In a weekend vote, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially recognized “gaming disorder” as a part of its 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).
The ICD-11, to be implemented in 2022, says the disorder is “characterized 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 WHO noted that gaming disorder was a relatively rare condition, writing that “studies suggest that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital- or video-gaming activities.”
The designation is likely to draw backlash from the video game industry. The Entertainment Software Association in the U.S. and Canada, the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association, the Interactive Software Federation of Europe and the Korea Association of Game Industry (K-GAMES) issued a collective statement protesting the decision.
“The global video game industry—including representatives from across Europe, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, South Africa, and Brazil—today called on World Health Organization (WHO) Member States to re-examine at an early date its decision to include ‘Gaming Disorder’ in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11),” the organizations stated in a press release.
“The WHO is an esteemed organization and its guidance needs to be based on regular, inclusive, and transparent reviews backed by independent experts. ‘Gaming disorder’ is not based on sufficiently robust evidence to justify its inclusion in one of the WHO’s most important norm-setting tools.”
The group noted that few other health organizations have been able to reach a consensus o the disorder.
