Mobile Legends App Usage and Academic Performance:

A Perception Study

CHAPTER l

THE PROBLEM

Background of the Study

The development of technology in all aspects is rapidly expanding. It is like food

and is always with people. No activity is formed without the presence of technology such

as sleep, food, transportation, study and especially entertainment or recreation - one is

making a variety of applications and games in mobile. Coupled with the rise of technology'

technology can bring positive and negative effects in many aspects of life. Instead of

students reading their books, they spend their time chatting and making friends via the

social networking sites. Instead of students are busy answering their assignments and

doing their projects, they usually play online games in their mobile phones, this might

definitely have influence on their academic performance (Cermino et al., 2018). Mobile

Gaming applications have become one of the main entertainment features on

smartphones (Fernandez et al., 2018).

As defined by the Technopedia (n.d.), Mobile games are games designed for

mobile devices, such as smartphones, feature phones, pocket PCs, personal digital

assistants (PDA), tablet PCs and portable media players. Mobile games range from basic
(like Snake on older Nokia phones) to sophisticated (3D and augmented reality games).

The earliest known game on a mobile phone was Tetris variant on the Hagenuk MT-2000

device from 1994.

Today, mobile games are usually downloaded from app stores as well as from

mobile operator's portals, but in some cases are also preloaded in the handheld devices

by the OEM or by the mobile operator when purchased, via infrared connection,

Bluetooth, memory card or side loaded onto the handset with a cable (Mejia et al., 2018).

Mobile games, most notably Mobile Legends have become so popular today when

it comes to the choice of students past time. Mobile Legends is arguably one of the most

popular mobile games currently being played. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a

multiplayer online battle arena mobile game developed and published by Shanghai Muxi

Technology Co., Ltd, or Moonton, is a gaming company in China that developed the game

(Lopez, 2017). The game has become popular in Southeast Asia and will be a medal

event at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games (Vox, 2019).

Mobile Legends will be the first time that esports will be part of a regional sporting

event under the International Olympic Committee as a medal sport. It had been previously

been part of the 2018 Asian Games, but only as a demonstration event. A total of 6 games

will be included in the SEA games, comprised of two console games, two PC games, and

two mobile games, with Mobile Legends being the first (eSports, 2018).

Mobile Legends is a worldwide game, many person play it. It is an online game

and can be played on PC or smartphones. You can also make a team and join tournament

games to win all the winning prizes (Vox, 2019).

 Mobile Legends is one of the most popular mobile games in the Philippines as well

as in the rest of South East Asia. This is because the game is free-to-play for mobile

users, thus making it more accessible compared to other esports titles. Most gamers in

the Philippines and in South East Asia play in internet or LAN cafes because it is more

affordable than buying and maintaining their own computers. With Mobile Legends being

playable anywhere with just their phones, it is no wonder that the game has been so

popular in the region (eSports, 2018).

Playing mobile games is beneficial. It helps the player to think through the

pressure. It helps the player to come up with decisions in tight situations, especially those

adventure games that keep the players to be alert, active and strategic. Playing these

types of games makes the player experienced different feelings because it is as if the

player is really the one taking the challenges. Despite those benefits, playing these games

also bring negative effects. It requires much of the players time, leaving school activities

and home words unattended (Robinson, 2016). So the researchers came up to this study

to show that there is also an effects in mobile games (mobile legends) to the academic

performance of students.
Statement of the Problem

This study deals with the effects of Mobile Legend App usage to the academic

performance of West Central Elementary School and Saint John’s Cathedral School

students.

Particularly, this study will seek to answer the following problems:

1. What is the profile of the respondents along the following variables:

a. gender,

b. age,

c. strand, and

d. school

2. What is the level of Mobile Games (Mobile Legends) addiction among West Central

Elementary School and Saint John’s Cathedral School students?

3. Is there a significant relationship between Mobile Games (Mobile Legends) usage

and the students’ academic performance in terms of:

a. attendance

b. class participation,

c. GPA

d. study habits?
Research Hypothesis

The hypothesis of this research in its null form was tested at .05 level of

significance:

There is no significant relationship between Mobile Legends App usage and its

effects on academic performance of students.

Scope and Delimitation

This study will focus on Grade 12 Senior High School Students of West Central

Elementary School and Saint John’s Cathedral School.

This study will cover the impact of Mobile Legends App use on their academic

performance. It aims to prevent the students from improper use of Mobile Legend App

and gives preventive rules and instructions.

Significance of the Study

This study is beneficial to the following:

Mobile Legends Players. This study aims to inform the ML players to know that there is

an effect of playing mobile games such as Mobile Legends in their academic

performance.

Students. This study aims to inform students about the possible effects of excessive use

of mobile game apps such as Mobile Legends to their academic performance.

Educational Institution. This study aims to encourage the school institution to give

actions and recommendations about students who always use Mobile Legends App.

Future Researchers. This will serve as an informative material for future researchers

and readers in terms of Mobile Legends App usage and its effect on their academic

performance.

Definition of Terms

Mobile Games. The term used in this study refers to mobile games designed for mobile

devices, such as smartphones, android, IOS and tablets.

Mobile Legends App. The term used in this study refers to the popular multiplayer online

battle arena (MOBA) mobile game that allows registered users to play battle between two

opposing teams fight to reach and destroy the enemy's base while defending their own

base. It is mostly known as Mobile Legends: Bang Bang.

Mobile Legends App Usage. The term used in this study refers to the use of the mobile

game app by students instead of studying the lessons.

Academic Performance. The term used in this study refers to the students’ development

in terms of class participation, attendance, and study habits.

Students. The term used in this study refers to respondents who are students of the West

Central Elementary School and Saint Joseph Cathedral School enrolled under K-12

Program in Academic Year 2019-2020.

 Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

This chapter presents articles and statements which are connected to the study.

The related literature and studies consists of details and particulars regarding the

problem. It is also composed of discussions of facts and principles to which the study is

related.

RELATED LITERATURE

Mobile Phones

Today, many of us couldn’t imagine our lives without mobile phones. They come

in all shapes and sizes, with multiple features designed to satisfy our daily needs for

communication and socialization, as well as a multitude of others. With all the additional

services modern mobile phones offer, a question arises as to whether “phone” is an

adequate term to describe these devices, after all, dialing and calling is only one of the

many functions that these devices have. The human need for communication over long

distances has existed since the beginning of civilization, but until very recently there were

no efficient, quick, and convenient ways of doing this. The idea of a phone that can be

carried in one’s pocket has been around since the early 19th century, being conceived

shortly after Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone (Docevski, 2016).
 In April 1973, Motorola engineer Marty Cooper made the first call from a “real

handheld portable cell phone,” a point he made very clear during that historic

conversation with Joel Engel, the head of rival research firm Bell Labs. Fast forward to

June 29, 2007, and the iPhone was born. Since that fateful phone call four decades ago,

mobile phones have evolved dramatically. Those magical portable technology boxes

have become an essential part of interpersonal communication, and their significance will

only increase with time. From the rise of SMS to anywhere, anytime Internet connectivity

to mobile photography, cell phones have been the catalyst for cultural and technological

changes over the past 41 years (Nguyen, 2014).

Mobile phone is one of the most rapidly growing new technologies in the world. In

2001, cell phone users were less than a billion worldwide with the majority of the users

from the developed countries. By the end of 2010, however, mobile phone users had

reached five billion worldwide with subscriptions from developing countries outnumbering

that of the developed countries. Obviously, this increase includes a sharp increase in the

number of cellphones used by the younger generations (Akinwale, n.d.).

Touchscreen Phones

As published in SpinFold.com (2019), it says that, during the rapid rise of the

computer in the second half of the twentieth century, people were always searching for

the next best way to interact with them. The early days of punched cards and paper tape

became too heavy as computers advanced and keyboards became the input device of

choice.
 The first touchscreen phone was launched in 1992 by IBM. The IBM Simon is also

referred as the first smartphone. Simon is the first smartphone to be incorporated with the

features of a PDA. It was refined further and marketed to consumers in 1994 by BellSouth

Corporation an American telecommunications holding company based in Atlanta,

Georgia. When it was launched, it was launched under the name Simon Personal

Communicator. Not just receiving and making phone calls, it was also able to send e-

mails, faxes and messages. It also featured very useful applications like calendar,

appointment scheduler, calculator, world clock, electronic notepad, address book etc.

(www.spinfold.com, 2019).

Internet Connection in Mobiles Phones

An article online entitled Wireless Internet Connection Using Cell Phones as

published on lovetoknow.com (n.d.), Mobile phones are used for a lot more than just voice

calls and text messages these days and a great deal of the extra functionality requires an

active Internet connection. For most consumers, the default is to subscribe to a wireless

data plan via 3G or 4G with their preferred wireless provider, but using Wi-Fi could be a

more cost-effective and potentially more versatile method to explore. This is true both for

cell phones wishing to connect to an existing Wi-Fi access point, as well as for using the

cell phone as a mobile hotspot to connect other Wi-Fi enabled devices like tablets and

notebook PCs.

Internet usage in the Philippines remains on a growth trajectory with seven million

users added over last year. Internet penetration now stands at around 63 percent out of

105.7 million Filipinos. Moreover, more than half of the population, or 61 million, access

the internet using a mobile device. (Camus, 2018).

Online Games and Mobile Games

Online gaming is one the fastest growing trend in today's generation (Victorkarm,

2014).

An online game is a video game played over some form of computer network. This

network is usually the internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used

whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals

before modems (https://www.definitions.net, n.d.). From sport related games to mission

based games and quests inspiring users to complete challenges, interactive games cater

for a wide range of interests, and can enable users to link up and play together

(https://www.childnet.com, n.d.).

Mobile Phones with Game Applications

People are now living in a world where console-quality games – with immersive

gameplay, complex 3D graphics, and realistic stereo sound – can be enjoyed at any time

by anyone in possession of a decent smartphone. It is a feature that is now take for

granted, pretty much. Yet 20 years ago, cell phone games weren't quite as exciting, as

imagine. In fact, there were no cell phones with games prior to 1994. That's the year when

the Hagenuk MT-2000 came out, becoming the first phone with gaming capabilities. To

put things into perspective, Snake came out three years later on the Nokia 6110 (Nick T.,

2014).

Mobile games can be free or chargeable. There may be costs associated with

mobile gaming, as within some games, even free ones, there are opportunities to
purchase added functionality such as ‘in-app’ purchases. These functions however can

be deactivated, usually through the phone settings.

Based from the website of Sutori.com (2019), wherein the timeline shows the

history of how mobile phone games have developed and evolved from its first invention.

Tetris appeared as the first mobile game in 1994 aboard the Hagenuk MT-2000, a phone

designed and manufactured in Denmark by the Hagenuk Corporation. Tetris is the wildly

popular video game based on rapidly stacking tetranomial shapes.Three years later in

December 1997, Nokia launched the very successful game SNAKE. Snake and its

variants, that was preinstalled in all mobile devices manufactured by Nokia, has since

become one of the most-played video games and is found on more than 350 million

devices worldwide. A variant of the Snake game for the Nokia 6110 was also the first two-

player game for mobile phones. In 2002, SPACE INVADERS became available on mobile

phones. It was originally an arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado and released

in 1978. The N-Gage, as a feature phone and handheld game system, was released in

October 2003 by Nokia. N-Gage attempted to lure gamers away from game boys by

including mobile phone functionality, however, this was unsuccessful, partly because the

design of the phone was not well-suited for gaming. In 2007 Apple's first iPhone was

released with the trademark home button, a metal rear casing, and a 3.5-inch touchscreen

display. The debute of iPhone opened a new era for mobile gaming. The mobile games

nowadays have fantastic artwork, high definition graphics, and real-life movement and

sound effects.

