For Entertainment or Escaping From Reality: The Study of University Student Online Video Game Consumption in Malang, East Java Indonesia

Abstract

This article aims to explain the cause and effect of excessive online video game consumption among university students in Malang City, East Java Indonesia. The informant of this study are university students who fond of playing online video games at late night and early morning in the internet cafe. The research discovers that: 1) living far away from parents, peers, and relatives often make university students feel lonely, this makes them use online video games to drive out their lonesome and boredom. By playing online video games, they can fulfill their social need by interacting with other players, and finally, also get fun. 2) The negative side of online video games happens when the students play it excessively due to desire of escaping from real life problems. From this research, it can be revealed that there are similarity patterns among students experiencing online video games excessive consumption. These students are commonly suffering learning difficulties and they are isolated from friends because of taking study majors that are unmatched with their passion and interests. 3) No matter how harmful, the games may endanger the student’s future, all of them feel not too worry. Life in young age and student status they still have made them no need to rush of thinking about their future. These facts are based on their opinion that becoming an adult and finding a job are still too far away to go

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Corresponding author
Jl. Semarang No. 5, Sumbersari, Lowokwaru, Sumber-
sari, Malang, Jawa Timur 65145 Indonesia
Email
dewa.putu.eskasasnanda.s@um.ac.id
For Entertainment or
Escaping From Reality:
The Study of University
Student Online Video Game
Consumption in Malang,
East Java Indonesia
Komunitas: International Journal of
Indonesian Society and Culture
12(1) (2020): 127-140
DOI:10.15294/komunitas.v12i1.19787
© 2020 Semarang State University, Indonesia
p-ISSN 2086 - 5465 | e-ISSN 2460-7320
http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/komunitas
UNNES JOURNALS
I Dewa Putu Eskasasnanda1
1Department of Social Studies, Faculty of Social Science,Universitas Negeri Malang
Received: July 03rd 2019; Accepted: February 05th 2020; Published: March 30th 2020
Abstract
This article aims to explain the cause and effect of excessive online video game consumption among uni-
versity students in Malang City, East Java Indonesia. The informants of this study are university students
who are fond of playing online video games late at night and early in the morning in the internet cafe. The
research discovers that: 1) living far away from parents, peers, and relatives often make university students
feel lonely, this makes them use online video games to drive out their lonesome and boredom. By playing
online video games, they can fulfill their social needs by interacting with other players, and finally, also get
fun. 2) The negative side of online video games happens when the students play it excessively due to desire
to escape from real life problems. From this research, it can be revealed that there are similarity patterns
among students experiencing online video games excessive consumption. These students are commonly
suffering learning difficulties and they are isolated from friends because of taking study majors that are un-
matched with their passion and interests. 3) No matter how harmful the games may endanger the student’s
future, all of them feel not to worry. Life at a young age and student status still have made them no need to
rush to think about their future. These facts are based on their opinion that becoming an adult and finding
a job are still too far away to go.
Keywords
excessive consumption; online video games; university student
Article
INTRODUCTION
Online video game is a modern entertain-
ment that nowdays is very popular among
students in Malang City East Java. Meeting
the need of student playing online video ga-
mes, In Malang City, emerge internet cafés
(warnet) which rent out their internet com-
puters for playing online video games. Seve-
ral internet cafe’s are operated 24 hours to
accomodate student passion playing online
video game at midnight up to early in the
morning.
This research is a continuation of my
previous study which concerns on online vi-
deo games consumption among junior and
middle highschool students in Malang. The
previous research explains that online video
games are consumed by junior and mid-
dle highschool students because they con-
sidered them modern, practical, realistic

