Video game addiction ruled official illness

WHO's decision to adopt gaming addiction as an official disease has been met with strong opposition by games industry. Photo / 123RF

The World Health Organisation has voted to recognise video game addiction and professional burnout as official illnesses.

The 194 members of the WHO unanimously agreed on the changes in a revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11).

The classification defines gaming disorder as "characterised by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences".

The classification for gaming disorder was initially added to the ICD-11 revision in mid-2018 as the gaming industry faced increased scrutiny over games that encouraged compulsive play. Many games across console and mobile reward players with daily login bonuses and rewards.

However, the WHO's decision to adopt gaming disorder as an official disease has been met with strong opposition by the global games industry.

The main opposing argument is that relying on "gaming addiction" as an illness could obfuscate underlying issues such as depression or social anxiety. Gaming companies such as Microsoft point to existing tools, such as parents being able to set screen time limits.

"There is a lot of misunderstood or incomplete sets of information out there," Dave McCarthy, the Xbox head of operations, told the Telegraph.

"Once we ... do things like better research, we're going to make more informed decisions collectively as an industry and a society."

The WHO also voted to include professional burnout among its recognised illnesses, which it defines as "a syndrome conceptualised as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed".

The updated classification, which takes effect in January 2022, also removes transgenderism from its list of mental disorders, reclassifying it under the chapter on "conditions related to sexual health".