Recently you might have heard that the World Health Organization has announced that they are thinking about classifying “gaming disorder” as a mental health problem, where they have defined it as “increasing priority give to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities.”We have heard of instances where people have died or died as a result of their negligence because they were simply too engrossed in their games, but apparently not everyone agrees with their definition. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is one of them and has recently issued a response to the WHO’s announcement.
According to the ESA, “Just like avid sports fans and consumers of all forms of engaging entertainment, gamers are passionate and dedicated with their time. Having captivated gamers for more than four decades, more than 2 billion people around the world enjoy video games.”
They go on to say, “The World Health Organization knows that common sense and objective research prove video games are not addictive. And, putting that official label on them recklessly trivializes real mental health issues like depression and social anxiety disorder, which deserve treatment and the full attention of the medical community. We strongly encourage the WHO to reverse direction on its proposed action.”
Whether or not the WHO will take this statement into consideration remains to be seen, but in the meantime do you agree with the ESA’s statement on the matter?
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