Management and Entrepreneurship in Sport

Management and Entrepreneurship in Sport

Identifying the Motivations for Engagement with Online Games Among Students

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Department of Sports Management, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. Ahvaz. Iran
2 PhD student in Sports Management, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz. Ahvaz. Iran
3 PhD in Sports Management, Department of Physical Education, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the motivations behind students' inclination toward online games. This descriptive-survey research was conducted through field methods using a questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of 762 male and female students in the first and second levels of secondary education in Khuzestan Province in 2024. A sample of 260 students was selected using simple random sampling based on the Krejcie and Morgan table. The research instrument was the standardized questionnaire developed by Afrouzeh et al. (2019), comprising five subscales and structured on a five-point Likert scale. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, and percentages) and inferential statistics (Friedman test and one-sample t-test). The findings revealed that all five factors—cost, psychological tension, opportunity, autonomy, and enjoyment—were significant (sig = 0.001) in influencing the choice of computer games. The factor of opportunity, with a mean of 3.13, was the most influential, while cost, with a mean of 2.91, was the least influential. The results indicate that factors such as cost (encompassing financial and energy expenses), reduction of psychological tension, opportunities for success, autonomy, enjoyment, and flexibility play a pivotal role in attracting students to computer games. It is therefore concluded that, with proper management, these games can serve as a powerful tool for cognitive, social, and emotional development without compromising physical health or academic achievement.
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