WHO to Recognize 'Gaming Disorder' as Mental Health Condition

[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.

The article has more details

[felix]

So long as you're not into some kind of abusive 10,000h event driven gotcha/hat game dont think gaming can really get you addicted to death.

A few issues that stand between you and death,

• games end
• games end pretty quickly (100-200h at most) for most singleplayer games
• you can only re-play games for so many times
• games are sufficiently different between each other (so there's always a soft-reset)
• gaming has burnout

If gaming is "deadly" then they might as well add "going out and socializing" and "reading books" to the list, because unlike those with games the game itself will stop you. So assuming you get health problems the game will eventually pwn you into stopping since you'll just lose the ability to do anything. Of course that is unless its' a mobile gotcha game or something.

[Jazzrat]

A bit late in that considering the danger occurred during the height of the MMO genre. I don't think it right to belittle the issue considering most folks here have done gaming binges before and would love to play our favourite games nonstop.

Folks suffering these issue just have issues with the stop part, much like alcoholics and gambling addicts. Heck i had issues sometime putting down a good novel.

[MeoTwister5]

One does not simply stick all sorts of diagnoses into the DSM and ICD manuals. You can't put one in without a lot of justified medical studies. It takes years.

Long time coming though, as someone who possibly had it in college and high school.

[Kafriel]

It's a lot more an addiction than a disorder, but whatever. Games enable people to be social without stepping out of their personal space - add that to the already addictive nature of multiplayer games, and it's rather evident that gaming companies (obviously) want people to play their games as much as possible. It's just working better than people thought it would.

[Jazzrat]

When you put it in the medical pov, i can see why it takes so long fpr WHO to officially recognised the issue.

Disorder or addiction, personally i m leaning towards both in varying degree. Throw in the modern day of videogame gambling, the stake got ante up further. That said, this can be applied to lots of modern phenomena like social media, selfies and etc. Perhaps in 10 years time, they have a selfie disorder in WHO

[serenade_beta]

I can see WHO's decision as reasonable.

[Kafriel]

Perhaps in 10 years time, they have a selfie disorder in WHO

I think it has to do with gaming promoting social isolation. Not that you can't be isolated while participating in social media, but it is somewhat of a complicated matter. I recon selfies are currently "in order", it's what people do. Disorders, by definition, describe statuses that shouldn't normally occur, so, when everyone's doing it, is it okay...or does it just fall under a larger scale (e.g. epidemic)?

[Kyero Fox]

I thought it was a mental disorder back when they demonized Pokemon.

[Yu Ominae]

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180226_04/

A convention's being held in Japan to talk about this issue.

And as usual, my mom/dad thinks that it's a health issue due to WHO being involved as mentioned in the news. I just laughed at myself.

[Marcus H.]

They always forget or, in the case of news outlets, do not tell the whole story.
In the case of this news, they often overlook the fact that WHO hasn't finalized this, and some news outlets who were always dubious of the societal impact of gaming use this to further this agenda that "gaming is bad or is just for kids". It's been this way since the rise of e-sports, and news shows in America still raise an eyebrow whenever they find out that e-sports is now a big industry.

[Kyero Fox]

Thinking Gaming is a mental disorder IS a Mental Disorder.

[Yu Ominae]

http://www.siliconera.com/2018/06/19...lth-condition/

It’s done.

[Infinite Zenith]

I'd better check myself in to a regional mental health institute and get some counselling, then. Because that's what they'd want me to do.

[Sakuranbo]

I think if anything I have the opposite of gaming addiction. I freely admit that I am very much an isolated person (prefer 'hermit'), but it takes me a really long time to get into gaming these days, like the desire just isn't there. Now back in Middle School - High School, yup absolutely.

[kampfer91]

WHO huh , the one that don't think being unable to identify your gender is an mental problem ?

[barcode120x]

Any type of "addiction" is bad for your health whether it's gaming, sex, porn, working, etc to the point where it makes you neglect yourself, others, and/or your life (or the causing harm in some way; the list goes on). Simple fact and truth.

[DracoS]

Agreed, you can get addicted to many kinds of activity, gaming can certinaly reach unhealthy like anything else.

[Yu Ominae]

https://www.siliconera.com/2019/02/1...lassification/

The ESA is leading the push against this.