contributions

FL and DZ contributed to the conceptualization and writing—original draft. SW was in charge of the data collection and analysis. RZ assisted in data collation and analysis as well as literature search. CD and JZ contributed to the writing, reviewing, and editing. All authors contributed to manuscript revision, read, and approved the submitted version.

This research was supported by the Wenzhou Science and Technology Bureau Project (R20220086) and Zhejiang Province Curriculum Ideological and Political Education Research Project.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express gratitude to the colleagues who offered constructive and illuminating feedback, and to Guohua Zhang and Bingling Xia, who helped shape earlier versions of this article with their comments.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Keywords : college students, online games, Glory of Kings, personal growth, social life, academic performance, qualitative study

Citation: Li F, Zhang D, Wu S, Zhou R, Dong C and Zhang J (2023) Positive effects of online games on the growth of college students: A qualitative study from China. Front. Psychol. 14:1008211. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1008211

Received: 31 July 2022; Accepted: 13 February 2023; Published: 24 February 2023.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2023 Li, Zhang, Wu, Zhou, Dong and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

† These authors have contributed equally to this work and share first authorship

‡ These authors have contributed equally to this work and share last authorship

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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THE EFFECTS OF ONLINE GAMING TOWARDS THE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SELECTED GRADE 10 STUDENTS

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Janz Gamboa

Video-game playing is popular among college students. Cognitive and negative consequences have been studied frequently. However, little is known about the influence of gaming behavior on IT college students' academic performance. An increasing number of college students take online courses, use social network websites for social interactions, and play video games online. To analyze the relationship between college students' gaming behavior and their academic performance, a research model is proposed and a survey study is conducted. The study result of a multiple regression analysis shows that self-control capability, social interaction using face-to-face or phone communications, and playing video games using a personal computer make statistically significant contributions to the IT college students' academic performance measured by GPA.

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Snap it! An Eclipse Photo Adventure

The Traveler needs your help! They have come to Earth to study an event we call a total solar eclipse . Can you help the Traveler snap photos of an eclipse?

About Eclipses

Total solar eclipses happen when the Moon gets between us and the Sun . During a solar eclipse, the Moon casts its shadow on part of Earth.

Credit: NASA/Krystofer Kim

If you're in the center of the shadow, you can see the Sun's upper atmosphere appear around the Moon!

A photograph of the corona taken during the Aug. 21, 2017 total solar eclipse. Credit: Miloslav Druckmüller, Peter Aniol, Shadia Habbal/NASA Goddard, Joy Ng

On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse crosses North America. It passes over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Anyone along the eclipse’s shadow path can see the total eclipse if the skies are clear. During the total eclipse, the sky will darken. It will look as if it were dawn or dusk. This total solar eclipse will be the last one that many people in the United States will be able to see for many years.

If you want to look at a solar eclipse, make sure you have solar viewing or “eclipse” glasses! These glasses are much darker than normal sunglasses. They block most of the Sun’s light. Looking directly at the Sun without eclipse glasses can damage your eyes. Remember to also use special filters over the lenses of cameras, telescopes, or binoculars when looking at the Sun. The only time during a solar eclipse when it’s safe to look at the Sun without eclipse glasses is during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face. Ask an adult for help looking at the Sun.

Total solar eclipses happen somewhere around the world about once a year. But because the Moon casts a fairly small shadow, these eclipses can only be seen from a small area on Earth each time.

Other things can also pass between us and the Sun and block some of its light. When this happens, it is called a transit . Different things like planets, comets, spacecraft, and even birds can transit the Sun.

How to Play

The goal of this game is to snap photos of eclipses and objects that transit the Sun. Here’s how to play on your desktop:

• Use your cursor to center on objects passing in front of the Sun.
• Press the spacebar to take a picture.
• To take a close-up picture you can zoom in and out using your laptop trackpad or scroll wheel on your mouse, or by pressing the W and S buttons on your keyboard.
• To change the camera filter and get a different view of the Sun, press the A and D keys.

Credit: NASA

Since the Sun is very bright, transiting objects look like dark shapes. During the game, you might notice some objects are bigger than others. That’s because the objects are different sizes and different distances from you. Objects that are far away, like Mercury, look smaller — even though Mercury is an entire planet that’s even larger than the Moon. Objects that are closer to Earth – or even in Earth’s atmosphere, like a plane – look bigger. Here are some examples from the real world:

Mercury can be seen crossing the face of the Sun at the bottom of this picture. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

The International Space Station crosses in front of the Sun. Credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky

After the time is up, you’ll be able to review your photos. You’ll also find information about the objects you captured. Select your favorite snaps to make postcards. You can decorate and save them to share with your friends and family. Play again to discover rare objects and take more photos!

