DOI: https://doi.org/10.53350/pjmhs2115123630 ORIGINAL ARTICLE 3630 P J M H S Vol. 15, No.12, DEC 2021 Investigation of Athletes' Habits of Playing Digital Game in The Pandemic Process MIKAIL TEL 1 1 Assoc. Dr. Firat University, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Elazig / Turkey Correspondence to: Mikail TEL, Email: mikailtel@gmail.com.com, mtel@firat.edu.tr, Cell: +904242370000/5711 ABSTRACT Aim: In this study, athletes' views on digital games during the pandemic process were examined. Methods: x The sample of the study consists of 1521 (927 Male, 594 Female) athletes who continue their activities in different branches. The research is a screening model and has a descriptive quality. As a data collection tool, an online questionnaire form which questioned the demographic information of the participants, their frequency of playing digital games and the types of games they played was used. The SPSS package program was used to analyze the data and significance was accepted as p <0.05. Results: According to the results of the research, 60.9% of the participants were male, 35.5% were between the ages of 21-30, 59.2% were students and 61.5% were undergraduate and postgraduate athletes. When looking at the frequency of playing the game, 32.5% of them played with medium frequency. It was determined that athletes played games via a mobile phone at a higher rate than a desktop computer. In the answers given to the playing times during the pandemic process, "yes" was determined as 50.2%. Those who played 3 hours or more in daily playing time in pandemic were determined as 21.6%. In the pandemic, it was determined that the athletes played strategy, war, sportive games, backgammon-rummikub-chess, car racing and fighting games, respectively. Horror and role playing games were played at low rates. Considering the relationship between the age level of the athletes participating in the study and the types of the games, the rate of playing strategy games increased as the age got older, and young people between the ages of 21-30 played war games at higher rates. Internet usage rate of undergraduate and postgraduates of the participants was determined as 61.5%. Considering the educational status and the types of the games they played, it was determined that they played games such as strategy, war, sportive games and backgammon- rummikub-chess at high rates. The higher the education level, the higher the rate of watching horror movies was. In addition, considering participants' sportive level and the types of games they played, it was determined that the trainers preferred sports and strategy games at higher rates. Considering the sportive level and the types of games played, it was determined that the athletes played games such as backgammon- rummikub -chess at lower rates. Conclusion: As a result; some changes were observed in athletes' lifestyles in the research group with the pandemic process, and the duration spent at home and playing games increased. In this context, it is considered that encouraging sports activities preventing inactivity at home during the pandemic process will positively affect the health of individuals. Keywords: Pandemic, Game, Digital Games, Sports INTRODUCTION After the COVID-19 disease emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province of China, it spread rapidly all over the world and social isolation and quarantine measures were started to be taken in societies. 1 Social isolation is defined as a situation that expresses the partial or complete lack of contact between the individual and the society 2 and is applied among all individuals living in the society. As a result of the inability to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, it has become a global pandemic. The pandemic process caused not only medical but also social, professional, political, economic and political consequences. 3-4 Along with the COVID-19 pandemic process, it continues to make its effects felt in different points such as social life, social perspective, mass psychology, professions, tourism, agriculture, education, economy, human mobility, health and politics. Despite the measures taken, Covid-19 continues to threaten world humanity physically, economically, spiritually and socially. 1,5 With the pandemic process, there have been some changes in all of our habits and daily life. The curfews taken as a precaution, stay at home proposals changed our lifestyle and the duration of staying at home increased, and especially with the changes and developments in communication technology, the time spent in front of computers, tablets and mobile phones, namely in the virtual environment, also increased. In addition, with the interruption of education and training and with the closure of areas where leisure activities were done, an increase was observed in individuals' staying at home and leisure time. It can be observed that parents and children spend their free time with entertaining activities that they will organize at home. 6 In this context, one of the activities carried out to fill their free time is digital games. Depending on the developing technology, digitalization has become more frequently used in daily life. Especially digital games have been an important tool for people to spend time. In addition to entertainment and activities such as obtaining information, following the news, traveling, and chat, digital games (virtual games) have been being frequently played in recent years. 7 Considering the pandemic process, being inactive and the obligation to stay at home has increased the playing of computer games. 8 In addition, an international study examining the