128 I Dewa Putu Eskasasnanda, For Entertainment or Escaping From Reality: The Study of University...
UNNES JOURNALS
and varied. The students play online video
games in order to relieve their fatigue of
studying at school, but eventually beco-
ming addicted and nd it dicult to stop
them. This condition make them feel very
tired, and as result, their academic achie-
vement is terribly aected (Eskasasnanda,
2017).
This study will deal with online video
game consumption among university stu-
dents in Malang. This reseach is conside-
red interesting because, university students
have dierent life pattern compared with
junior and senior high students. Universi-
ty students have more leisure time. Some-
time university students do not have to get
up early if they have no morning lecture.
Most of the university students in Malang
also migrants who live in boarding house
far from parents supervision. Without good
time management, university students may
be trapped in improductive activities, one
of which is high quantity of online video
game consumption .
The studies on online video games
consumption among University Students
are important and urgent to conduct be-
cause they should be more serious thinking
of their future life. They must have a clear
vision of their future, i.e about what they
will do after they are graduated from the
colleges. Accordingly, they should have to
spend a lot of time to study, getting know-
ledges and skills needed for their future ca-
reer. The sooner they are graduated from
college, the greater their chance to nd a
job.
To investigate Malang University stu-
dents who spend most of their free time for
playing online video games. This research is
carried out in Internet cafes located around
Malang at night opening time, starting from
9:00 a.m. to 04:00 a.m. To gain better un-
derstanding, the informants of this rese-
arch are university students who are found
playing online video games at this range of
time. The focus of this study is to discover:
1) the causes of university student consume
online video games at midnight untill ear-
ly morning. 2) the eects of online video
game consumption on the student’s acade-
mic achievement. 3) The strategies of used
by the students to balance the online video
games consumption with their academic ac-
tivities.
METHODS
The aims of this study are to understand
the causes and eects of online video games
consumption among university student in
Malang city. The informants of this study
are chosen purposively by visiting inter-
net café at midnight and early morning to
enable the researcher conducting observa-
tions and interviews to the students found
playing online video games. Because the
purpose of this research is merely to under-
stand the meanings underlie the informant
actions, this research is a qualitative in its
characteristics.
The data gained from this study are
textual data collected through observa-
tion and interview with informants. All
interviews are audio-recorded and were
transcribed verbatim by the author. After
all data are collected, textual data will
further be processed through ve pha-
ses, namely: 1. data compilation, 2. data
dissembling by specic theme, 3. data
reorganizing and arrangement, 4. data
interpretation, and 5. data conclusion.
THEORETICAL FRAME WORK
University Student and Online Video
Games Consumption
Obtaining university degree certicate is
important for all people because nowdays a
lot of jobs require university qualication.
In University, students should spend a lot of
time and energy to study to achieve impor-
tant skills and knowledge needed for work.
The most crucial part of study in university
is time management. Without a good time
management students will nd diculties
in completing their study. Since most of uni-
versity students lived far away from parent,
university students must learn to be respon-
sible for their time management.
A certain thing that sometime may
disturb student study time is desire to con-
sume entertainment media, namely online
video games. Weaver (2013) states that Uni-

Komunitas: International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture 12(1) (2020): 127-140 129
UNNES JOURNALS
versity students are known to be the most
potential victim of online video games ex-
cessive consumption because they are living
free and far away from parental supervision
(Weaver, Kim, Metzer, & Szendrey, 2013a).
The consumption of entertainment
media like online video games actually can
bring either positive or negative eects. Re-
searchers who view entertainment media
consumption has positive sides are Zillman
(1988) and Katz and Foulkes (1962). Zilmann
says that entertainment media consumption
is positive when the media is used to moti-
vate or regulate the mood. Anyone of having
life problems can use entertainment media
to relax and uplifting the mood in order to
solve the problems better afterward (Zill-
mann, 1988). Katz and Foulkes also pointed
out that entertainment media consumption
has a functional side. Entertainment media
consumption can provides a shared expe-
rience that can strengthen social relation-
ships with friends. For example, childrens
who watched a same movie, often strengt-
hen their social relationships by discussing
the movie they have already watched (Katz
& Foulkes, 1962).
Although online games have positive
sides, it can also bring negative eects. Kno-
bloch says that media consumption would
become negative if it is used as a tool to
escape froma reality problems or life di-
culties (Knobloch-Westerwick, Hastall, &
Rossmann, 2009). In dealing with these
problems, Suls and Fletcher say that human
has two coping strategies. The rst strategy
is to solve the problem directly (approach
coping) and the second one is avoiding the
problem (avoidance coping) (Suls & Flet-
cher, 1985).
Folkman & Lazarus, in their study on
cancer patients found two forms of coping
strategy, problem-focused coping (PFC)
and emotion-focused coping (EFC) resepec-
tively. Cancer patients who use problem-fo-
cused coping try to nd out more about the
solution of problem (e.g. reading books or
research journals about cancer), while ones
with emotion focused coping would rather
choose to seek activities that have nothing
to do with cancer for the sake of throwing
away their attention about cancer they suf-
fered (Folkman & Lazarus, 1985).
Emotion focused coping are done by
many online video game players. In stu-
dying online video games players , Yee
(2006) found that one reason players get-
ting involved in online video games is to
avoid thinking of real-world problems (Yee,
2006). Entertainment media consumption
used for escaping from reality problems can
be classied as escapism. Evans says that es-
capism is an evasion of reality such as real
work, real friends, facts and real life of vario-
us forms (Evans, 2001).
Kantz and Foulkes added that the
reasons of people want to escape from life
problems is alienation. Alienation is den-
ed as the emergence of sense of helpless or
meaningless. People who are in alienated
are feeling isolated ideologically and soci-
ally. Alienation raises the desire to escape
from reality problems by consuming en-
tertainment media (Katz & Foulkes, 1962).
In this case, students can plunge into deep
online video games consumption as a form
of escapism when they feel alienated due li-
ving away from parents and having dicul-
ties to build social relationships with their
friends and surroundings.
Online Video Game and Internet Ad-
diction among Students
The growing number of online video game
consumption among university students is
made possible by the close relationship bet-
ween university daily academic activities
with the internet. Koc (2001, pp.) mentions
that some reasons which arises unhealthy
internet consumption among Turkish Uni-
versity students is the lectures’ encourage-
ment to access internet and the availability
of free internet access in their campus.
Internet has many positive aspects for
human being for its function as means of
communication, providing ideas, informa-
tion and also relaxation. However, exces-
sive use of it can be harmfull. Internet can
becomes dangerous if it is used excessively.
There are many terms to refer to this conditi-
on. Those are internet addiction, pathologi-
cal internet use, excessive internet use, and
compulsive internet use, etc. (Kim, 2008).
Excessive use of Internet can refer to

