As of today, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognises gaming addiction as an official addiction. It is the first major body to do so.
Still, there is a lot of debate: are you addicted if you game a lot? Or are you just a little fanatical?
The WHO distinguishes three characteristics of gaming addiction: a lack of control over how much you game, a preference for gaming over other activities in your daily life, and continuing to game even when it has negative consequences.
“Problems with family, friends, work and school are often decisive,” says Margot Peeters, an addiction expert at Utrecht University. “Young people who are addicted to gaming lose interest in their surroundings and run into problems in their social contacts with friends and family.”
Gamer Lionel van Strien (19) mainly plays a lot of Rocket League. “A whole lot. I have already spent more than a thousand hours on it. I think I play about 40 hours a week.” Still, he does not think he is addicted. “I just do my homework. I just go to football. Gaming is my hobby.”
He does admit that his behaviour sometimes gets him into trouble. “Sometimes I don’t make enough time for school projects. I always want to game. I think there is a very thin line between a fanatical gamer and a gaming addict.”
He thinks it is a good thing that gaming addiction is being recognised. “It really ruins someone’s life if they are addicted to gaming.”
“It is not entirely clear whether gaming behaviour is a symptom of problems or a cause.”
Tony van Rooij, Trimbos Institute
Not everyone agrees with the WHO classification. A group of scientists, including addiction expert Tony van Rooij of the Dutch Trimbos Institute, wrote an open letter to the WHO back in 2016 in the run-up to this decision.
According to the scientists, it is still too early to put gaming addiction on the list: more research is needed. “Before you do something like this, you want to be sure that it helps to solve the problem,” Van Rooij writes on the Trimbos website.
According to Van Rooij, the label gaming addiction can give the wrong impression to gamers who have minor problems. Much is still unknown about gaming addiction. “It is not entirely clear whether gaming behaviour is a symptom of problems, or a cause, or both.”
Addiction expert Peeters adds: “It must be clear that the symptoms are distinctive enough to tell the problematic gamer apart from the passionate gamer or the e-sports player. Of course we should not label those last two as ‘ill’. More research is needed, because we do not yet know when someone is addicted or a passionate gamer.”
YouTuber Yarasky (real name Jan) games 2 to 3 hours a day. “Much less than people think. Sometimes I don’t game at all for a whole day.” He has been making gaming videos on YouTube for about five years and now has 680,000 subscribers. “At primary school and secondary school I played quite a lot. I just never found it hard to stop. I can always go to sports and my social life simply carries on.”
He does understand that some gamers find it difficult and become addicted. “Wherever you are, you can go online, and that really affects how much time people spend on it. In the past you couldn’t game when you went outside. Now you can keep an eye on it non-stop.”
When does passionate turn into addictive?
Margot Peeters, Utrecht University
In the Netherlands, the WHO recognition is just the next step. Practitioners here use the DSM, a reference work for psychiatrists that describes all mental disorders. Gaming addiction is included there too, as internet gaming disorder. In the DSM, gaming addiction is listed in the appendix, which implicitly means that more research is needed.
According to Peeters, it is important that both the WHO and the DSM provide clarity soon. “Such as an accepted measuring instrument. And more research: which symptoms are decisive? We also need a diagnosis so we can offer good care to people struggling with gaming addiction.”
Do you think you are addicted to gaming, or is your life suffering because of your gaming? Talk to your GP or a local addiction support service. In the Netherlands you can test your behaviour on Gameninfo.nl or call the Gamen Infolijn (0900-1995).
Source: Ad.nl
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