IMPACT OF ONLINE GAMING ON SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AMONG ADOLESCENTS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE VIDEO GAMING CULTURE

सार

Gaming culture serves as a complex social ecosystem influencing identity, peer interaction, and even professional aspirations. If we talk about cloud gaming, it allows consumers to access games across a spectrum of devices, likely to eliminate the demand for high-end gaming gear. Beyond its features, gamers can quickly move between devices without losing their session’s progress. Cloud gaming guarantees a flawless and continuous gaming experience, therefore motivating consumers to indulge in longer playing sessions. While extensive research has explored the psychological, behavioural, and cognitive effects of video gaming on adolescents, a critical gap persists in understanding the nuanced interplay between online gaming culture and adolescents’ social behaviour, particularly from a holistic, sociocultural, and behavioural lens. The present study, therefore, aims to explore the social consequences of video game addiction and to provide evidence-based insights that can guide parents, educators, and policymakers in managing adolescents' digital behaviour more effectively. The study adopted descriptive research and surveyed 300 secondary school students of Hyderabad district using stratified sampling method. Findings indicate that online gaming addiction impacts the social behaviour of secondary school students. Results further show that online gaming addiction has a greater and more statistically significant impact on the social behaviour of boys compared to girls. Furthermore, there is a difference in the impact of online video gaming on social behaviour between government and private secondary school students, with private school students showing greater variability and sensitivity in social behaviour as addiction levels increase. The findings of the present study carry significant implications for educators, educational institutions, and parents in addressing the growing concern of online gaming addiction among adolescents. In this direction, collaborative work of all stakeholders in adopting preventive interventions together can minimise the adverse effects associated with excessive online gaming.