130 I Dewa Putu Eskasasnanda, For Entertainment or Escaping From Reality: The Study of University...
UNNES JOURNALS
internet addiction. Addiction according to
some experts refers to a condition in which
a person becomes enchanted by behaviors
that give fun, comfort, and amenities. The
indicator of person to experience addicti-
on is their need to perform the addicted
behaviors over and over again. They always
imagining the addicted behavior repeatedly
beyond the need and do such a behavior to
relieve anxieties (Brewer & Potenza, 2008).
According to Schaef, there are two
forms of addiction. The rst is substance
addiction that expresses the manipulation
of pleasure through the use of certain pro-
ducts, substances or materials that ingested
to the body (eg narcotics, cigarettes, fast
food). The second type is process addiction
or addiction which is expressed by activities
that can improve the mood (Schaef, 1988).
As such, according to Schaef criteria, online
video game addiction can be categorized as
process addiction. The youngsters said that
someone who suers internet addiction of-
ten uses internet to change his mood, for
example to erase the feelling of lonelyness,
depressions, and anxieties (Young, 1999).
Addiction of online video games can make
players to feel tied up with the games and
then in turn it brings impacts on their phy-
sical health, social relation and academic
achievement (Funk & Buchman, 1996).
Knobloch says that although enter-
tainment media can be used to amuse and
comfort people, and enlightened them
from the life burden, but people cannot ig-
nore their actual problems (Knobloch-Wes-
terwick et al., 2009). Based on this fact, the
research on online video games excessive
consumption among university students is
interesting to carry out.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The Cause of Online Video Games Co-
sumption among University Students
Through interview conducted with 8 univer-
sity students as informant, it is found that
they play online video games at night untill
early morning because the games can make
them feel happy. Completing the challen-
ges given by online video games makes their
mood increases. Online video games are
also an entertainment used by students to
ll their free time. Living in boarding hou-
se, far away from parents and relatives often
make a student feel lonely and get bored.
Consuming online video games is an eecti-
ve way to get rid uneasy feeling such as bore-
dom and loneliness. The following are some
of statements expressed by informants:
Playing online games for me is a way to get
rid boredom, sadness and exhaustion from
studying in school. Playing online video
games actually is also a place to get fun.
When I get bored, lonely or sad, I prefer
going to internet cafe and playing games.
It can escape me from stress (Yayan, 25-
3-2017)
For me, playing games is intended to re-
lease sadness, boredom and loneliness.
Being a lone in this town, the game can
help me escape from boring things. On the
game, I can interact with fellow players,
and get new friends and companion. In
my oppinion, online games is a protection
from life stress. (Erwin, 15-4- 2017)
Apart from its entertaining function,
online video games are also a medium for
students to gain social interaction. Through
online video games, students can play with
a lot of people such as old friends who now
live in distant places, new people from ot-
her towns or fellow players of the same in-
ternet cafe. In online video game, players
can compete or work together to accomp-
lish missons. One of the informants explain
that even though online video games player
seems to play alone, he actually become a
part of online video games crowd. Through
online video games, he could no more get
bored and feel lonely.
The online interaction in video games
can also turns to be positive. One infor-
mant said that online interaction was able
to sharpen people communication skills.
The other informant explained that before
playing online video games, actually he was
a shy person. By interacting through online
video games, he learns how to express opi-
nions to others . This experience made him
more condent in face to face interaction.
Below is his statement:

