Between the Arena and the Adab: Determinants of Mobile Legends Playing Intensity and Competitive Esports Orientation on the Moral Character of Senior High School Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58355/dirosat.v4i3.251Keywords:
Gaming Intensity, Esports, Student Morality, Self Regulation, Mobile LegendsAbstract
The rapid expansion of Indonesia’s mobile esports ecosystem, led by Mobile Legends: Bang Bang as the most popular title, raises an urgent pedagogical question regarding its implications for the moral character, or akhlak, of students. This study examined the effects of Mobile Legends playing intensity (X1) and competitive esports interest (X2) on students’ akhlak (Y) among 103 students at SMA Negeri 3 Pamekasan, using a causal associative design and multiple linear regression. The X1 and X2 instruments demonstrated high reliability (alpha equal to 0.857 and 0.824, respectively), whereas the Y instrument showed moderate reliability (alpha equal to 0.652). All classical assumptions were satisfied. The results indicated that playing intensity significantly and negatively predicted akhlak (beta equal to 0.258, t equal to 2.937, p equal to 0.004), whereas competitive esports interest was not statistically significant (beta equal to 0.190, t equal to 1.857, p equal to 0.066). Simultaneously, the model was significant (F equal to 4.359, p equal to 0.015) yet explained only eight percent of the variance (R squared equal to 0.080). These findings, interpreted through Self Determination Theory, the General Aggression Model, and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, indicate that it is not competitive interest in esports itself that poses a risk to moral character, but rather unregulated patterns of gameplay.
Downloads
References
Amaliah, N. A., Basri, & La Jusu. (2025). Pengaruh penggunaan game online Mobile Legends Bang Bang terhadap akhlak peserta didik kelas XI di SMA Negeri 3 Baubau. Bharasumba: Jurnal Multidisipliner, 4(4), 570 to 578.
Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12(5), 353 to 359.
Anderson, C. A., Shibuya, A., Ihori, N., Swing, E. L., Bushman, B. J., Sakamoto, A., Rothstein, H. R., & Saleem, M. (2010). Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in Eastern and Western countries: A meta analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 136(2), 151 to 173.
Asosiasi Penyelenggara Jasa Internet Indonesia. (2025). Survei penetrasi internet Indonesia 2025. APJII.
Badan Pusat Statistik Provinsi Jawa Timur. (2023). Persentase rumah tangga yang mengakses internet menurut kabupaten kota. BPS Jatim.
Beres, N. A., Frommel, J., Reid, E., Mandryk, R. L., & Klarkowski, M. (2021). Don’t you know that you’re toxic: Normalization of toxicity in online gaming. Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 1 to 15.
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297 to 334.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The what and why of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227 to 268.
Fachriza, A., & Alfita, L. (2025). Self control pada remaja gamers game online di Kecamatan Medan Marelan. Journal of Education, Humaniora and Social Sciences, 8(2), 519 to 526.
Fathurrohman, M., & Rohman, F. (2025). Relevansi tahapan perkembangan anak menurut Imam Al Ghazali terhadap kebiasaan bermain game Mobile Legends pada remaja. El Banat, 15(2), 1 to 12.
Ghozali, I. (2018). Aplikasi analisis multivariate dengan program IBM SPSS 25. Badan Penerbit Universitas Diponegoro.
Haris, A., Anggraini, D. C., & Mardiana, D. (2021). Pengaruh game online terhadap ketaatan beribadah mahasiswa di jurusan Pendidikan Agama Islam Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang. Jurnal Visi Ilmu Pendidikan, 13(2), 98 to 106.
Lahope, T. A., et al. (2024). Tinjauan filsafat rekonstruksionisme Theodore Brameld dalam implementasi ekstrakurikuler e sport bagi perkembangan karakter siswa. Jurnal Christian Humaniora, 8(2), 150 to 160.
Laird, R. D., Marks, L. D., & Marrero, M. D. (2011). Religiosity, self control, and antisocial behavior: Religiosity as a promotive and protective factor. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 32(2), 78 to 85.
Lemeshow, S., Hosmer, D. W., Klar, J., & Lwanga, S. K. (1990). Adequacy of sample size in health studies. World Health Organization.
Lestari, W., & Windri, H. (2025). Konsep pendidikan akhlak dalam pemikiran Al Ghazali: Relevansinya dengan pendidikan modern. Robbayana: Jurnal Pendidikan Agama Islam, 3(1), 18 to 30.
Navarro, J. L., & Tudge, J. R. H. (2022). Technologizing Bronfenbrenner: Neo ecological theory. Current Psychology, 42, 19338 to 19354.
Nikken, P., & Jansz, J. (2006). Parental mediation of children’s videogame playing: A comparison of the reports by parents and children. Learning, Media and Technology, 31(2), 181 to 202.
Novrialdy, E. (2019). Kecanduan game online pada remaja: Dampak dan pencegahannya. Buletin Psikologi, 27(2), 148 to 158.
Oetomo, M. S., & Fahyuni, E. F. (2022). Impact of Mobile Legends game on youth procrastination. Indonesian Journal of Cultural and Community Development, 12.
Przybylski, A. K., Rigby, C. S., & Ryan, R. M. (2010). A motivational model of video game engagement. Review of General Psychology, 14(2), 154 to 166.
Putri, A. M. R., & Kuswinarno, M. (2024). Pengembangan e sport di Indonesia, peluang, tantangan, dan masa depan industri: Studi kasus Mobile Legends Profesional League. Jurnal Media Akademik, 2(10), 1 to 14.
Ridwan, & Aisyah, N. (2022). Konsep pendidikan akhlak pemikiran Ibnu Miskawaih dalam kitab Tahdzib al Akhlak. Jurnal Bashrah, 2(1), 70 to 80.
Rizaldi, M., Rahmadi, & Rakhman. (2025). Minat prestasi olahraga e sport di Sekolah Menengah Kejuruan Negeri 1 Pugaan Kabupaten Tabalong. Jurnal Keolahragaan, 11(1), 55 to 65.
Roscoe, J. T. (1975). Fundamental research statistics for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Ryan, R. M., Rigby, C. S., & Przybylski, A. (2006). The motivational pull of video games: A self determination theory approach. Motivation and Emotion, 30(4), 344 to 360.
Saputra, A. F. H., & Jannah, M. (2025). Dampak self confidence terhadap competitive anxiety pada pemain esports. Gelanggang Olahraga: Jurnal Pendidikan Jasmani dan Olahraga, 9(1), 70 to 80.
Sugiyono. (2019). Metode penelitian kuantitatif, kualitatif, dan R&D. Alfabeta.
Suler, J. (2004). The online disinhibition effect. CyberPsychology & Behavior, 7(3), 321 to 326.
Trotter, M. G., Coulter, T. J., Davis, P. A., Poulus, D. R., & Polman, R. (2022). Examining the impact of school esports program participation on student health and psychological development. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 807341.
Zsila, A., Shabahang, R., Aruguete, M. S., & Orosz, G. (2022). Toxic behaviors in online multiplayer games: Prevalence, perception, risk factors of victimization, and psychological consequences. Aggressive Behavior, 48(4), 356 to 364.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ach Haikal Musthoval Choir, Syamsul Rijal, Atnawi Atnawi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
