Abstract:
Video gaming is usually portrayed negatively by the media. This study aims to
determine the personal, cultural and socio-economic effects of gaming. This qualitative study
seeks personal accounts from gamers themselves through interviews and focused group
discussions. By knowing the gamers‘ lived experiences, the researcher sheds light to the
effects of video games based on their own interpretations. As the gaming community
continues to expand, so is the spectrum of gamers driven by different motives and possessing
a variety of attitudes towards gaming. In assessing the gamers interviewed, they appeared to
have enough self-awareness to manage their behavior both in-game and outside the game;
they acknowledge that their gaming behavior is a conscious rational choice. Based on the
accounts of the gamers themselves, though there are some negative effects, video gaming
appeared more to be a benefit to them, in opposite to what has always been portrayed in the
media.