Komunitas: International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture 12(1) (2020): 127-140 131
UNNES JOURNALS
Well, in internet, by playing online video
games, I can interact with other players
or my former friends from high school who
are still living in my hometown. I am for-
merly a shy person, and now feel more
comfortable to interact after being fami-
liar with online games. The same as me,
most people playing online video games
are also shy people. Thanks to online vi-
deo games, I can feel more comfortable in
communicating with others. Before, I was
a shy person, but after being familiar with
video games, I starts to be able communi-
cating face to face with others. (Krishna,
20-4 -2017)
Even though people argue that playing on-
line video games are lonely, but actually it
is crowded there in. I mean, when playing
online video game, even though I am alone
in internet café, actually I am not alone
because a lot of friends play with me. I can
interact with them through chattings (Er-
win, 15-4- 2017)
From interview, it can be revealed
that there at least two reasons why students
amused by online video games. The rst
reason is because nowadays online video
games is more realistic because of techno-
logical improvement. The realistic graphics
displayed on video games make players
more fond of playing the games.
The second reason is nowadays onli-
ne video games are so diverse and have
a lot of variations. The more number of vi-
deo games makers compete in online video
games market competition, the more varia-
tions of online video games offer for their
consumers. This condition make students
becoming more excited to play online vi-
deo games. An informant said, that when
he get bored with one game, he can easily
switch to other one for avoiding boredom.
In Malang city, the internet café at-
tract students playing online video games
until late night and early morning by of-
fering cheaper rental packages that called
overnight package or “paket gadang”. Over-
night package oer economical option for
student ini playing online video games.
With less money or only about ten thou-
sand rupiahs, student can play for longer 7
hour time, start from 9 P.M. up to 4 A.M.
This overnight package are prefer by student
than regular package because make them
more contented in playing video games.
This is some of student information:
I prefer play online games late at night un-
till morning because in the cafe, there is a
PM or “paket malam” (night package). The
PM is start it at 9 P.M. to 4 A.M. So If I
have a free time or in the next day is no
class, I play online games start from 9 pm
and stop around 3 to 4 am. At the dawn, or
shubuh I quit playing because the package
is run out. (Erwin, 15-4- 2017)
A minimum three days in a week I stayed
up night in the range of 6-7 hours to play
games. I play in late night by using the
“gadang” package. The main reason is be-
cause it is a lot cheaper, only pay Rp 10.000
I can play longer (Amin, 18-3-2017 )
Except economical, according to infor-
mant, playing online video games at night
up to early morning also more fun because
of two reason. Firstly because there is faster
internet connection on the night time than a
daylight. In the night time there is not many
people use the internet in Internet café so
this will ensure excellent internet connec-
tion for playing online online video games.
One informant explain that when he play
online games at midnight, he often experi-
ence the lag in games due the weak internet
connection. This often make him angry be-
cause of defeated by other player .
The second reason why student choo-
se playing online video games in the night
time is because it have longer time frame to
play online video games. Informants explain
that if they play video games during the day,
they often disturbed by daytime activities
such as interacting with friend, the obliga-
tion to take a bath, eat and sholat (moslem
praying). In the night time, after 9:00 a.m.
there are no obligation to do, the student
can play online video games all night long
without interuption. This is some of infor-
mant statement:
I like to play online games at night becau-
se internet connection in the night time is

132 I Dewa Putu Eskasasnanda, For Entertainment or Escaping From Reality: The Study of University...
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better. In the daylight the internet connec-
tion in the internet café is often weak and I
can not bare with the internet connection
lag. (Bangkit, 25 -3-2017)
I think, I enjoy playing online video games
at night is because, the time frame in the
nighttime is longer than the daylight. In
the daylight I often disturb by my friend,
the obligation to take a bath, or shalat
(moslem praying). In the nighttime, after
9 pm I can play online games contuinously
up to morning without interuption. Usu-
ally I stop when my night package is out,
aproximately at 6 a.m. After that then I go
back to my boarding house and get sleep.
(Fahmi, 12-3-2017)
University students play online video
games in excessively because the game al-
ways makes them curious. Students explain
that in online video games, if they defeated,
they become motivated to get win. Meanw-
hile if student are victorious, they feel curio-
us to play in the next level. This condition
make students unaware that have been play
online video game for too long.
Living in the Malang, far away from
parents and relatives also allows students
playing online video games as long as they
like. The lack of family supervision and free
of family duties such as helping parent
doing household task make students can
play online video games as long as they wish.
Because they get no supervision from adult,
student cannot control online video games
consumption, and they play excessively
from nighttime up to early morning.
I play online video games up to mid night,
or 11 -12 pm is about 4 - 5 times a week.
This reason is because of curiosity. When
I play online game I often don’t realize how
long I have been playing. If I am defeat, I
feel curious to get win but if I win, then I
want to continue further (Mahfudin, 1 8-3
-2017)
If I’m playing it in my home town, I can
control my online video games consump-
tion. I only play games after helping my
father shopping in the market. Usually I
start playing at one o’clock in the after-
noon until 9 pm, that’s the maximum. In
my hometown, I never play games until
late at night because my parent will get
angry. When I am in Malang, I can play as
much as possible in the midnight or even
until morning. I usually stop playing at 6
am. (Fahmi, 12-3-2017)
Online Video Game Consumption and
Student Academic Achievement.
The negative eect of online video games
consumption is happen when student con-
sume it excessively. Students explain that
they sometimes unable to manage online
video games consumption because the at-
traction of pleasure in playing online video
games. Informants explain that sometimes
they feel regret and trying to limit online vi-
deo games consumption but always failed.
Every time they try to limit the time to play
online video games, they become anxious
because feeling unsatised.
Peer inuence also become the other
causes playing online video games in huge
amount of time. Sometimes when students
feel that they had enough playing online vi-
deo games and want to go back to the bo-
arding house, they are hold by friend. They
cannot leave internet café because friend
persuade them continue play online game
for acompany them. This peer persuation
are the main causes student added extra
time to play online video games. This infor-
mation are explai by this informants:
The bad thing about online video game
is sometimes make me play longer than I
have planned. It happen, I planned to play
games for three hours and I hope would
come back home before seven o’clock. Ac-
tually it not happen, it turn out I am not
satised and I added extra two more hours
to play games. (Fahmi, 12-3-2017)
It is often happen that I play online video
game longer than I planned. It become
longer because my friend persuade me. I
keep adding the rent hour and nally stop
play game in the morning. As usual when I
play together with friends, we are to preo-
cupied with the fun and tend to forget the
time (Erwin, 15-4- 2017)
By this explanation, stopping totally
the hobby of playing video games online is