Total Solar Eclipse Safety Learn more about the April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse Learn more about solar eclipses Learn more about the Sun

AJ Christensen, developer Dwight Doyle, music composer Mara Johnson-Groh, writer Krystofer Kim, designer Brenda Lopez Silva, animator Joy Ng, producer Kristen Perrin, graphics support Scott Wiessinger, music support

Special Thanks to: Kyle Mansfield Jessica Stoller-Conrad Barb Mattson Mike Tissenbaum And our many playtesters

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A mega new update for Nintendo Switch Online members!

Looking for some classic gaming? Nintendo Switch Online members have instant access to a large library of Game Boy™ , Super NES™ , and NES™ games—including classics like the Kirby's Dream Land™ , Super Mario World™ , The Legend of Zelda™: A Link to the Past™ , and Super Mario Bros.™ 3 games.

More games have been added, so here’s a list to catch you up!

Game Boy™ – Nintendo Switch Online

Mega man: dr. wily's revenge.

Send Dr. Wily's evil creations to the trash heap!

Dr. Wily is at it again! Fresh from his defeat at the hands of Mega Man, the mad scientist Dr. Wily has revived his Robot Masters and even constructed a new "Mega Man Killer" named Enker. Now, only Mega Man can save the world from destruction! Featuring content from the original Mega Man and Mega Man 2, play as Capcom's iconic cybernetic superhero in his first portable adventure.

MEGA MAN II

Dr. Wily is up to no good, once again.

Dr. Wily has stolen an experimental time travel device and zipped off to the future! Meanwhile, Mega Man and his trusty sidekick, Rush, are sent on a mysterious mission to investigate an underground lair. Jump and blast your way through a barrage of maniacal enemies while collecting a variety of weapons and items to help fight more Robot Masters!

MEGA MAN III

It's a disaster and only Mega Man can stop it!

The dastardly Dr. Wily has taken control of an off-shore oil rig, aiming to drill to the center of the Earth to collect energy for his latest invention. Assisted by cyber-canine Rush and robotic helper Eddie, you must progress through Dr. Wily's fiendish fortress, battling various Robot Masters and collecting their weapons.

MEGA MAN IV

Sudden chaos at the World Robot Exposition!

Dr. Wily is using his mind-controlling device to set all robots to attack! The only one not under his control is Mega Man, who sets off to stop Dr. Wily, joined by Rush and Beat. Together this trio battles fortresses of laser turrets, waves of armed androids, and fiendish Robot Masters.

Equipped with new upgrades, Mega Man faces a robot army!

After another of Dr. Wily's failed attempts at world domination, peace reigns on Earth once more. Or so it would seem. During a peaceful stroll with his sister Roll, Mega Man is confronted by a powerful robot called Terra that drops out of the sky! This new enemy easily defeats Mega Man, then quickly dispatches an army of robots to conquer Earth. Waking up in Dr. Light's lab, Mega Man is given a new and powerful weapon to defeat the alien invasion: the Mega Arm. Now equipped to take down his enemies, Mega Man sets off to restore peace!

About Nintendo Switch Online

Don’t have a Nintendo Switch Online membership yet? In addition to getting access to a selection of 100+ Game Boy, Super NES, and NES games , you’ll also be able to play with your friends online , back up your save data to the cloud and use voice chat with other players via the smartphone app in compatible games, and get access to members-only special offers .

Any Nintendo Switch Online membership (sold separately) and Nintendo Account required. Membership auto-renews after initial term at the then-current price unless canceled. Persistent Internet, compatible smartphone, and Nintendo Account age 13+ required to use app. Data charges may apply. Online features, Save Data Cloud, and Nintendo Switch Online smartphone app features available in compatible games. Not available in all countries. The Nintendo Account User Agreement, including the Purchase and Subscription terms, apply. Learn more at nintendo.com/switch/online

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How Panthers eliminated Rangers, advanced to Stanley Cup Final

How Panthers reached second straight Stanley Cup

SUNRISE, Fla. — It’s over for the New York Rangers . The Florida Panthers advanced to their second straight Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 win in Game 6, sending the Presidents’ Trophy winners out in the Eastern Conference final.

Sam Bennett ’s goal with 48.5 seconds left in the first period gave the Panthers a lead they held into the third, when Vladimir Tarasenko buried a feed from Anton Lundell with 10:52 left to give them a 2-0 lead.

