Abstract:

Game arcades that have turned into an important socialization area for children in Turkey, can affect children in many ways. The aim of the study is to investigate the factors that affect the digital game habits of children and young people in game arcades. In this context, the effect of game, environment and peers on the habits of children that are gaming in game arcades were investigated. Qualitative research method was preferred in the study. The study group consisted of 50 male and 2 female participants randomly selected from four game arcades. Semi-structured interview form was developed as a data collection tool and individual interviews were conducted with the children participating in the research. The findings show that children prefer digital games because they find it amusing, fun, enjoyable and exciting. Together with the changing game structure, it has emerged that multi-player online games affect the usage of game arcades of children. Children stated that they prefer to play in game arcades because they can be with their friends and there is no parental supervision. It was determined that children knew these environments through their friends and would not prefer these environments without their friends. Based on these findings, it was concluded that multi-player online games had an effect on the habits of children on using game arcades due to its facility of socialization with friends and playing without any restrictions. 

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