Abstract
Introduction:
Video games have recently become a significant field that has grown and transformed how people engage with themselves and others. This study aims to understand the motives, needs, and concerns of gamers addicted to video games and to explore the self-perceived impact of video games on college students' social, personal, and academic lives.
Materials and Methods
This was a comprehensive qualitative study conducted among medical students in the Chengalpattu district of South India. We used a semi-structured questionnaire guide to collect data from medical students identified as problem gamers according to the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form (IGDS9-SF) questionnaire. Data was meticulously collected through in-depth interviews and transcribed verbatim. We ensured the reliability of our findings by reaching data saturation after interviewing 25 study participants. Qualitative data were analysed using deductive content analysis with the aid of Qualcoder Software.
Result
The primary themes that emerged from the study highlighted that individuals often use video games as a coping strategy to alleviate stress related to personal and academic pressures and to foster social connections. The benefits reported by participants included mood improvement and enhanced decision-making abilities. On the downside, the negative impacts identified were insufficient sleep, musculoskeletal problems, and impulsive gaming behaviour.
Conclusion
Video games serve as an efficient coping strategy for managing stress and social engagement, offering various benefits such as mood enhancement and improvement in the skills related to decision-making. However, these are overshadowed by drawbacks such as inadequate sleep, musculoskeletal problems and impulsive gaming behaviour.