Some video games can cause addiction to play, and while many may hesitate to consider this a mental health problem, the World Health Organization (WHO) sees otherwise, declaring on Tuesday that game disruption is a real mental problem.
The move comes after WHO adopted the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) Review 11, which represents its internationally recognized list of diseases and diagnoses.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says review 11 (and the recognition of the Games' disturbance) comes into force on 1 January 2022.
According to the organization's website on game disruptions, it is described as "weak control of the games, giving increased priority to playing games on other activities to the extent that games take precedence over other interests and daily activities, and the continuation or escalation of play despite negative consequences."
Boligan's website notes that this description of the game disorder is almost identical to the description that the World Health Organization (WHO) describes as a "gambling disorder" to the extent that the text appears to be one copy with a different name.
Because the World Health Organization (WHO) decision is hurting the gaming industry, the response came quickly from the Entertainment Industry Association (ESA), the US gaming industry, which criticized the organization's move in a press release on its Web site, asking the World Health Organization to reverse its decision, Android Orthorete Technology.
"WHO is a respected organization and its guidance should be based on regular, comprehensive and transparent reviews supported by independent experts," the statement said. He added that "the disruption of the games was not based on evidence strong enough to justify its inclusion in one of the most important rule-making tools in the World Health Organization."
But the World Health Organization says its move was based on "reviews of the available evidence, reflecting the consensus of experts from different disciplines and geographical areas," and said studies suggest that gaming disruptions affect only a small percentage of people playing video games.
A group of 36 academics, mental health professionals and sociologists opposed in a paper published last year the World Health Organization's quest for recognition of the disorder of games, and considered the case of "disturbance of the games" premature. However, they did not rule out recognition after pursuing "rigorous, transparent and normative" research methods.