The Relationship Between Online Game Addiction and Academic Procrastination Among Students

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Academic procrastination is a common problem among university students and may hinder their academic achievement. One factor that is presumed to contribute to this behavior is online game addiction, which has become increasingly prevalent among university students, particularly those involved in online gaming communities. From the perspective of educational guidance and counseling, understanding the relationship between these variables is essential for developing preventive and intervention counseling services. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between online game addiction and academic procrastination among university students who are members of online gaming communities.

Methods: This study employed a quantitative approach using a correlational research design. The participants consisted of 152 university students who were members of online gaming communities and were selected using the snowball sampling technique. Data were collected through Likert-scale questionnaires measuring online game addiction and academic procrastination. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, normality testing, Spearman's rho correlation, and simple linear regression.

Results: The findings showed that the mean score of online game addiction was 32.25 (SD = 10.42), while the mean score of academic procrastination was 43.48 (SD = 11.03). Spearman's rho correlation analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between online game addiction and academic procrastination (r = 0.476, p < 0.001). Furthermore, simple linear regression produced the equation Y = 27.199 + 0.505X, with an R² value of 0.227, indicating that online game addiction accounted for 22.7% of the variance in academic procrastination.

Conclusion: Online game addiction is positively and significantly associated with academic procrastination among university students who are members of online gaming communities. Higher levels of online game addiction are associated with greater tendencies toward academic procrastination. These findings provide practical implications for educational guidance and counseling services in designing preventive and intervention programs to reduce academic procrastination associated with excessive online gaming.