‘Gaming addiction’ now a thing, says WHO

PUT THE controller down and step away from Candy Crush.

The World Health Organization will classify “gaming addiction” as an addictive behavior disorder, similar to a gambling disorder, in its 2018 International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), according to a draft posted on the ICD website.

The organization classifies gaming addiction as a “pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior which may be online or offline.”

The description says that the addiction may manifest by “impaired control over gaming onset, frequency, intensity, duration or context, increasing priority giving to gaming so much so that it takes precedence of over aspects of daily life, and continuing or escalating gameplay despite negative consequences.”

These symptoms normally appear over a period of 12 months for a diagnosis, though it may be diagnosed in a shorter amount of time depending on the severity. The is the first time gaming addiction is being officially recognized, but the concept is not new. The “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition” listed “Internet Gaming Disorder” as a “condition for further study” in 2013.