Komunitas: International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture 12(1) (2020): 127-140 133
UNNES JOURNALS
very impossible. All the informants they
have said indicate that they always facing
anxiety when trying to stop or reduce the
length of online online video games. The
anxiety arises because students do not have
alternatives activities to replace the fun
gained from online video games.
The other informant also explain that
he cannot forget online video game because
the attractiveness of the games always come
into his mind. Eventhough it comes because
of unintentional events . For example, when
student saw things related to online video
games while browsing in the social media or
Google, they became curious and impatient
to play. One informant added that actually
he was not only missed the form of the on-
line video games but also missed the friends
and social interaction he got through online
video games.
I think, it is impossible to reduce playing
online video games consumption. If I do
not play games I become confused with
myself, I have nothing to do, so my hand
feel itchy. Especially when I was browsing
in the internet, seeing on youtube, wat-
ching skillful online video game players
playing. This make my hand feels impa-
tient to grab the mouse and quickly play-
ing the game (Fahmi, 12-3-2017)
Yes, I just can not stand with the craft of
not playing games. If I do not play games,
I always thought of it. I do not only miss
form of the game but also the interaction
consisted in it. For you should know, in
the game there is a community of people.
A lot of my friends, are there. I think the
most intimate friend I have exist in the
game, not in the real world. So, if I leave
the game I will be sad because I will lose a
lot of friends too (Krishna, 20-4 -2017)
The negative impact of excessive on-
line video game consumption for university
student is disrupting their academic achie-
vement. All informants agree that the main
negative eect of online video games was on
the academic marks. All the fun that gained
in online video games makes students al-
ways imagine it. In the time that students are
attending lecture, if he get bored he always
imagine the fun or strategy in playing video
games. This make them cannot concentrate
and wants to end his study immediately and
play online video games in internet café.
As results, sometimes students igno-
re about their college tasks and obligations.
Two of the informant state that they often
forget about morning lectures and doing
homeworks with friends because of this ha-
bit. Then, they becomes lazy and reluctant
in attending lectures. Finally, his academic
achievement declines continously. Below
are their explaination.
In my personal oppinion, online games
have negative eects especially to acade-
mic. When I am in the class and having
lecture, I often think about games and
want to play it right away, especially when
my lecture is boring and it coincides with
the games tournament (Yayan, 25-3-2017)
Yes, the disruption often happen. I ever
twice forget my morning lecture because
keep playing games until morning. As the
result I feel sleepy in the class. O cour-
se my academic performance is disturbed.
So, it is not only because of thinking about
game while in the class but also becauseof
getting sleepy and lazy because for often
staying late at night. (Fahmi, 12-3-2017)
From this research, it can also be
found out that all informants who are sue-
ring negative online video games consump-
tion are whom experiencing problems of
interest in university. All informants explain
that they cannot study well because of ta-
king university major that does not match
with their interest and passion. This make
them not full heartedly attending college
and would rather spend their free time for
playing online video games.
Based on the interview, it can also
be gured out that there are at least three
causes why informants are taking major
that is not matched with their interest and
passion. Firstly, when they are graduated
from high school, they do not have any in-
terest for studying in university. This makes
parents recommending departments that
are in pair with or closed to the eld of pa-
rents’ occupation.
The second reason is that actually
student have already had certain interests,

134 I Dewa Putu Eskasasnanda, For Entertainment or Escaping From Reality: The Study of University...
UNNES JOURNALS
but then they are forced to enter dierent
departements desired by their parents or
because they are expelled by inadequate
school marks or failed to pass in the state
university entrance tests.
As results of the lack of interest on
the major they are taking, all informants
nd it dicult to study the learning materi-
als given in the lectures. They must strugg-
le to understand the learning materials and
this problem leads them to entertainment
media consumption for getting pleasure
names “online video games”.
In university, I study agribusiness. This is
not because of my passion but because of
my parent encouragement. Now I struggle
to like it and I hope this will become my
future profession (Amin,18-3-2017)
Yes, I think study in college are important.
It will improve my knowledge, skill, and fri-
ends as well, but unfortunately, the college
major that I took is not matched with my
interest. Since I was a kid, I always wanted
to be a policeman or a doctor but here I am
now because of inadequate school mark, I
am trying study civic education major in
university. I think I am some kinds of lost.
(Erwin, 15-4- 2017).
My dream is actually I want to be a doctor.
Since I was a child, I always want to be a
doctor. The dream starts since elementry,
junior, and until high school. Unfortunate-
ly when I have got a placement test in high
school, my teacher directed me to social
science and I must accept it even though
it is unmatched with my passion. In high
school I think about university majors
that are close to the eld of a doctor, so I
propose to study nursing. Unfortunately,
I failed the test and so here I am, trying to
study economic management in university
(Fahmi, 12-3-2017)
Not only interfering lectures , the
hobby of playing video games also disrupts
students performance in doing college as-
signments. Because students often play
online video games up to night and early
morning, the time and energy to work on
college assignment are automatically redu-
ced. All informants said that they often
ignored or forced to reduce the quality of
college assignments because do not having
much time and energy to do it at maximum.
Because of online video games con-
sumption, students’ relation with class-
mates also disturbed. One informant
explained that because of excesseive
video games playing , he often forgot
about his group work appointment. Due
to his high frequency of not keeping ap-
poitnment with friends, he became iso-
lated from class association.
One informant said that he could
not establish a close relationship with
his classmates because of having die-
rent interest with them. This infomant
said thet he could not maintain long
interaction with their classmates becau-
se he never found an interesting topic
to discuss togather. This made him ha-
ving diculties in getting along with the
classmates.
Yes, because too much playing online vi-
deo games, I often postpone my college
assignments. I usually do the assignment
near the deadline time, so the quality of
my assignment is not maximal. I also of-
ten forget doing group works. It ever hap-
pen I forget the appointment and when my
group are gathered for doing an assign-
ment, I do not join them. My group can-
not contact me because I am too occupied
with online video at that time. (Fahmi, 12-
3-2017)
I can not get along with my classmates
because they seem so busy with their stu-
dy. My classmates do not share the same
hobby with me, so this make me dicult to
get interesting topic to discuss with them.
(Erwin, 15-4- 2017)
Problems of interest in university, the
dislike feeling of the material being studied,
and diculties to get along with college fri-
ends make students prefer to spend more
time playing online video games. Because
the time allocated to play online video ga-
mes is surpassing the time to interact with
college friend, informants become getting
closer to online video game players than
their classmates. Two informants explain

