A Determination of Playtime and Satisfaction during Covid-19 of Filipino Generation Z on League of Legends: Wildrift using
Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)
Zachariah John A. Belmonte1*, Rexmelle F. Decapia Jr.1, Gina Marjorie Asim2, Kyle Etcuban2, Marc Joseph Espenocilla2, Kenneth Hornejas2, Sheena Mae Layol2,
Manuel Lipata2
1 Faculty of Mechanical Engineering & Allied Department, Technological University of the Philippines Taguig Campus, Philippines
2 Student of Non-destructive Testing Engineering Section, Technological University of the Philippines Taguig Campus, Philippines
*Corresponding Author: [email protected]
Accepted: 15 July 2021 | Published: 1 August 2021
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Abstract: It has been a year since the national government of the Philippines enforced the community lockdown with the hope to mitigate the COVID-19 virus. In this research paper the researchers focused on determining the playtime and satisfaction of Filipino Generation Z that was born around 1997 onwards who plays League of Legends: Wildrift. This paper effectively used the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and applied the Self-Affirmation Theory (SAT) for the research framework of this research study. The researchers collected a total of 252 valid participants, the majority of whom were high school and college students. It is shown in the result section the factory loadings of our model, where the researchers identified that the impact of self-worth with playtime has the highest patch coefficient. Moreover, the researchers discovered that self-worth is not significantly related to satisfaction while playtime has a positive effect to satisfaction. Researchers also illustrated that the model matches our results, with the index result fitting within the suggested value (GFI= 0.87, CFI=0.57, AGFI=0.85, TLI=0.52, IFI=0.61, RMSEA=0.47, CMIN/DF=1.55).
Keywords: COVID-19, Wildrift, Structural Equation Modeling, Playtime, Satisfaction _________________________________________________________________________
1. Introduction
The declaration of a COVID-19 pandemic had greatly affected the Philippines since the first announced community lockdown on March 15, 2020. It is stated on the report of the Department of Health (DOH) that the country obtained 795 051 total cases, 135 526 active cases, 646 100 recoveries and 13 425 deaths as of April 4, 2021 (Prasetyo, Castillo, Salonga, Sia, & Seneta, 2020). The country is still in an on-going battle, with various lockdown restrictions being enforced with the hope of limiting the COVID-19’s spreading. (Dizon, 2020).
The Philippine government established lockdown restrictions in order to mitigate the spread of virus. Hence, according to Good News Pilipinas, there have been restrictions where people ages 20 and below are not allowed to go outside their residences wherein the said ages fall under the Generation Z. According to a Pew Research Center survey, people born from 1997 onwards from up until 2015 are considered part of the new generation. According to the study, Generation Z is more technologically adaptive since they were born with high-tech devices, Wi-Fi, high-bandwidth cellular services, improved mobile-web access, and social media.
(Dimock, 2019). Since the pandemic age restrictions, people with smartphones can have more access to entertainment especially on gaming. People restricted at home tend to have more time to browse for downloadable games in various platforms and always played during leisure time.
Because smartphones have excellent gaming features, it is highly handy to play anytime and anywhere because it can be used to communicate with friends or family and only requires a network connection. According to Plarium (2020), one of the most popular types of games in the Philippines, is a Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), which is in great demand owing to the ability to interact with friends and family while playing the same game at the same time.
League of Legends: Wild Rift is one of the most popular games among Filipinos. The game League of Legends: Wild Rift, produced by Riot Games, was launched in the Philippines on October 28, 2020 with an all-access pass. The game would be similar to League of Legends on PC, which is currently a popular computer game, in terms of "skills-and-strategies 5v5 MOBA experience. The said MOBA game includes the feature of choosing your lane in accordance to the respective roles of chosen heroes called “Champions”. There are various roles such as the Tank, Assassin, Mage, Support, Marksman and Jungler. The goal of the game is to destroy the Défense turrets that stand between your team and the "Nexus," the central hub of both teams' bases. The team that eliminates a player's "Nexus" is the winner (Riot Games, 2020).
