Gaming: Hobby or Addiction?

From an early age our parents would remind us that sitting in front of the TV, computers or consoles for too long would have negative effects on health. I frequently remember being told that I was “addicted” based on the time I spent playing my favourite video games. Yes, the hours did stack up and yes, a session could last anything from 5 to 12 hours, but can this really be considered an addiction?

The World Health Organisation (WHO), as of 2018, has classified gaming as an “addictive behaviour,” and ‘Gaming Disorder’ is now a recognised condition that has raised a few eyebrows in Gaming and Health. However, speculation around the ill-effects of excessive hours spent playing video games is anything but new. Back in 2005 a 28-year-old South Korean man died after reportedly playing StarCraft, an online computer game, for over 50 hours with few breaks. Also, in 2009, a Korean couple were arrested and charged with child neglect following the death of their 3-month-old daughter, reportedly due to malnutrition, as they became ‘obsessed’ with an online MMO called Prius Online (later renamed to Arcane Saga Online).  

2004 saw the release of World of Warcraft (WoW), a game which soon caught a string of bad press around gaming addiction. This was around the time it became mainstream for the media to blame this MMO, and similar titles, for university drop-out rates and lives being changed through job loss and family breakdowns. WoW currently has around 11-million active players and no doubt these kinds of stories will continue to surround its name.

The link between gaming and addiction continues to be a subject of interest in the media, and particular attention has been bought to the newer gaming craze's like Fortnite and most recently Apex Legends, free-to-play ‘Battle Royale’-style games that offer in-game purchases to players for cosmetic items. Due to its free-to-play aspect, as well as the colourful ‘cartoonish’ graphic style, these games attract a much younger audience compared with other games I have mentioned. Since its release in 2017, Fortnite has had countless news articles discussing an ever-growing addiction to this online game amongst children, and encouraging parents to intervene when children are showing signs of game addiction. With Fortnite currently having over 125-million active players, you can expect to see hundreds more stories like this going forward, that is until the next gaming craze!

But what is ‘Gaming Disorder’? The latest draft for the revised International Classification of Diseases (ICD) submitted by the WHO, classifies ‘gaming addiction’ as an 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.

WHO also adds that, a gamer’s habits must impact their social, educational, and occupational lives continuously for 12 months to be considered an ‘addiction’. This took me back as most AAA games are designed to be entertaining enough to encourage gamers and non-gamers to sink considerable time and effort into. I myself can count multiple games I have invested well over 20 hours a week in to complete and some occasions where I have chosen to stay in rather than attend a social event maybe at a bar where I could drink or even smoke – Both considered addictive substances that are proven to have negative consequences on health. Was my choice to invest several hours in a game any less detrimental to my health overall?

It is true that gaming could be considered an addictive behaviour with detrimental effects on the same level as other addictions, but personally I wouldn’t categorise it on the same level as an addiction to drinking, smoking, heroin, cocaine, etc. There is also a danger that classifying an individual as a ‘game addict’ could have a negative effect on them and could stigmatise many gamers as a result. I would argue that it would be difficult to diagnose an individual with an addiction to gaming, which will lead to a lot of misdiagnosis and possibly waste NHS mental health resources when there are arguably more pressing issues to deal with such as depression or anxiety. There could also be an argument to say that videos games in fact provide a lot of support to individuals suffering with mental health issues, providing an environment to release stress and socialise with other online gamers. 

Video games across all genres, devices and platforms are enjoyed safely worldwide. With the educational, therapeutic, and recreational value of games being well-documented and recognised, WHO has rightly seen significant opposition from the medical and scientific communities due primarily to sheer lack of scientific evidence in their claims. Many will argue that this is another jump-the-gun situation like the common assumption that video games cause violent behaviour. Again, no conclusive evidence even after 3 decades of research, has suggested there is a significant link between gaming and violent behaviour. It is worrisome that Gaming Disorder will become endorsed as an official disorder in 2019, however several gaming groups have teamed up and delivered an official letter to the WHO to attempt to derail this decision before its official.

Decades before people played Fortnite or WoW, there were people with pockets full of change playing Pac-Man or Space invaders for hours in the local arcades. Even prior to the existence of video games, people would pass the time playing card games and other board games for leisure. Could it be argued that gaming today is just an evolution of this leisure activity, or has it now become something we should be concerned about?

Let me know your thoughts on the subject of Gaming Disorder, where do you think this will end? Do you think WHO will succeed in making this an official disorder? Do you think that gaming really is an addictive behaviour we should be concerned about, or just an enjoyable pastime?