[Yu Ominae]

LOL. My folks were talking about this. I didn't say anything because I find this really funny and second, it's usually the choice of the person doing it.

We all know someone who spends more time than seems advisable on video games. Gaming can be an innocent hobby, but when it becomes all-consuming, people's health and lives are in danger. As an extreme example, a South Korean child died of malnutrition in 2010 while her parents were raising a virtual child. Gamers, including a Taiwanese man in 2015, have also died after extended gaming sessions with insufficient breaks. However, gaming addiction is still not recognized as a medical condition in many countries.

To acknowledge the problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) will include the condition of "gaming disorder" in its 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD) diagnostic guide. The upcoming edition of the document is currently under revision, and WHO plans to release it this year.

The document draft describes the condition as recurring gaming behavior that becomes so severe that it takes "precedence over other life interests." Some countries have already identified the condition as a health issue and offer addiction clinics to treat excessive gaming.

The new edition of the ICD will state that abnormal behavior should be witnessed over a period of at least 12 months in order to diagnose "gaming disorder." However, the period may be shortened "if symptoms are severe." Listed symptoms include impaired control over gaming, increased priority given to gaming, and persistence of gaming despite negative consequences.

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