It's been a year since the country was placed under lockdown, and Filipino Generation Z has been considering ways to pass the time at home. As a result, the goal of this research is to see how mobile games impact people's playtime and happiness during this epidemic. Since the game's launch in October 2020, there has not been much research on how long people spend playing mobile games and how satisfied they are. This study will focus on the mobile game Wild Rift. Because League of Legends: Wildrift is a mobile game that is like the PC game League of Legends, the researchers feel that this study is completely applicable to Generation Z during this covid- 19 pandemic.
2. Methodology
A. Data Collection
The government has imposed a lockdown because of COVID-19, and residents are required to remain at home (Dizon, 2020). As a result, the researchers gathered data via an online survey utilizing Google Forms, a program that is simple and straightforward to use for answering the researchers' questions. Researchers utilized social media sites like Facebook and Messenger to distribute the survey by posting to webpages and forwarding the survey form to different chat groups to request people to participate. The respondents should be playing LOL: Wildrift and under the Generation Z who are currently playing during this pandemic. This study is all about the Filipino Generation Z on League of Legends: Wildrift During COVID-19: A Determination of Playtime and Satisfaction.
B. Sample Profile
The researchers have gathered 252 valid Wildrift players under Generation Z. Most of the respondents are males which were 203 (80.6%) and females were 49 (19.4%) respondents.
Moreover, the researchers gathered 168 (66.7%) of respondents from National Capital Region (NCR), 53 (21.0%) of respondents from Luzon (Outside Metro Manila), 22 (8.7%) of respondents are from Visayas, and 9 (3.65) of respondents are from Mindanao. Large part of our respondents has the quantity of 127 (50.4%) are around the age of 19 to 21 years old. In addition, the researchers gathered 63 (25.0%) respondents from ages 22 to 25 years old, 52
(20.6%) respondents from ages 16 to 18 years old, 10 (4.0%) respondents from ages 13 to 15 years old, and 0 (0.0%) respondent from ages 9 to 12 years old. In education attainment of the researchers’ respondents, majority of the respondents are university/college student which is 151 (59.9%). In addition, the researchers gathered 40 (15.9%) respondents that are senior high school, 32 (12.7%) respondents that are college graduate, and 29 (11.50%) respondent that is on high school. It was also determined by the respondents their weekly hours of playing Wildrift. Majority of the respondents play Wildrift for less than 2 hours, which is about 94 (37.3%) respondents. In addition to that, 78 respondents (31.0%) play for 2 to 3 hours weekly, 41 respondents (16.3%) play for 4 to 6 hours every week, and 39 respondents (15.4%) plays for more than 6 hours per week. The table below shows the summary of demographic profile of respondents.
Table I: Summary of demographic profile of respondents
Variable Category Number (N) Percentage
(%)
Gender Male
Female
49 203
19.4%
80.6%
Location
National Capital Region Luzon (Outside Metro Manila)
Visayas Mindanao
168 53 22 9
66.7%
21.0%
8.7%
3.6%
Age
9 to 12 years 13 to 15 years 16 to 18 years 19 to 21 years 22 to 25 years
0 10 52 127
63
0%
4.0%
20.6%
50.4%
25.0%
Education
High school student Senior high school student University/College student University/College graduate
29 40 151
32
11.5%
15.9%
59.9%
12.7%
Weekly hours spent in playing Wildrift
Less than 2 hours 2 to 3 hours 4 to 6 hours 6 hours and above
94 78 41 39
37.3%
31.0%
16.3%
15.4%
C. Theoretical Framework
The concept for the study is based on the SAT (Self-Affirmation Theory). People are considered to be driven to uphold the self's established value and worth. The purpose of the self-system is to maintain a suitable self as beneficent and ethically acceptable as possible, that is, competent, healthy, consistent, collective, secure, capable of individual choice, and capable of managing significant results. These self-concepts and images that make up the self-system may be thought of as the numerous settings that are significant to an individual, or the varied scenarios of a person's self-worth. According to Sherman & Cohen (2006), figure 1 presents a schematic of the self‐system. The self is composed of different domains, which include an individual’s roles, the playtime and happiness apply to this framework, which we use to see if this theory and framework will explain the current League of Legends: Wild rift player's actions during the pandemic.