The Rangers, who chased too many of the games in this series and chased Florida too much, had no pushback after the two-goal deficit, worn down by a Panthers team that executed to near-perfection in front of Sergei Bobrovsky , who made 22 saves.

Artemi Panarin got New York on the board with 1:39 to play but the Rangers didn’t get another good look before the final horn.

New York goaltender Igor Shesterkin had the best performance in the series for either team and was again excellent in Game 6.

Still, the Rangers could not generate enough even with decent zone time and possession in this one.

Florida awaits the winner of the Edmonton Oilers versus Dallas Stars series in the Final. The Rangers go out at the same spot they did in 2022.

How Panthers ended Rangers’ season to reach second straight Stanley Cup Final: 5 takeaways

Where do Rangers go from here?

Going to be fascinating to see where the Rangers go from here. They appeared to be very well built, with strong centers, multiple elite wingers, a stout defense corps and one of the best goalies in the league.

The Panthers were clearly the better team in this series, but there's a strong case to run it back with this group (or something very close to it).

Will Rangers' owner James Dolan have the patience for that?

Panthers reach second consecutive Stanley Cup

The Florida Panthers are going to get a second consecutive crack at the Stanley Cup, and they earned it, eliminating the Rangers with a 2-1 win Saturday night.

A huge early goal from Sam Bennett allowed the Panthers to tighten the screws on the Presidents' Trophy winners, who are faced with another offseason that started a bit early.

Florida, meanwhile, awaits the winner of the Western Conference final between the Oilers and Stars. Edmonton leads that series 3-2, with Game 6 taking place Sunday night.

Whoever winds up advancing will meet a team that, increasingly, has looked like one without any real weakness. They've got high-end skill, quality depth throughout the lineup and a goaltender that, once again, has raised his game in the postseason.

Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk with a money quote to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, on the Panthers' relentless play style:

"It's hard to play, but we like to think it's harder to play against."

Panthers defeat Rangers to advance to Stanley Cup Final

Panthers defeat the Rangers 2-1 and head to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight year.

They'll await the winner of the Stars and Oilers, who play their own Game 6 Sunday night. Edmonton leads that series 3-2.

Buckle up for a great finish

Bobrovsky was 100 seconds from his second shutout of the series.

Now it gets itchy as the Panthers' lead is down to one, and the Rangers will get their big guns a breather with a timeout. Buckle up for what should be a great finish.

Rangers still have life

Artemi Panarin scores his first goal of the series with 1:39 left.

The Rangers still have life...

Shesterkin is letting his frustration show. He just laid an elbow into Evan Rodrigues in front of the crease after freezing the puck.

Vladimir Tarasenko gives Panthers insurance

There's one part of Sean's pregame prediction come true: Vladimir Tarasenko with a back-door finish to give the Panthers some insurance with just under 11 minutes to play. It's his first point of the series. 2-0 Florida

Gustav Forsling's big defensive play

It's been said many times so far in this postseason, but it bears repeating: Gustav Forsling is really, really good. Florida plucked the dude on waivers in 2021 and has watched him turn into, no joke, one of the very best defensive defensemen in the league.

He's not going about his job all that quietly either — we've seen ton of splashy plays like this chance-denial on a Rangers breakaway. What a player.

The Rangers, facing elimination, trail 1-0 with 20 minutes to go.

The Panthers have dominated third periods this series, but New York has been an excellent come-from-behind team all year.

We'll see if the Rangers have one more in them.

Missed opportunity for Mika Zibanejad

We talked earlier tonight about Mika Zibanejad's scoring drought, and he's going to be seeing that latest missed opportunity in his sleep: can't get his stick on a puck that bounced right through the crease and toward his stick with Bobrovsky out of the net.

He couldn't corral it, and this stays a 1-0 game.

NHL PR posted a stat earlier tonight that the Panthers are 7-0 when scoring first in potential series-clinching games — with four such games (prior to tonight) between this postseason and last.

One reason why is on display now: they've given up just three high-danger chances through 15 minutes of the second period since taking the lead at the end of the first. (edited)

Sam Bennett ties Panthers records

(Photo: Peter Joneleit / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Sam Bennett's goal was his 4th of the Eastern Conference finals, tying Matthew Tkachuk's franchise record for a conference final in Panthers history.

His three-game goal streak also ties a Florida playoff record.

I'm not the first to wonder this about Sam Bennett's goal to give Florida a 1-0 lead, but I'll repeat it for the sake of our blog:

What, uh, was Jacob Trouba doing here? He's the guy in white at the bottom of the screen.

