A “gaming disorder” could become a proper medical condition should a draft of the updated International Classification of Diseases manual be approved unamended roughly a year from now.
A proposed definition of “gaming disorder” appeared in the newest version of the International Classification of Diseases – the 11th revision of which is in development and has been for a few years – published this morning.
The 10th revision of the ICD, implemented by many countries in their national health policies, is 26 years old, having been approved in 1992.
What is video game addiction?
The current version of the World Health Organisation’s ICD-11 defines “gaming disorder” as:
“Characterised by a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour, which may be online or offline, manifested by: 1) impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context); 2) increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and 3) continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.
“The behaviour pattern is of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning. The pattern of gaming behaviour may be continuous or episodic and recurrent. The gaming behaviour and other features are normally evident over a period of at least 12 months in order for a diagnosis to be assigned, although the required duration may be shortened if all diagnostic requirements are met and symptoms are severe.”
What are the symptoms of video game addiction?
The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5) includes a section to help people and doctors know the warning signs of problem video gaming.
Here’s what to look for in yourself or someone close to you – your partner, a child, or a friend. You need to have five or more of these signs in 1 year to have a problem, according to criteria that were proposed in the DSM-5:
- Thinking about gaming all or a lot of the time
- Feeling bad when you can’t play
- Needing to spend more and more time playing to feel good
- Not being able to quit or even play less
- Not wanting to do other things that you used to like
- Having problems at work, school, or home because of your gaming
- Playing despite these problems
- Lying to people close to you about how much time you spend playing
- Using gaming to ease bad moods and feelings
Of course, not everyone who plays a lot has a problem with gaming. Some experts say that it’s harmful to label people who might just be very enthusiastic about gaming. One thing they do agree on is that the percentage of players who meet the proposed criteria for addiction to video games is small.
The British Department of Health & Social Care said it welcomes the inclusion of “gaming disorder” in the ICD. A spokesperson responded:
“Very large numbers of people play games on- and off-line, for the vast majority it is a recreational activity. But research shows that for a small number their gaming can become harmful, or an addiction.
“We welcome the inclusion of gaming disorder in ICD-11, which will over time help to understand the true prevalence of harmful gaming.”
The Video Game Industry Responds
However, the inclusion of “gaming disorder” has caused concern across the games industry – so much so global gaming organisations have come together to issue a joint statement in reaction to the news.
The statement reads:
“Video games across all kinds of genres, devices and platforms are enjoyed safely and sensibly by more than 2 billion people worldwide, with the educational, therapeutic, and recreational value of games being well-founded and widely recognised. We are therefore concerned to see ‘gaming disorder’ still contained in the latest version of the WHO’s ICD-11 despite significant opposition from the medical and scientific community. The evidence for its inclusion remains highly contested and inconclusive.
“We hope that the WHO will reconsider the mounting evidence put before them before proposing inclusion of ‘gaming disorder’ in the final version of ICD-11 to be endorsed next year. We understand that our industry and supporters around the world will continue raising their voices in opposition to this move and urge the WHO to avoid taking steps that would have unjustified implications for national health systems across the world.”
The current game on everybody’s lips is Fortnite, which maker Epic recently announced has more than 125 million players around the world. With so many people playing, and so many so young, naturally the topic of ‘children spend too long playing Fortnite’ has emerged, especially across less-reputable mainstream media outlets who are looking to insight outrage for attention. Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on the subject, it is important that video game addiction remains an open discussion and not a two-sided war between concerned parents and rebellious teens.