D. Hypothesis Development
Using the theoretical framework given in this study, the researchers employed the SAT theory to compute the playtime and satisfaction of every LOL: Wild Rift user based on the obtained participants.
According to Christman (2020), autonomy may be defined as the ability to make their own decisions based on their own reasons and will, and that their decisions are not influenced by external parties. Before the game begins, the player will choose their own hero and the role they will play. According to self-affirmation theory, people would enhance their self-integrity by reaffirming their value in one area and therefore attempting to overcome problems in other areas (Gu, Yang, Yang, et.al, 2019).
Thus, this study proposes the following hypothesis:
H1. Autonomy is significantly and positively related to self-worth.
According to Pang (2019), Competence is exhibited in gaming through flow, which is a totally concentrated mental state used to describe why people like games. When a game stimulates the player just enough to keep it fascinating and make them want to keep playing, but not too much or so little that it gets annoying, it is said to be in Flow. After the game in Wild Rift, players will receive medals like bronze, silver and gold that will be based on their game performance.
As an illustration, if the performance of the player is great and helped the team to grow, the player will get a different award from the rest of the team such as more gold and exp.
Thus, this study proposes the following hypothesis:
H2. Competence is significantly and positively related to self-worth.
According to Martela, & Riekki (2018), Relatedness may be described as a personal bond between two people that expresses how attached they are to one another and how they experience a sense of belonging in a specific group. Mobile games such as League of Legend:
Wild Rift offers internet-connected players with access to a virtual world. It encourages players to form groups known as squad, parties, clans, or guilds that helps them to destroy the enemies easily or complete missions in a single gameplay session.
This, this study proposes the following hypothesis:
H3. Relatedness is significantly and positively related to self-worth.
Playtime is a continuous condition that humans require. It satisfies a participant's curiosity while also assisting them in improving their decision-making, attention, multitasking, and social skills. According to Goh, Jones, & Copello believes that playing for extended periods of time will boost a person's spirit and help them enhance their abilities. It is most likely related in playing League of Legends: Wild Rift that if a person wins multiple times in a row, the person is most likely to play again.
Thus, this study proposes the following hypothesis:
H4. Self-worth is positively related to playtime.
Furthermore, consistently achieving increases a person's self-worth, and this study shows that the virtual world is closer to the actual world since it allows an individual's psychological requirements to be addressed.
Using the framework we used, this study proposes the following hypothesis:
H5. Self-worth is significantly and positively related to satisfaction.
Playing League of Legends: Wild Rift helps an individual to boost their motivation. The researchers also want to determine if playtime has an impact on an individual's happiness and life satisfaction.
H6. Playtime is significantly and positively related to satisfaction.
E. Questionnaire
Using the research methodology presented in this study, the researchers adopted a set of questionnaires to assess playtime and satisfaction of League of Legends: Wildrift players during the pandemic (Prasetyo, Y. T, et. al, 2020). It is divided into seven sections: (a) League of Legends: Wildrift players' personal information (age, gender, educational background, and daily hours of play) (b) Independence (c) Competence (d) Relatedness (e) Self-worth (f) Playtime (g) Contentment. The researchers used a 4-point likert scale to assess the latent constructs in our framework.
Table II: Questionnaires for latent constructs
Construct Items Measures Source
Autonomy AU1 I can make my own choice in choosing a champion. Chen et al (2015) AU2 I can express who I really am
AU3 I can choose of position of game (Support, Dragon Lane, Baron Lane, Jungle, Mid Lane) are right.