Following the release of iPhone and the launch of App Store, a number of very

successful and super addictive mobile phone games or iPhone games were developed,
including Angry Birds in 2009, the first commercially successful mobile game, Plants vs.

Zombies in 2010, Fruit Ninja in 2010, Cut the Rope in 2010, Temple Run in 2011, Candy

Crush in 2012, Flappy Bird in 2013, 2048 in 2014, and many more. And the mobile game

industry keeps developing particularly the Mobile Legends Bang Bang.

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is one of the biggest mobile MOBAs (multiplayer

online battle arenas) around. Taking the hero-vs-hero format and condensing it to a phone

or tablet screen, it places a significant emphasis on teamwork, coordination and nailing

your role. While the game has been pared back to make the genre work in the mobile

format, it's still a highly sophisticated game of pushing lanes, taking towers, invading

jungles and eventually destroying your enemy's base. And, of course, there's plenty of

ganking (Gamespot Staff, 2019).

Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Based from Games.lol (n.d.), stated that Mobile Legends Bang Bang is the most

popular MOBA game in the world today. It has ranked #1 in Apple Store’s best-selling

rankings in 13 countries around the world. It also reached the top 10 results in 53

countries. This multiplayer online battle arena was originally created for mobile phones

giving players a unique experience on their phones. Mobile Legends Bang Bang started

its release last July 11, 2016. Since then, it has been a fan favorite by a lot of players,

especially in Asia.

The most recent Mobile Legends (ML) update brought in several new additions to

the game players not only have a new interface to get used to, but they’re introduced to

new heroes as well (Vox, 2019).

Mobile Legends for Fond of Characters

The most recent Mobile Legends update brought in several new additions to the

game. Players not only have a new interface to get used to, but they’re introduced to new

heroes as well.

“What is arguably more exciting, however, are the new heroes. The

first one is Karrie, priced at 499 Diamonds, BP 24,000. She is very gifted

and went through intense training to become the warrior leader that she is

now. Her skills include the Spinning Lightwheel (the flywheel will stay at the

destination and cause damage as well as slow down enemies in its path)

and Phantomstep (releases a lightwheel attack at the nearest opponent).”

- (https://www.globe.com.ph, 2017).

Mobile Legends: All Heroes

A Hero is a being or person that has been summoned to wage battle in Mobile

Legends. They are the player-controlled character in Mobile Legends. There are currently

92 heroes at the moment in Mobile Legends. You can play the Weekly Free Heroes

available within the game's rotation and you also have the option of buying new heroes

with Battle Points Battle-points-cost (BP), Hero Fragments, Tickets, or Diamonds-cost

Skins and Heroes can only be also bought with Diamonds, Lucky Spin can also reward

you with Heroes or Skins and reset reward every week, accessible by going to Shop in

the main menu and tapping Lucky Spin. There is also another way to buy Heroes and

Skins, by going to the Fragment Shop you need Premium Skin Fragment, Rare Skin

Fragment, and Hero Fragment which are a bit difficult to obtain. The game rewards you
with some early Battle Points in order to buy your first heroes and not to be stuck with the

same heroes to play (https://mobile-legends.fandom.com, 2019).

According to the article entitled Introducing the Best Mobile Legends Heroes: A

Newbie’s Guide in Choosing Their Hero posted in www.ciit.edu.ph (2019), there are roles

of Mobile Legends Heroes. These are the following:

TANK

Tank heroes are the most durable among all mobile legends heroes. These front-

line giants help in attacking enemies. They urge their teammates who are using

marksman or assassin heroes to facilitate in the attack. Tanks also help to protect fragile

heroes. You cannot determine the tank’s skills in its durability alone. When used properly,

a tank could be the strongest hero in mobile legends.

ASSASSIN

Assassin heroes are the ones who focus on the positioning of the battle. They

wisely plan their attack and tactically kill their enemies. Assassins choose their targets

and aim at them carefully. Because they have low hit points (HP), it’s ideal for the

experienced gamers to use them. Some fighters are less durable, making fighters easy

to kill if used wrongly.

MARKSMAN

Looking for heroes that can do strategic attacks from a distance? Well, marksman

heroes are perfect for you. This type of hero is best paired with tanks or fighters. A

marksman destroys turrets quickly, too. During a game, it is best to stay at an ideal
distance to protect this hero. Marksman heroes are less durable, so that makes it easy

for them to get killed.

FIGHTER

Marksman heroes fight from a distance, along with tanks. Meanwhile, fighter

heroes fight closer to their enemy, making sure they leave a huge loss. Fighters can be

used alone; however, teaming up with a marksman will be of huge help.

MAGE

Mage in MOBA games means magician. They cause damage to nearby enemies

using magic. Given this, mage heroes are highly important in any team. Their main

strength is not their physical attack but their ability effects. Most of the mage heroes in

Mobile Legends are low in durability, so be careful when trying to fight the enemies alone.

SUPPORT

Support heroes protect their allies in battles. Their main role is to aid their

teammates. Support heroes help mobile legends heroes that are less durable and easy

to kill, such as the marksman heroes.

Here are 5 Most Unique Hero Mobile Legends (https://steemit.com, 2017).

Lapu-Lapu

Hero Mobile Legends includes a new hero class that is present in the Mobile

Legends game. Lapu Lapu is inspired by the legend of Filipino society with a similar name.

