ARTHI GOPI

phone or computer cannot be accessed easily, obsessive thinking about gaming, and when the behaviour impacts on other aspects of a person’s life.

According to WHO, studies suggest that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digitalor video-gaming activities.

The final list will be published in the middle of the year.

Gaming should not be given a bad image, however, said Colin Webster, the general secretary of Mind Games

South Africa.

The organisation promotes board games as well as electronic games, and awards national colours for the sport.

“Too much of anything is a bad thing. Gaming does not have to be seen in a negative light though. However, parents should monitor how much time their children spend on gaming. If it’s an activity you do in your spare time, then it must be done this way. If you are doing it as a sport then, as with any other sporting activities, there must a schedule drawn up for practise times,” he said.

The decision to include gaming disorder this year was based on reviews of available evidence from experts across the world.

The identification and listing of the disorder, said WHO, would result in the increased attention of health professionals to the risks of development of this disorder and then to apply relevant prevention and treatment measures.

WHO says not everyone who plays games has a disorder.

“People who partake in gaming should be alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities, particularly when it is to the exclusion of other daily activities, as well as to any changes in their physical or psychological health and social functioning that could be attributed to their pattern of gaming behaviour,” it said.