Gaming and addiction are two words that are no longer foreign to each other. While gaming is usually a leisurely activity, some think that gaming too much shows signs of a so-called "gaming disorder." It apparently is in a list that is yet to be approved by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO has a draft list of International Classification of Diseases of 2018. It listed "Gaming Disorder" beside gambling disorder. This "Gaming Disorder" is explained as a "mental and behavioral disorder that develops as a result of the use of predominantly psychoactive substances, including medications, or specific repetitive rewarding and reinforcing behaviors."
The cause of this new ailment is apparently nearly the same as any addiction disorder. The rest of the description for "Gaming Disorder" does not say much specific to gaming itself or the use of a console or PC. When taken out of context, the description could refer to any other addiction or disorder, although eagle-eyed readers will note that the description still applies to gaming.
While it has been proven for many other accepted disorders and addictions, there is yet to be strong evidence for a possible "Gaming Disorder." The list, as of now, is still a draft and is yet to be confirmed or approved by the WHO themselves. In fact, the list can easily be changed or updated every day.
According to Kotaku, one psychologist who focuses on gaming, Dr. Chris Ferguson, has a few problems with the proposed "Gaming Disorder." He says that this is a disorder "only insofar as any pleasurable activity activates these regions [of the brain]. How gaming involves them is more similar to other fun activities like eating chocolate, having sex, getting a good grade, etc., not heroin or cocaine."
For people who are part of the gaming world, either as developers or gamers, the issue of gaming as a health problem is not something new. Back in 2013, there was a proposed "Internet Gaming Disorder" for the the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), as per PC Gamer. It was left unapproved due to lack of strong evidence.