As a result, the Philippine culture theme was very thick felt in the hero fighter or assassin
this one. Just like the original story, Lapu Lapu uses a weapon Skill similar to Parang but

with a wider size.

Roger

It is obligatory to include Roger as the most unique hero group in the Mobile

Legends game. The reason, Roger has the ability to change shape. From what was just

an ordinary human who can shoot through a skill called Full Bore. Become a savage

werewolf with the ability of Lycan Pounce.

Bruno

It is a fairly old hero in the Mobile Legends game. This one Hero is a Marksman

with deadly footballing ability. Bruno is not a soccer player. He is just a child with a pure

heart who once helped his friend from a deadly accident. The accident made Bruno lose

his leg. The courage of Bruno finally reached the ears of the scholars of Euroditio.

Gatotkaca

No one would have thought GatotKaca was present in the Mobile Legends game.

In addition to being a pride for Indonesia, Moonton also made a character that is adapted

from GatotKaca comic titled Garudayana works is Yuniarto. In the game Mobile Legends

Gatotkaca the bone iron is told is a son of Bima and Arimbi in the world of Arcapada.

From his childhood he was known as the leader of the gods.

Hayabusa

It is also has a variety of abilities that usually exist in the Ninja. From start throw

shuriken to disappear in an instant. In Mobile Legends game is told that one of the cities
named Iga, there is the greatest ninja who get the shadow ninja title and is responsible

for the most dangerous mission. Uniquely, while the shadow ninja protects the city of Iga,

none of the townspeople know it.

Mobile Legends as a Business

Mobile games contribute greatly to the high growth rate of mobile media use. This

industry was worth an estimated 9.8 billion U.S. dollars in North America 2018, with further

growth expected in 2019. By far the largest mobile gaming region worldwide is Asia,

where revenues topped 41.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2018. These kinds of revenues mean

that mobile gaming is big business for mobile operating systems. Both Apple and Google

has cashed in, with their app stores generating 33.2 billion U.S. dollars and 30.1 billion

U.S. dollars respectively in mobile gaming revenue worldwide in 2018. With the number

of mobile gamers in North America surpassing 210 million in 2018, it appears that this

industry shows no signs of slowing down any time soon (Gough, 2019).

Looking at the $200 million in total player spending amassed by Mobile Legends

to date, about 12 percent of that has originated from the U.S., making it the game’s third

largest market behind Malaysia and Indonesia at 21 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

Due its popularity in these regions, where Android adoption greatly exceeds iOS, its

overall revenue share from Google Play stands at about 71 percent, versus 29 percent

from Apple’s platform (https://sensortower.com, 2018)

Mobile Legends as an Esports

Based on the article of Awsif Ahmed entitled Is Mobile Legends: Bang Bang the

next big mobile esport? (2019), stated that Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is already
immensely popular in Southeast Asia and has a properly structured esports league in

countries like the Philippines and Indonesia called the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

Professional League (MPL). The fourth season of the MPL-Malaysia/Singapore is going

on and has a prize pool of over $100,000. The MLBB SEA Cup held last June peaked at

over 276,000 viewers, according to Esports Charts. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is also

a part of the Southeast Asian Games 2019. The SEA Games will mark the first time that

esports will be played as a medal event in a sports competition sanctioned by the

International Olympic Committee.

In addition to the study, E-sports is now huge and widely recognized, even in the

mobile landscape. Of course, MOBAs (Massively Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) are the

top contributors to the E-sports scene, with Dota 2 and League of Legends leading the

way for PC. Mobile has just the titles that mimic the success of the aforementioned titles

— Mobile Legends and Honor of Kings “Arena of Valor” (Estacio, 2018)

Mobile Legends has also quite a following in the Philippines, prominently featured

in Mobile Live-streaming sessions and in esports-tournament platform. Just recently, “The

Nationals”, the country’s first franchise-based esports league spearheaded by the MVP

group, announced that it will be featuring Mobile Legends (Lopez, 2018).

Based from the article by Angela Coloma of ABS-CBN News entitled Esports: With

regional tilt, Mobile Legends finds value in PH market (2019), in an interview of JJ Lin,

the esports manager for Montoon, said having the event in the Philippines is significant,

adding that their team will “focus more” on organizing events for the Philippine market in

the coming months. The Philippines has produced globally competitive players for the

past six years, and this continues to grow.

 “The Philippines is a very important market for Moonton. We love all the

MLBB fans... Actually, the Philippines is the second most important market

for MLBB…Filipinos are persistent, observant, passionate, and highly

motivated. They are also great team players. These characteristics,

collectively, are an advantage to have”.

- (JJ Lin, the esports manager for Montoon, 2019).

Mobile Legends as a Stress Reliever

According to the article entitled Chill, Relax, and Play Mobile Games To Release

Stress (2017), stated about Mobile Legends that it is a fact that game can help reduce

stress level. Students, teachers, and other faculty staffs absolutely need to pick up

some of mobile games and play.

“Challenge, connect, and have fun with your friends with this action game,

choose your own hero and build a perfect team with your friends! You will

battle with other team which involve killing and destroying opponent’s tower

in ten minutes match. The controls are simple, you just need two fingers to

become a master in this game. Good luck soldiers!”

- (Jennifer Natalie, 2017).

