Video game addiction becomes official illness
The World Health Organisation has voted to recognise video game addiction and professional burnout as official illnesses. The 194 members of the WHO unanimously agreed on the changes in a revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. The classification defines gaming disorder as “increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities”.
THE World Health Organisation has voted to recognise video game addiction and professional burnout as official illnesses.
The 194 members of the WHO unanimously agreed on the changes in a revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11).
The classification defines gaming disorder as “characterised by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes
‘Once we do things like better research, we’re going to make more informed decisions as an industry’
precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences”.
For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, says the WHO, the behaviour pattern must be “of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning.”
The classification for gaming disorder was initially added to the ICD-11 revision in mid-2018 as the gaming industry faced increased scrutiny over games that encouraged compulsive play. Many games across both console and mobile reward players with daily login bonuses and rewards.
The WHO says that including gaming disorder as an official illness will “result in the increased attention of health professionals to the risks of development of this disorder and, accordingly, to relevant prevention and treatment measures”.
The first Nhs-funded gaming addiction centre was announced but then indefinitely delayed earlier this year. Gamers claiming to be addicted to video games have told The Daily Telegraph that their lives “wouldn’t be falling apart” if such centres were up and running.
However, the WHO’S decision to adopt gaming disorder as an official disease has been met with strong opposition by the global games industry. The main opposing argument is that relying on “gaming addiction” as an illness could obfuscate underlying issues such as depression or social anxiety. Gaming companies such as Microsoft point to existing tools, such as parents being able to set screen time limits.
“There is a lot of misunderstood or incomplete sets of information out there,” Dave Mccarthy, the Xbox head of operations, told The Telegraph.
“I put the responsibility on us to go and engage in those conversations as much as the responsibility on them to share the information.
“Once we clarify that and we do things like better research, we’re going to make more informed decisions collectively as an industry and a society. I don’t look at it as a nuisance or a stress point; it’s all about us doing the right thing.”
The WHO also voted to include professional burnout among its recognised illnesses, which it defines as “a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
The updated classification, which takes effect in January 2022, also removes transgenderism from its list of mental disorders, reclassifying it under the chapter on “conditions related to sexual health”.