Komunitas: International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture 12(1) (2020): 127-140 135
UNNES JOURNALS
that in online video games, they can inter-
act with other players every night but with
classmates they can only do if they have
group assignment together. Two informants
added that they often abandon to join class-
mates meeting because they prefer playing
online video games in internet cafes than
hang out with college friends.
The lack of interest in college, lear-
ning diculties, and failures of building
strong relationship with classmates make
informants become unenthusiastic to at-
tend the lecture. They often absent from the
lectures, and telling lie to parents and lec-
turers.
Student Efforts to Balance Online
Video Game Consumption With Aca-
demic Activities
Playing online video games requires a lot
of money. This money is mainly needed
to rent internet café computers and also
for buying food and drinks to accompa-
ny playing video games. Alot of evidents
prove that students can play online vi-
deo games because of the pocket money
allocated by their parents.
Although not all of the parents
giving support to online video games
consumption, the long distance of pa-
rents’ house and students’ boarding
house makes parents unable to moni-
tor student’s pocket money allocation.
For safety reasons, they usually give ex-
tra money for their sons/daughters to
overcome emergency situation such as
sickness, need for photocopying or bu-
ying books. At the end, this extra money
are used by student to play online video
games.
Although stopping online video game
consumption is dicult, some informants
explain that they have ever stop temporarily
from video games cosumption. This happens
when informant have an activity or task that
make them soo busy and do not have time
to think about the game. Two students in-
form that they once temporarily stop online
video games consumption when conducting
community service and internship program
from university department. Unfortunately,
after this busy activities is ended, students
return to their bad habit because they re-
turn to their former environment.
Actually, I ever stop playing online video
games when I am working on the commu-
nity service program in university. Playing
online video games, I think, strongly de-
pends on the friends close by. When my
friends in community service program do
not play games, I don’t play games also.
(Catur, 22-4-2017)
Yes, I remember that I ever stop playing
the game. This is exactly happen when I
got internship program in Savanna Hotel.
Working in this hotel is so busy then the
game is somewhat forgotten. Probably it
last for about six month. I am not playing
games because I do have no time to play
them. After nishing working shift, I usu-
ally hang out with other hotel employee in
cafetaria, so I do not visit internet cafe at
all (Krishna 20-4 -2017)
Although academic achievement is
disrupted by online video games consumpti-
on, informants explain that they feel not too
worry about the future. They are quite satis-
ed with their current condition. They are
condent that what they have done in onli-
ne video games are also important. Students
explain that in online video games they are
not only playing but also nding additional
knowledge and experience outside college.
Student explain that in future, the job re-
quires not only an academic degree but also
experiences and skills. Students are very
convincing that friends and connections
in online video games will be very benecial
and helpful for getting jobs in the future.
As I say that university education issure-
ly important. Many jobs are looking for a
bachelor degree, but it is not rarely, they
also need the experiences we have. I agree
that college degree give knowledge but it
is only theoretical. The experience I gain
through interaction in online video games
is also important. From online video ga-
mes and interaction with adult player, I
can learn many things to become mature
and understand the world around us. (Kri-

