Do You Spend Too Much Time Gaming? You Might Have a Medical Condition
The WHO just announced it.
Parents who are always complaining about the gaming industry updates like Fortnite and Apex Legends video games that are compelling their kids to spend a lot more time enjoying gaming than anything else have something to worry about. According to the latest development, gaming addiction has been named as a medical condition by the WHO.
The WHO organized the World Health Assembly on Saturday, and all the member states have recognized gaming disorder to be a medical condition. WHO has been making efforts in this regard since last year as it had included gaming disorder in the draft of WHO’s ICD (International Classification of Diseases) 11. For the uninitiated, ICD 11 serves as an international standard for the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions.
A spokesperson for the WHO explained that the move is based on reviews of evidence that is available, and it reflects general agreement from experts across the globe that some people demonstrate a pattern of gaming behaviour that can be characterized by impaired control as they prioritize gaming over any regular responsibilities they might have like school, work or appearing at social events. Remember the next-door kid who wouldn’t go to school because he is addicted to Fortnite? That’s what we are talking about.
Experts from WHO, who had analysed studies on gaming behaviour say people who use gaming do it differently than people who are using social media, online shopping, and online gambling. They also said that there is a lack of data to confirm whether the people who are hooked on social media, online shopping, and online gaming have a behavioural addiction or not. But gamers do have that addiction, which is now categorized as a medical condition.
The WHO also thinks that about 2 to 3 percent of gamers might fit into the definition of gaming disorder.
No one can deny that gaming disorder could be a medical condition, especially Australians as more games are being released (like the John Wick video game), gaming addiction is a real thing in our country, and many gaming rehabilitation and treatment centres are already there in Sydney and Melbourne to help a person who is excessively addicted to gaming.
Do you think WHO was right to categorize gaming disorder as a medical condition or do you think there is a need for more research on the subject?