Sam Bennett has a knack for these moments

(Photo: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

Sam Bennett opens the scoring with a bar-down missile off a pass from Evan Rodrigues with 50 seconds left in the first period.

He has a knack for that: despite a .46 career points-per-game average, he raises that number substantially to .67 in the postseason.

And that is a big one.

Rangers' brutal power play continues

New York's power play has had a brutal series, and that continued in the first period.

The top unit kept the puck in the offensive zone for an extended period of time, but it couldn't get any dangerous looks. In total, the Rangers got zero shots on the power play.

For a team that relies on the power play for so much production, that's far less than ideal.

The Panthers drew the first penalty of the game, a hook on Vincent Trocheck, and their top power play unit looked dangerous.

Aleksander Barkov whiffed on a look in front of the net, and he also set up a near-goal for Sam Reinhart. But Florida couldn't break through, and New York escapes — and perhaps gains a bit of momentum after the successful kill.

Igot Shesterkin with two more good stops, the last one on Evans Rodrigues walking off the wall with room.

Shesterkin with the successful kill.

Forsling forcing the league to take notice

I'm not sure any NHL player has raised their profile on this playoff stage as much as Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling.

He makes an early impact there breaking up a Mika Zibanejad rush opportunity with his stick, one of many impressive such plays he's turned into habit.

It's not even that Forsling has changed his level of play, he's been an outstanding player all season, but he's forced the league to take notice with his showing in these playoffs.

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Look! 4 games surprise launch at Wholesome Direct

Cozy frog farming sim, pool puzzles, and a whole lot of self-discovery

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Share All sharing options for: Look! 4 games surprise launch at Wholesome Direct

Saturday’s Wholesome Direct showcased dozens of (yes, wholesome) games, including four that surprise launched alongside the event. Four whole games! Those games are Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge , POOOOL , The Palace on the Hill , and Tracks of Thought . All are available on Windows PC Steam, but you’ll also find Kamaeru on itch.io and Nintendo Switch; The Palace on the Hill on Android, Apple iOS, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X; and Tracks of Thought on Windows PC via the Epic Games Store.

Kamaera is basically a frog farming simulator, where you’re essentially setting up a habitat for your frogs to thrive, while POOOOL is a physics puzzle game that sounds like a twisted Suika Game. Meanwhile, The Palace on the Hill is a slice-of-life game about life in rural India in the ’90s and Tracks of Thought is a card-based mystery solving ride. They all couldn’t be more different, but each looks delightfully wholesome all the same.

Beyond the four surprise released games, the Wholesome Direct was not short on games to get excited for. Some that I’m looking forward to include Squeakross: Home Squeak Home , which is mouse Picross ; Été , a watercolor painting simulator; Sopa: Tale of the Stolen Potato , an adventure game about getting a potato for your grandma’s soup; While Waiting , a silly game that makes you wait around; Tiny Bookshop , which has a new demo available; and Wax Heads , where you run a record store.

There were too many incredible looking games shown during the Wholesome Direct to list here, so if you missed the show, I’d recommend watching it for yourself. There’s a lot to look forward to in the next couple of years.

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Reality dating game The Crush House to be everything I’ve ever wanted in August

Hyper Light Drifter, Solar Ash developer announces moody side-scrolling platformer

Cult of the Lamb is getting multiplayer co-op — and a goat

• Summer Game Fest 2024

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Puzzle solutions for Thursday, June 6, 2024

Note: Most subscribers have some, but not all, of the puzzles that correspond to the following set of solutions for their local newspaper.

USA TODAY crossword

Play the USA TODAY Crossword Puzzle .

Los Angeles Times crossword

Today’s crossword (mcmeel), daily commuter crossword.

Play the USA TODAY Sudoku Game .

Jumbles: DRANK      GUARD      CHOSEN      ASPECT  

Answer: The elevator buttons that needed to be repaired often were — HARD-PRESSED

(Distributed by Tribune Content Agency)

CRYPTOGRAPHY PUZZLES 

Celebrity cipher.

"We will accept nothing less than full victory!" − Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, on the D-Day invasion

(Distributed by Andrews McMeel)

Cryptoquote

FREELY WE SERVE, BECAUSE WE FREELY LOVE, AS IN OUR WILL TO LOVE OR NOT; IN THIS WE STAND OR FALL. − JOHN MILTON

(Distributed by King Features)

NAME OF A BIG REAL-ESTATE AGENCY FOUNDED BY A WELL-KNOWN LITERARY SLEUTH: SHERLOCK HOMES.