136 I Dewa Putu Eskasasnanda, For Entertainment or Escaping From Reality: The Study of University...
UNNES JOURNALS
shna, 20-4 -2017)
Maybe the benet of college education for
me is to to give knowledge and theory. But,
I must also learn how to speak in front of
public and my friends. So, on line videoga-
mes help me much with my oral presenta-
tion in front of the class,at least to reduce
nervous. Beside college education, I also
need knowledges obtained from outside
campus. I learn them from online games.
(Amin, 18-3-2017 )
This research also nd that students
do not feel too worry with the future becau-
se they belief that they still have student
status. They also still regard that becoming
adult and nding a job is still far to go. This
makes them enjoy to consume online video
game in a huge amount of time to get enter-
tainment.
The Student Reasons of Playing On-
line Video Games at Midnight up to
Early Morning.
From this research, it can be discovered that
the main reasons underlying the student on-
line game consumption at midnight untill
early morning is for seeking entertainment
and lling free time. Living in boarding
house, far away from parents, relatives and
close friends often make university students
feel lonely. Playing online video games is a
powerful way to drive away the sorrow of
lonely feeling. By playing online video ga-
mes, student can get fun, interact with other
players, meet old friends in their hometown,
or get new friends from other cities or fellow
gamers in the internet café.
Loneliness is understood as a moti-
vating factor for people to get consolation.
Perlman and Peplau dene loneliness as a ir-
ritating feeling that must be removed for life
can get better. Loneliness are experienced by
a people who do not have social connections
with other people (Perlman & Peplau, 1981).
Williams and Solano added that although
person have many familiar people around,
he may also experience loneliness if he does
not have emotional closeness with them
(Williams & Solano, 1983). Wheeler, Reis, &
Nezlek (1983) and Hawkley (2003) assert
that the lack of emotional quality with the
nearest individual is the reason of feeling lo-
nely (Hawkley, Burleson, Berntson, & Caci-
oppo, 2003; Wheeler, Reis, & Nezlek, 1983).
For university students in Malang, the inca-
pabilities to build strong social conection
with classmates and people nearby make
them falling into loneliness. This lead them
consume online video games to fulll their
social needs.
This study also nd out that students
with shy personality are tend to have di-
culties to interact face to face with other per-
son in new place. For this condition, online
video games consumption oers them a
medium to interact and train their comuni-
cative skills. Schouten et als. (2007) explain
that the lack of sound and visual presence
in online communication will eliminates
barriers for teenagers who have diculties
in real-world face-to-face interaction. The
online video game consumption helps stu-
dents to fulll their social needs. The fulll-
ment of social needs are important because
it can improve the quality of life. Gonzalez
explain that interaction and connection
with other people will bring happiness and
sense of success. This in trun will aect the
person physical health (Gonzales, 2017).
In Malang City, university student can
consume online video games at midnight
and early morning because of the existence
of 24 hour internet café. It is discovered that
this facilities are build not to meet the need
of Malang city general population but only
for accomodating university student lifesty-
le. As said by Weaver,university students is a
category of people who able to access online
video games at late night and early morning
because far from the parental supervision,
free from familial burden and slack of study
obligation because lecture sometimes be-
gins in the middle of the day (Weaver, Kim,
Metzer, & Szendrey, 2013b).
University students who want to get
entertainment at the night time encourage
interpreneurs to open 24 hour internet café
in Malang City. This development shows
that the Malang city has experienced a
phenomenon called “Studentication”. This
phenomenon happen in cities dominated

Komunitas: International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture 12(1) (2020): 127-140 137
UNNES JOURNALS
by student residents (Weaver et al., 2013a).
24 hour internet cafés in Malang city is also
considered as form of night time economy.
According Bianchini, in modern era, night
time is not empty from economic activities
but the night time is opportunity to doubled
urban economic productivity (Bianchini,
1995). Muray Melbin (1978:16) explains that
night time activities sometime preferred
by city resident because oers dierent at-
mosphere from the daylight. The absence of
sunlight, disappearing from urban crowd
and work pressures will create dierent at-
mospheres prefered by people who want to
be active in night time (Melbin, 1978).
Online Video Games Consumption and
Student Academic Achievement.
Online video games as a form of entertain-
ment are considered positive when they are
used only as a means to relax and strengthen
social relationships with friends (Zillmann,
1988; Katz & Foukes, 1962). This reseach
found that the negative side happen when
this entertainment media is consumed ex-
cessively for forgetting the real world prob-
lems. It reveales that all informants consu-
ming online video games at midnight and
early morning are motivated by the need
of forgetting reality problems. Taking uni-
versity major that is unmatched with their
passions and interests causes the students
to face with studying problems and di-
culties to build strong social interaction
with their classmates.
Interest is very vital in building study
motivation and enggagement. Based on the
research conducted by Cai and Liem, stu-
dents who are studying based on their own
interests and passion will perform more
eorts and diligence. This is contrast with
students who are trying to seriously study
because of desires of fullling parents’ or
teachers’ expectations. This kind of student
will face with learning diculties and an-
xieties because of they worry about being
unable to fullll teachers’ and parents’ ex-
pectations. Failure in conducting study will
be regarded as a proof of inabilities not as
eorts to understand the learning materi-
als. This condition then leads the students
to eortlessly learn the material further
(Cai & Liem, 2017).
Students having problem of interest
will suer syndromes that aect their stu-
dy. Some of these syndromes as explained
by Prince, are reluctance to awake and stu-
dy, lethargy and sometimes accompanied
by depressive feeling to avoid the subjects
to sudy, and they also have irrelevant ideas
that intrude them while studying (Prince,
1961). These syndromes are also indicated
to occur to Malang city university students
who play video games at midnight and early
morning.
Study in university requires students
making major decisions and adjustments
in their life. Giving greater freedom and
responsibilty because they live away from
home. They feel perturbed because of
countering new method of living which
is greatly dierent from one that have been
mapped by their parent in since the begin-
ning of seventeen or eighteen years. Stu-
dents also must adapt with the university
environment. Otherwise, they will blame
themselves, feel incompetent and then -
nally degradate their academic performan-
ces (Handforth, 1978).
From this research, it can also be
understood that dislikeness of university
major also makes students unable to estab-
lish friendships with their classmates. In-
formants will have diculties for getting
close with college friends because they do
not have the same interests. Informants are
unable to follow and enjoy discussions with
college friends. This will make them prefer
to hang out with other online video gamers
because have the same interests.
Student Efforts to manage Online
Video Game Consumption with Lec-
ture Activities
This reseach discovered that all infor-
mants have diculties to limit the length of
time for playing online video games. Infor-
mants often play online video games more
than they have planned to because games
always lure them with senses of curiosity.
Online video games have a lot of intesting
things to do and explore. They make student