With 63 million downloads and 16 million monthly active users, Mobile Legends

has become one of the most popular pastimes in the country. Stuck in traffic while

commuting? Chances are you’ll find yourself beside someone who is hooked on the game

(Pamaran, 2019).
Mobile Legends as a Source of Income

Just a couple of years ago, livestreaming was little more than a passionate gamer

sharing his experience of playing video games with a small crowd, with little intention or

hope for monetary gain. However, there has been a shift in popularity of the once-niche

medium, best proven by the amount of viewership and money that the industry now

possesses. Streamers who have made it to the top command followings by the thousands

or even millions and can earn up to 6-digits a month… One might be wonder how these

livestreamers make their money on their daily broadcasts. “Streamers primarily earn by

collecting virtual gifts from their fans while streaming. Esports teams, pro gamers, and

popular streamers also stand to earn from sponsorships and streaming contracts,”

explains Yubin Ng, head of Tamago. (Loganathan, 2018),

“With all these players, there are bound to be moms who are

constantly scolding their kids about too much screen time and also asking

them what will happen if they just keep playing games. Well, as it turns out,

elite-level Filipino Mobile Legends players can actually cash in on their

skills. The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang Southeast Asia Cup (MSC 2019),

held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on June 19 to 23, had a prize pool of

P6.26 million or $120,000”.

- Maan D’Asis Pamaran (2019).

Mobile Legends is a Trending Mobile Game

According to the article of Erika Mariel B. Gines in Sun.Star Pampanga entitled 7

Reasons why Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is trending (2017), said that, Mobile Legends

app is easy to download in Smartphones and IOS for free using wifi connection. It can

run smoothly even on low end android. It has low graphic, meaning you can run it on high

frames which affect the latency and ping. Controls are easy to use, does not require you

to go to shops for you to able to buy and equip items. Overall, Mobile Legends: Bang

Bang is good for players who are new to MOBA. Everything in this game is beginners

friendly, good start if you want to explore the MOBA gaming world.

Mobile Legends: The Positive and Negative Aspects

Playing mobile games can have a positive effect. This will notice why a mobile

game app is played by many.

According to the article by Benny (2018), the followings are the positive effects:

Encouraging physical exercise

Augmented reality games like the famous Pokémon Go has encouraged millions

of people to explore their city environment, walk more every day, and simply burn more

calories during these activities.

Improving brain functions

Science is proving that playing video games with moderation is good for your brain.

Puzzle games are generally considered the most beneficial.

 “The effect of video games on the brain is very similar to the effect of

wine on the health: there are some very poor uses of wine, there are some

very poor uses of video games. But, when consumed in reasonable doses

and at the right age, wine can be very good for health. Video games are the

same and they have a number of ingredients that are very powerful for brain

plasticity, learning, attention or vision”.

- Daphne Bavelier (Brain Scientist), (from the article by Benny, 2018).

Educating children

Some mobile games which contain learning tools can have a positive impact on the way

kids learn and they may improve classroom engagement and encourage more effective

study habits. Gamification is an excellent incentive for students of all ages and allows

teachers to reach students using the media they are most attracted to.

Encouraging individuals to have a healthy lifestyle

There are so-called pact apps that encourage users to live a healthier life by imposing

dieting and exercise resolutions that one must respect. Users who break their promises

have to pay other players, in what looks very much like a fitness challenge. Without these

apps, some people may never consider the idea of dieting or exercising.

Based from the article entitled Mobile Legends Addiction: How Excessive Gaming

Damages You (http://bridgesofhope.com.ph, 2019) indicated that, nowadays, kids and

adults alike own mobile phones infested with apps that can easily occupy their whole day.

One of these apps is probably Mobile Legends, a popular mobile game. Many people,
from kids to teenagers and adults are even willing to spend money to get access to more

game features. They may also neglect their other responsibilities as they are crouched

over their phones trying to get ahead in the game. This is when it becomes excessive

gaming, or even problematic gaming. There are those who also get treated for a

behavioral addiction called gaming addiction. What we may not realize is that there are

real dangers from these video games, when left unchecked and unregulated.

In addition to the study, researchers included the following “Dangers of Excessive

Gaming” (http://bridgesofhope.com.ph, 2019).

1. Excessive preoccupation. If a person is unable to do anything else other than

playing with video games or mobile games, then that’s a red flag. Whether it’s a child or

an adult, excessive gaming steals away their time for other more fulfilling and more

productive things. If they abandon their old hobbies that don’t involve video games, are

constantly preoccupied by the idea of their next gaming session, these can lead to gaming

addiction.

2. Dangers to the health. There are many who lose sleep and skip meals in order

to play these games. There are also risks for childhood obesity, as well as headaches,

backaches, eye-strain, and many other conditions brought by sitting in front of a computer

or over a mobile phone for extended periods of time.

3. Relationship problems. Because their attention is always on their games, they

may cease to be present for their families and friends. They may not hold conversations

with them, or may entirely skip events altogether just to play with their games.
 4. Increased aggression. Violent video games can also make the gamers violent,

especially the younger ones. These children may develop a detached view of society and

humanity and have aggressive thoughts and tendencies when they grow up.

5. Poor performance. Whether it’s in school, at home, at work, or in life in general.

Those who are addicted to video games may fail to perform well or meet the tasks

required of him.

The disadvantage of impact game has on society is that it is not good

for your health, brain and eyes. The computer games are as much a part of

childhood as skipping ropes and teddy bears. Nowadays children spent too

much time on computer games or in consoles and it can be bad for child

development. This is a habit to complaint from modern lifestyles for a lot

and including limited common skills. In the modern generation when a child

plays computer games it is really bad for them.

- Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com, Mobile Phone Games

Development On Society Media Essay, 2018

According to the article of Chris Davis-Falco entitled The Negative Effects of

Mobile Games (2017). The following are problems that can occur of over usage of mobile

games:

Sleep Problems

Mobile phones and video games have both been independently linked to disruption

in the sleep patterns of children in studies. Jan Van den Bulck, a senior lecturer in

psychology at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, found through surveys that
one in five teenagers reported being awakened regularly by their mobile devices. Playing

video games on mobile phones will no doubt continue to prevent children from getting the

rest they need. Disruption in sleep patterns, like the ones caused by mobile games, have

been linked to behavior issues, and sleepiness during the day.