AU4 I can decide what I really want
Competence CO1 I feel confident that I will win in match. Chen et al (2015) CO2 I feel capable at what I do.
CO3 I feel I can successfully play my role in match, CO4 I am competent to achieve my goals in the match
Relatedness RE1 I am confident that I will win in match Chen et al (2015) RE2 I am capable at what I do
RE3 I can successfully play my role in match,
RE4 I feel competent to achieve my goals in the match
Self-worth SW1 I feel worthiness while in game. Liao (2019)
SW2 I can do the skills like other players have.
SW3 I take a positive attitude on myself
SW4 I feel like I can help others to improve the game play because of my experience
Playtime PL1 I spend more time in playing league of legends: wildrift because of quarantine
Liao (2019) PL2 I want to play more if I am winning in every match
PL3 I want to stop my game if my teammates is not cooperative.
PL4 I want to stop my game if my internet connection is unstable Satisfaction SA1 I am satisfied every time I play league of legends: wildrift.
SA2 I am satisfied when I win as MVP of a particular game.
SA3 I am not satisfied if I play in very small time.
SA4 I am not satisfied if I got no badge award after the game
F. Data Analysis
The researchers will use confirmatory factor analysis with the following measurement indices to analyze the model for validity and reliability: Comparative Factor Index (CFI), Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI), Tucker Lewis Index (TLI), and Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA). The researchers will analyze and estimate the maximum probability using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) 22 software.
3. Results
According to figure II, the model's path coefficients are positively connected to each other, particularly in the case of self-worth, which is strongly related to playtime (β= .16, P < 0.39).
The competence and relatedness are also positively related to self-worth respectively (β= 0.34, 0.39 and P= 0.001, 0.001) while autonomy is positively related (β=-0.19. P<0.001). Figure II shows the SEM results for assessing the playtime and satisfaction in playing League of Legends: Wildrift during COVID-19. Based on the study participants who answered to the research online survey, the hypothesis of this work was observed analytically.
The researchers used AMOS and SPSS software to calculate the factor loadings, as well as the path coefficient (β) to understand how the model's connections are related Self-worth is substantially connected to happiness with playtime, as researchers discovered the influence of self-worth with playtime having a high connection (β=0.05, P<0.774) result. Additionally, the playtime has a positive effect to satisfaction (β=0.84, P<0.001). The table I shows summary of factory loadings of the model. The Cronbach's alpha is included, which is used to determine the internal consistency of the measured constructs, with all values better than 0.70 indicating good reliability. The Table (II) summarizes the path analysis of the research’s SEM. Here can be observed that all the paths with the latent variables are significant. Table I shows summary of factory loadings of the model. The Table (II) summarizes the path analysis of the research’s SEM except the relationship of self-worth to autonomy and satisfaction. Furthermore, table (III) listed the model fit of the SEM. As the researchers observed the given table, it can be said that the model fits the data (GFI= 0.87, CFI=0.57, AGFI=0.85, TLI=0.52, IFI=0.61, RMSEA=0.47, CMIN/DF=1.55).
The Cronbach's alpha is included, which is used to determine the internal consistency of the measured constructs, with all values better than 0.70 indicating good reliability.
STATISTICAL DESCRIPTIVE RESULTS
Table III: Statistical Descriptive Results
Factor Item M SD ∝ Factor Loading
AU1 3.45 0.726 0.561
Autonomy AU2 3.29 0.855
0.807 0.631
AU3 3.42 0.723 0.582
AU4 3.38 0.78 0.739
CO1 3.28 0.779 0.632
Competence CO2 3.42 0.735
0.837 0.716
CO3 3.44 0.738 0.680
CO4 3.50 0.694 0.633
RE1 2.92 0.958 0.764
Relatedness RE2 2.95 0.900
0.764 0.702
RE3 3.18 0.905 0.638
RE4 3.48 0.770 0.571
SW1 3.20 0.879 0.519
Self-Worth SW2 3.24 0.846
0.721 0.661
SW3 3.42 0.724 0.582
SW4 3.44 0.709 0.596
PL1 3.22 0.874 0.521
Playtime PL2 3.48 0.705
0.587 0.639
PL3 3.12 0.885 0.545
PL4 3.49 0.733 0.352
SA1 3.41 0.749 0.483
Satisfaction SA2 3.58 0.714
0.555 0.537
SA3 2.81 0.962 0.682
SA4 2.60 1.101 0.700
Note: M denotes the mean value; SD denotes standard deviation; ∝ denotes the Cronbach’s alpha.