138 I Dewa Putu Eskasasnanda, For Entertainment or Escaping From Reality: The Study of University...
UNNES JOURNALS
content to play.
Playing online video games in a huge
number of time will bring negative eects
for student for it can decline students’ aca-
demic achivement. Because student spend
lot of time to play online video games, their
energy will be lost and unable to study and
maintain the quality of their college assign-
ments. The other negative eect of online
video games consumption is its potentials
of making students lavish because it spends
a lot of money.
Eventhough online video games make
students inert in study and money lavish,
but this is not make them want to stop on-
line video games consumption. University
students play online video games using the
pocket money from their parents. From this
research it can be discovered that event-
hough parents do not agree with students
online video game consumption. Parent can
not do anything, the far distance between
parent and student boarding house makes
them dicult to supervise the students’ stu-
dy activities and money management.
Through this research it is also also
known that the degradation of college
marks and academic achievements does not
prevent students from consuming excessive
online video games. All informants of this
study feel not to worry about this condition
because they assume that they are still stu-
dents. They think that being students they
do not have to think much about their fu-
ture life and employment because they are
still young. They think that becoming adult
and nding a job is uncomfortable and still
long time to go. The phenomenon of young
people are reclutant to be mature and ready
to be resposible is a common phenomenon
in many parts of the world today. Hollands
( 2002) explain nowdays many of the youth
choose to postpone their adults status by
extending their college degree, delaying
having children, doing traveling or taking
part-time work for keep living with parents
(Hollands, 2002). Park (2013) explains that
in South Korea, this condition happens due
to the diculties of nding a job after the
1997 crisis. In Korea, many Koreans prefer
to extended their student status and post-
poned their adulthood. Student just wanted
to extend their study in university, reluctant
or choose to not get married at all (Park,
2013). The inconvenience of thinking about
work and future life that is dicult and un-
certain makes the students not too much
cared about it. Some university students
in Malang consume online video games for
forgetting their future life responsibilities.
CONCLUSION
In Malang city, univeristy students can play
video games at night and early morning be-
cause of three factors. Those factors are 1)
the slack of study time because university
lecture is not every day and sometimes be-
gins at noon, 2) the lack of parental super-
vision because student are life far away from
parent, and 3) the existence of 24 Hours In-
ternet cafe facilities in city as the eects of
“studentication”.
University students playing online
video games as a form of entertainment.
Student play online video games to ll spare
time and drive out loneliness. Living in the
boarding house, far away from parents, rela-
tives and close friends often make students
feel lonely and then play online video games
to drive away the lonesome feeling and get
pleasure.
Online video games are entertain-
ments which are benecial when they are
played as means of relaxation and social
relationship strengthenings . The online vi-
deo games become negative if the players
consume them excessively to forget reali-
ty problems. Through this research, it can
be discovered that all informants consume
excessive online video games because of
study problems. Taking college major that
is not matched with passion and interests
make students struggling hard to study and
they cannot build close relationship with
the felllow college because of dierent in-
terests.
As result of online video game exces-
sive consumption, university students ex-
perience academic performance declines.
However, although their academic activi-
ties are disturbed, students do not feel it

Komunitas: International Journal of Indonesian Society and Culture 12(1) (2020): 127-140 139
UNNES JOURNALS
something to be worried about . They be-
lieve that work does not merely need acade-
mic degree, but experience and network as
well. The experience and interaction skill
student obtained in online video games are
believed to be benecial to gain networks
for nding jobs.
Students also argue that they still live
with student status, so they do not feel ne-
cessary to haste thinking about the future.
They think that becoming adults and nding
a job is still very far to go. The phenomena of
university students who do not want rush to
become mature and be responsible for their
future life are found in several studies. Some
researches explain that in modern societies,
the hard competitions and diculties in n-
ding job often make the transition between
adolescents and adult not as smooth as be-
fore. This makes many teenagers in develo-
ping countries are reluctant to be adult soo-
ner by extending their student status, being
reluctant to get married, and do not want to
establish a family at all.
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