Out of Control Spending

Many mobile games operate on a "free to premium" business model, where the

basic game is free, but extras within the game cost money. Some players have found

themselves spending large sums of money while playing games, in an out of control

fashion. These types of games are potentially very dangerous to gamers with any type of

addictive personalities. There have also been reports of parents allowing their children to

use their devices to play their free games, and their children have somehow managed to

purchase items accidentally, with no way for the parent to receive a refund.

RELATED STUDIES

Nowadays, the amount of mobile service users have reached 875 million in China,

with 80% connecting via mobile, suggesting that mobile devices have become the main

access to. With the development of mobile internet technology and the growth of social

networking apps, the rapid advancement of mobile games has attracted considerable

attentions. According to the investigation data from Iimedia Research, till the first half of

2014, there were 448 million mobile game users and the market size of mobile games

reached 1.178 billion in China (Sun et al., 2015).

 Mobile Games are defined as gaming applications for smart devices such as

smartphones and tablets. Leading app stores like Google's Play Store and Apple's App

Store offer paid app-downloads (single purchases) and freemium games that are free to

download but normally allow in-app-purchases for various additional contents or access

time (https://www.statista.com, 2018).

Mobile games are video games played online via a mobile device, and are

particularly popular when downloaded for free (e.g., “freemium game” – games played for

free and where customers can pay for extra features), and can be single-player or

multiplayer games (Fernandez, et al., 2018). Mobile games are a new market, and thus,

it is interesting if this expansion into mobile is mainly driven by the seek for profits (Pernu,

2017).

According to the study entitled Mobile gaming and problematic smartphone use: A

comparative study between Belgium and Finland, stated that, Interacting with mobile

devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets) has now become strongly embedded in

contemporary societies across the world as many different types of activity can now be

engaged in (e.g., gaming, gambling, and social networking). Over the past two decades,

the use of mobile technologies has evolved to comprise a set of behaviors that have

become ubiquitous in people’s daily lives, especially for youth. Smartphone gaming has

been one form of popular mobile entertainment engaged in on a variety of devices. Given

rapid developments in mobile technology, smartphone gaming requires an in-depth

exploration to ascertain factors that may contribute to problematic use (Fernandez et al.,

2018).
 Mobile gaming has become one of the most popular entertainment tools due to the

growing popularity of mobile devices and applications; in short, mobile applications can

be described as applications in computing devices that have wireless communication

functionality. As of today, mobile games are offered to consumers with versions of other

game platforms (game consoles, computers) as well as their own applications. Although

some games seem complicated in their style and play format, mobile games are often

classified as casual games. In addition, the fact that mobile games offer instant

entertainment-focused and simpler game play compared to games on other platforms

also eliminates the need for special skills or expertise to play these games. (Yüce et al.,

2018).

“It is because it has the advantage of being a mobile game. This

means players can play it anywhere, at a shop, at a cafe, and more. This

makes the game more accessible anywhere and anytime, as well as

opening the device option from phone to iPad. There are many heroes to

choose from, and since you matchup with different players and get different

outcomes each time you play, players will not grow bored of playing”.

-Andrea KhorMage, Assassin and Support main in MLBB (n.d.)

The preference of mobile games, which have become one of the most popular

entertainment tools due to the growing popularity of mobile devices and applications, has

made the concept of leisure more digital than ever. There are great similarities and

common points between the motivations of individuals to participate in leisure activities

and the motivation to play mobile games (Yüce et al., 2018).

 According to Rawshon et, al. (2017), stated that people spend a lot of time online,

and this can cause them to become potential addicts. However, they are not addicted to

the media itself, as some users may develop addictions for specific Internet activities. In

some extreme cases, researchers have conceptualized addiction to SNSs as Internet

spectrum addiction disorders, listing them alongside other addictive Internet uses

such as game addiction, Internet gambling addiction, and Internet sex addiction.

Based from the study related to game aspect by Ip et al. entitled Gaming frequency

and academic performance (2008), analyzed the relationships between gaming

frequency and academic performance among 713 students. The study found that frequent

gamers, who spend more than 2 hours per day playing video games, performed less well

than infrequent gamers. Supporting this by Hellström et al. (Influences of motives to play

and time spent gaming on the negative consequences of adolescent online computer

gaming, 2012) examined the relationship between gaming time, motives to play, and

negative consequences because of playing massively multiplayer online role-playing

games (MMORPGs). They recruited 7,757 Swedish adolescents and had them

completed a questionnaire and found that time spent on gaming was related to negative

consequences, e.g., “less sleep due to gaming.” Ventura et al. (2012) constructed an

online survey with 252 undergraduate students and a positive indication was found

between video gameplay and academic performance. That is, students who spent 11-50

hours playing video games had significantly higher GPAs than students who spent 0-10

hours playing video games (A complete research paper of Ku et al., (n.d.), entitled A

Study of the Influence of Gaming Behavior on Academic Performance of IT College

Students).
 Android tablets, smartphones and touchpad are very in demand in today’s

generation, People are all having this kind of gadgets not just to personal and business

but it also lessen the boredom from work and daily stressful life. Enjoyment which might

carried from the use of this gadgets and maintaining to use as a stress and boredom

relievers. Games are one of the attractive features that the android tablets, smartphones

and touchpad have. The different version, styles and story of games makes the common

user curious to explore and enjoy from it. From the famous Facebook game CANDY

Crush, tablet games Plants versus Zombies, Temple run, Bubble Mania, and Angry Birds,

people get to explore and download games that might fits to their needs to lessen the

boredom (Ibot, n.d.), and now is Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB). It is a multiplayer-

online based arena game for Android and iOS that was released in November 2016. Since

then, the game has racked up over 500 million downloads and has 75 million active

players, according to Moonton, the developers of MLBB (Ahmed, 2018).