Fig. 2. Analytical Results of the model.
Table IV. Path Analysis
Hypothesis Estimates S.E. C.R. P LABEL
SATISFACTION <--- PLAYTIME 0.843 0.144 5.852 ***
SELFWORTH <--- PLAYTIME 0.157 0.183 0.859 0.390
SELFWORTH <--- SATISFACTION 0.051 0.179 0.288 0.774
SELFWORTH <--- RELATEDNESS 0.393 0.117 3.348 ***
SELFWORTH <--- COMPETENCE 0.344 0.077 4.485 ***
SELFWORTH <--- AUTONOMY 0.192 0.053 3.614 ***
Note: *** denotes p<0.001
Table V. Model of fit
Goodness of Fit Measurement Estimates Range Reference Goodness of Fit Index (GFI)
Comparative of Fit Index (CFI) Adjusted Goodness of Fit (AGFI) Tucker Lewis Index (TLI) Incremental Fix Index (IFI)
Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) Minimum Discrepancy (CMIN/DF)
0.87 0.57 0.85 0.52 0.61 0.47 1.55
>0.80
>0.90
>0.80
>0.90
>0.90
>0.08
<5.00
Gafen.et.al (2000) Hair (2010) Gefen.et.al (2000) Hu and Bentler (1999) Hair (2010)
MacCallum et al (1996) Wheaton et al (1997)
4. Discussions
According to researchers’ findings, the outcomes of autonomy, competence, and related factors are all positively related to self-worth. Surprisingly, there is no significant relationship between self-worth and satisfaction. While each person has their unique sense of self-worth, the researchers identified that their degrees of game fulfillment do not complement one another.
The level of satisfaction can be affected by a variety of factors, including the internet connection, the quality of the updated game, revamped heroes, skins, gifts, etc.
This study indicates that using the principles of Self-Affirmation Theory and statistical analysis with Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), SAT theory can be used to predict the behaviour of mobile game players.
The study revealed that the respondent’s playtime is influenced by their self-worth based with the framework used for this study (Self-Affirmation Theory). People are motivated to protect their perceived self-worth and integrity (Steele, 1988). Autonomy, competence, relatedness, playfulness, and contentment were all found to be positively connected to self-worth.
Therefore, researchers may infer that the Self-Affirmation Theory (SAT) can be utilized to evaluate and measure the amount of time mobile gamers spend playing and how satisfied they are. Mobile games are believed to boost mental capabilities, improve emotions, and provide a feeling of identity. (Mobile games thrive, 2020).
This study, however, is limited by the number of participants, as the researchers only collected 252 players, all of whom are under the Generation Z and from the Philippines. The statistical analysis using the SEM was primarily evaluated by factor analysis, in which their factor loadings and path coefficients were evaluated, as well as the model of fit test, which are all provided in the findings section.
5. Conclusion
The researchers may delineate and explain the pleasure and enjoyment utilizing the findings that they have obtained, using SAT. The researchers conclude that the model presented is appropriate for wildrift players. Furthermore, the findings may provide insight into the elements that may influence wildrift players' pleasure and playtime throughout the pandemic.
The researchers can relate and reflect on preceding studies about satisfaction and playtime.
Self-worth has a significant impact on wildrift gamers' playtime, and wildrift has a positive impact on contentment, according to this study.
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