Digital Game Addiction and Attitudes Toward Physical Activity in Generation Alpha: A Study on Middle School Students

This study aimed to examine the relationship between digital game addiction and attitudes toward physical activity among Generation Alpha middle school students. The study employed a correlational survey design and included 427 middle school students recruited using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the "Physical Activity Attitude Scale," (Savaş &Çelik Kayapınar,2013) and the "Digital Game Addiction Scale" (Yalçın Irmak & Erdoğan, 2015). Data were evaluated using independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Welch's ANOVA, appropriate post hoc tests, and Pearson's correlation analysis. The results showed a weak but positive and statistically significant relationship between digital game addiction and attitudes towards physical activity (r = .262, p < .001). While no significant difference was found in digital game addiction scores according to gender, female students had significantly higher physical activity attitude scores compared to male students. Significant differences were also observed according to parental educational level, game preference, and students' self-descriptions, whereas smartphone ownership was not associated with significant differences in either digital game addiction or physical activity attitude scores. The findings suggest that digital game addiction and positive attitudes toward physical activity may coexist among middle school students belonging to Generation Alpha. However, since the study assessed attitudes rather than actual physical activity behavior, this positive association should not be interpreted to mean that students with higher digital game addiction scores engage in higher levels of physical activity.