Despite its vast, enthusiast community and influence on contemporary game

designers, the MOBA remains under-explored by academics. But few games exhibit a

greater need for socially-aware services than this relatively new genre which brings new

ways of collaboration and competition on the table, gender and cultural challenges and

even new social networks which need to deal with the inherent toxic behaviour that arises

in these contexts (Cantallops and Sicilia, 2018).

According to Yüce et al.,(2018) , talk about how leisure activities focus on

goodness, they emphasize the negative aspect that they call darkness. In his work he

stated that intensive interest in activities may create obsessions and may even be at the

level of dependence. This situation is more evident in digital leisure activities. Similarly,
that mobile game can be played everywhere, increases the playing time of individuals

and that it is an important factor in leading to psychological problems. In addition to the

study, there are two different situations related to excessive play of mobile games. The

first is that excessive mobile gaming will lead to loneliness, and the second is that people

are more inclined to play mobile games.

Mobile gaming addiction is a growing concern that increases the user’s risk for

physical and psychological health problems. A strong attachment to mobile games may

interfere with school and work-related activities and can damage family life. Video game

addiction is part of the so-called Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) and is often

associated with Gambling Addiction. Gambling Addiction is compared to Mobile game

addiction as both are impulse control disorders. Both addiction seemingly affects the

brain’s dopamine level which keeps the users from coming back for more.

Additionally, in general, IGD has also been linked to a poorer academic performance of

students in educational institutions (Fabito et al., 2018).

A mobile game is a video game played on a feature phone, smartphone, PDA,

tablet computer, portable media player or calculator. This does not include games played

on dedicated handheld video game systems such as Nintendo 3DS or PlayStation Vita

(https://www.definitions.net).

According to Wright (2011), stated that there is a decreased academic

performance in relation to involvement in playing video games or mobile games. Video

games and aggression and suggested that not only does gaming has an impact on

performance directly, but it also triggers a higher level of aggression, which is often linked

to problems in school and decreased academic performance. A negative correlation,

although the relationship between Grade Point Average (GPA) and academic

performance in their study was not significant. Time spent playing games was a negative

predictor of academic performance and that those who played video games more often

had poorer grades than those who played less.

According to the study of Hadi et al., stated that, online video game is defined as

video game played over some form of computer network. This network is usually the

internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was

current for example modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before

modems. Online gaming is also a technology rather than a genre that is a mechanism for

connecting players together rather than a particular pattern of gameplay. Moreover, online

gaming has become more popular among teenager as it can be played whether on

smartphone, tablet or computer. As it become accessible almost anywhere at any time,

all range of age are now possible to be addicted into playing video online game which at

the end of the day they become less care about themselves, their performance at school

or workplace and their social life. In addition to that, player can also now their game

progress anywhere they went as most of the online gaming nowadays enable player to

store and save their data on cloud store.

In a research paper made by Pastoral and Salazar (2017), stated that, school

performance increased after the participants dramatically decreased (limited time spent

using technology to 30 minutes per day) their usage of all technology, including video

games. The excessive playing of video games (five hours or more per session) resulted

in school grades that were below a 3.00 average, and that time spent playing was a

predictor of academic performance. It also suggested that video games indirectly lead to
decreased performance through promoting violence. Finally, they noted that playing video

games took time away from school activities, homework, social interaction, etc.

SYNTHESIS OF REVIEWED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Mobile Legends is arguably one of the most popular mobile games currently being played.

While its premise is interesting enough, what really keeps players glued to their

smartphones are the updates from game developer Moonton. When Mobile Legends was

first released, one of the biggest appeals was that it successfully brought MOBA gaming

to smartphones. Mobile Legends Bang Bang is the most popular MOBA game in the world

today. It has ranked #1 in Apple Store’s best-selling rankings in 13 countries around the

world. It also reached the top 10 results in 53 countries. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang

(MLBB) is a multiplayer-online based arena game for Android and iOS that was released

in November 2016. Since then, the game has racked up over 500 million downloads and

has 75 million active players. Playing mobile games can have a positive and negative

effect. Science is proving that playing video games with moderation is good for your brain.

Nowadays, kids and adults alike own mobile phones infested with apps that can easily

occupy their whole day. One of these apps is probably Mobile Legends . Many people,

from kids to teenagers and adults are even willing to spend money to get access to more

game features. They may also neglect their other responsibilities whether it is in school, at

home, at work, or in life in general as they are crouched over their phones trying to get

ahead in the game. This is when it becomes excessive gaming, or even problematic

gaming. There is a decreased academic performance in relation to involvement in playing

video games or mobile games.

Theoretical Framework

This study will be using Uses and Gratification Theory as an approach in obtaining

proper comprehension why students continually use and hook in playing Mobile Legends

App despite of it boon and bane it brings to their academic performance.

Uses and Gratification Theory assumes audiences actively seek out media to

satisfy individual needs. With this assumption, the Uses and Gratifications Theory looks

to answer three questions: what do people do with the media, what are their underlying

motives for using said media, and what are the pros and cons of this individual media use

(https://www.communicationstudies.com, n.d.).

