‘Gaming Disorder’ as a mental health condition, classified by WHO

‘Gaming Disorder’ is now a recognized condition, appearing in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases.

Someone who plays video games for a few hours each day could be known simply as a devoted gamer, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has a new classification for those who take it much further than that.

It will be debated for a while whether or not that’s a legitimate disorder, but if the WHO is proposing it, it could end up as such.

Much like other compulsive and addictive disorders, there are 3 major factors of it as proposed:

1) Gaming frequency and intensity are such that other activities in life—seeing friends, going outside of the house, even talking and basic interactions with other humans—are minimized in comparison.

2) Even when negative consequences result from the addiction of either online or offline gaming, the “user” can’t stop.

3) The condition can result in disturbed sleep patterns, diet problems, and a severe reduction in physical activity.

Studies suggest that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital- or video-gaming activities.