OTHER PUZZLES

PEP      PLOP      PREP     PROP      PUMP     PLUMP   

EAGER, REGARD, DIGEST, TASTE, ENRAGES

Scrabblegrams

7 little words, find the words.

Take precautions

(Distributed by Creators Syndicate)

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• 2 32 of the loudest animals on Earth
• 3 100-foot 'walking tree' in New Zealand looks like an Ent from Lord of the Rings — and is the lone survivor of a lost forest
• 4 Shigir Idol: World's oldest wood sculpture has mysterious carved faces and once stood 17 feet tall
• 5 A telescope on Earth just took an unbelievable image of Jupiter's moon
• 2 Shigir Idol: World's oldest wood sculpture has mysterious carved faces and once stood 17 feet tall
• 3 What is the 3-body problem, and is it really unsolvable?
• 4 Razor-thin silk 'dampens noise by 75%' — could be game-changer for sound-proofing homes and offices
• 5 Neanderthals and humans interbred 47,000 years ago for nearly 7,000 years, research suggests

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How to watch 2024 nba finals online without cable.

Here's where basketball fans can livestream the Boston Celtics vs. the Dallas Mavericks online for free.

By Rudie Obias

Rudie Obias

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We’re down to the last two teams for the season. The 2024 NBA Finals features the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks, and there are only a few games left to see which team will hoist the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy at the end of the series.

With tip-off just around the corner, keep reading to find out how to watch the NBA Finals with and without cable, as well as how to find last-minute tickets to games.

At a glance: Watch 2024 NBA Finals online

• When Game 1 starts on June 6 at 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET
• TV channel ABC
• Stream online DirecTV , Fubo , Hulu + Live TV , Sling

How to Watch the 2024 NBA Finals Online Without Cable

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Watch the NBA Finals 2024 on ABC, as well as other channels on DirecTV Stream — which says it offers more regional sports networks and live local sports than other streaming TV services. The “Entertainment” package ($70 monthly) offers more than 90 other channels, while other plans offer 125 to 185 channels for $85 to $160 monthly. New subscribers can use a five-day free trial to try out the service before they make a decision to keep watching or cancel altogether.

Watch live NBA Finals on ABC with a subscription to Fubo , which starts at $80 monthly and includes access to more than 100 other news, entertainment and sports channels. Add the Sports Plus with NFL RedZone channel ($11 monthly) to get access to more sports content (including NBA, NCAA, NFL and MLB games). Meanwhile, you can also record TV shows, movies and games. The online TV streaming service offers a seven-day free trial for new subscribers .

Hulu + Live TV

Watch ABC for the 2024 NBA Finals, as well as more than 75 other major cable news, entertainment and sports channels on-demand with a Hulu + Live TV subscription . It comes bundled with Disney+ and ESPN+ and costs $76 monthly for the ad-supported option and $90 monthly for the ad-free package. Hulu + Live TV comes with Disney+ and ESPN+, so you can watch thousands of popular TV shows, movies and original content too. Right now, Hulu + Live TV has a three-day free trial available for new subscribers.

Sling Blue ($22.50 for the first month, $45 monthly afterward) is a live TV streaming platform that lets you watch every NBA Finals game online on ABC. The streaming plan also come with other news, entertainment and sports channels, such as NBC, Fox, Discovery Channel, FS1, MSNBC, NFL Network, Syfy, National Geographic and others. Learn more about watching NBA games with Sling here .

2024 NBA Finals: Game Dates, Schedule

The 2024 NBA Finals starts on Thursday, June 6 and goes through Sunday, June 23, depending if the series goes all seven games. Otherwise, the series could conclude between Friday, June 14 and Thursday, June 20.

See the full 2024 NBA Finals schedule here and the NBA Playoffs bracket, as a whole, here .

How to Watch the 2024 NBA Finals on Cable

The 2024 NBA Finals broadcasts on ABC in the U.S. You can watch online on ABC.com or the ABC mobile app by logging in with your cable TV provider account.

Where to Buy 2024 NBA Finals Tickets Online

Want to watch Celtics vs. Mavericks in person? Last-minute tickets are available for the NBA Finals at StubHub , Ticket Liquidator , Ticket Network and GameTime — prices depend on the city, either Boston or Dallas, and seat location. For more info, visit NBATickets.com .

Some of the best deals on tickets are at Vivid Seats , where you can save $20 with code THR2024; or at SeatGeek where you can use promo code HOLLYWOOD10 to save $10 on eligible purchases of $250 and up. Click here for last-minute tickets to NBA Finals games .

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