In relation to the study, another theory is applicable, which is the Media system

dependency theory, states that the more a person depends on media to meet needs, the

more important media will be in a person’s life, and therefore the greater effect media will

have on a person. If the individual must rely on audience media to accomplish a certain

need and purpose, the audience media is particularly important to that individual. The

audience’s dependence on the media is interactive but not equal. Against the background

of digital streaming media integration, “mobile phones are more popular than computers,

more interactive than newspapers, and more portable than TVs”. As such, Internet

addiction must increasingly be understood in dialogue with smartphone addiction (Wu,

2018).
Conceptual Framework

The study will focus on the effects of mobile gaming (Mobile Legends App)

towards the academic performance of grade 12 in West Central Elementary School and

Saint John’s Cathedral School students. In the process, the researchers will survey the

respondents using questionnaires with statements linking Mobile Legends App usage and

the effect will be presented by the academic performance accordingly. A Conceptual

Framework will be used in order for the researcher to clarify some concepts regarding on

the frequency, average time and length of playing mobile games relates on the academic

performances in relation to the attendance, class participation, GPA, and study habits.

Based on the conceptual paradigm, the independent variable (Mobile Legends App

Usage) affect the academic performances of the students. Below is an illustration of the

Conceptual Framework.

Mobile Legends App Usage Academic Performance

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Figure 1: Conceptual Framework

 Chapter III

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In this chapter, researchers discusses the research design, universe, data

gathering instruments, and research statistical tools for analyzing data.

Research Design

The researchers will use Descriptive Survey Method through questionnaires as

main tool in gathering data for the study. Questionnaires will be distributed in West Central

Elementary School and Saint John’s Cathedral School. The nature of the study is a

Quantitative Descriptive Research. It seeks to describe the effects of Mobile Game

(Mobile Legends) usage in the academic performance of the students West Central

Elementary School and Saint John’s Cathedral School.

Research Universe

The Universe of the research will use is Finite. It is one in which the number of

units information is definite and limited. The research study will be conducted to Grade

12 Senior High School Students of West Central Elementary School and Saint John’s

Cathedral School. The respondents will be provided with questionnaires to answer.

Data Gathering Instrument

The study will use a questionnaire, which will be constructed by the researchers

for gathering data. The data determines the perception of respondents on the Mobile
Games (Mobile Legends) among the Grade 12 Senior High School students in West

Central Elementary School and Saint John’s Cathedral School.

The survey questionnaire will use towards the satisfaction of research objectives.

It will be constructed in such a way that the respondents will be able to answer easily.

Thus, the set of questions will be structured using the Likert format with a five-point

response scale.

Likert Scale is a rating scale that requires the subject to indicate his or her degree

of agreement or disagreement to a statement. In this type of questionnaire, the

respondents were given response choices. These options served as the quantification of

the participants’ agreement or disagreement on each question items. Finally, fifteen

questions on a 5 point Likert scale will use to measure the level of effects Mobile Game

(Mobile Legends) use to the academic performance of students in terms of attendance,

class participation, GPA, and study habits.

Scale Range Interpretation Interpretation

5 4.51 – 5.00 Strongly Agree Least affected

4 3.41 – 4.20 Agree Less affected

3 2.61 – 3.40 Not Sure Moderately affected

2 1.81 – 2.60 Disagree affected

1 1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Disagree Highly affected

Figure 2. Five-point Likert Scale

 The research study will also use Gaming Addiction Scale to measure the level of

Mobile game (Mobile Legends) addiction. The Gaming Addiction Scale (Lemmens et al.,

2011) has been developed for adolescents, although there is no obvious reason why it

cannot also be used with adults. There are 7 criteria to measure the gaming addiction.

There will be an additional seven questions in the questionnaires to be given to the

students.

The scale measures 7 criteria of gaming addiction:

Criterion Description

Salience Gaming becomes the most important activity

Tolerance Someone starts playing more and more

Mood Feeling a "high" or "buzz" or other experience when gaming

modification

Withdrawal Unpleasant emotion when not playing

Relapse Tendency to return to excessive playing after period of abstinence or

control

Conflict Getting into interpersonal conflicts due to gaming

Problems Having problems caused by excessive gaming

There is one question for each criterion, and each is measured on a 5 point Likert

scale. The researchers will use the mid-point as a cut-off point (i.e., a score of 3, 4, or 5
on a criterion). If 4 or more criteria are met this way, the respondents are considered

addicted according to the polythetic format (https://www.psytoolkit.org).

The level of Mobile Game (Mobile Legends) addiction will also be identified. Scale

presentation will be used.

Scale Range Interpretation Interpretation

5 4.51 – 5.00 Strongly Agree Least Addicted

4 3.41 – 4.20 Agree Less Addicted

3 2.61 – 3.40 Not Sure Moderately Addicted

2 1.81 – 2.60 Disagree Addicted

1 1.00 – 1.80 Strongly Disagree Highly Addicted

Data Gathering Procedure

Personal interviews with students in Grade 12 Senior High School students in West

Central Elementary School and Saint John’s Cathedral School will be conducted in the

assessment of data.

Surveys and questionnaires will be used to validate the perception of a person on

the effects of Mobile Game (Mobile Legends) usage in the academic performance of the

students West Central Elementary School and Saint John’s Cathedral School.
 To have a reliable set of questions, professionals in the field of academic

performances interpretations will consulted.

When data gathering instruments are approved and substantiated, surveys will be

served by handling out the questionnaire to the chosen number of students advised by

the statistician to make results significantly reliable.

Research Statistical Tools

The profile of the respondents will be described using the Frequency and

Percentage Method. The formula is presented as:

P=F/N x 100

Where,

P = Percentage

F = Frequency

N = Total of the Population

The mean or average will use to measure the central tendency of the population.

The research study will also use Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient

“Pearson’s correlation”, for short, is a measure of the strength and direction of association

that exists between two variables measured on at least an interval scale

(https://statistics.laerd.com), to determine the significant relationship between the Mobile

games (Mobile Legends) use to the academic performance of the respondents.