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WHO recognising 'gaming disorder'

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37 comments, last by Fulcrum.013 6 years ago

I assume many of you have already seen on the news or social media, the World Health Organization  (WHO) now recognise 'Gaming Disorder' as a mental health condition, defined as

Quote

a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) 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.

This has understandably been quite controversial.

 

I'd like to hear what our community thinks about addiction, and the WHO's classification.  I do have some of my own thoughts, but I'd like to see how others feel without colouring initial discussion with my own opinion.

- Jason Astle-Adams

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I think this is a controversial topic in psychology, and like many others it will be used to treat and misused to control people.

I do see extensive gameplay as a compulsion. Mostly because it's a isolating hobby without a real community. (I don't value online interactions in the same way I value real world ones)

Are all gameplay sessions negative? No!

Are most gameplay hours compulsive? I don't think so...

Do I know a lot people (especially children) who spent unhealthy amounts of time playing computer games? Yes.

Do I know what the World Health Organization's mandate is? No ? 

Using this as my base assumptions,  my 2 most prevalent questions would be:

1. How are psychologists /psychiatrists planning to help these people, and is the treatment proven?

2. How can this decision negatively impact gamers who are falsely diagnosed with this condition? 

This could be very good if someone actively seeking treatment can now get his medical insurance to pay for it.

This could be very bad if it amounts to parents/teachers "persecuting" their children to stop gaming.

It could also spawn a bunch of lawsuits:

Bad: People could launch frivolous lawsuits against game companies.

Good: Maybe someone will instate some good regulation over "whale" exploitation. (the same way some states legally limit the amount of money you can lose in a casino in a day)

 

Another important insight about being old anachronistic, and behind the times: Gaming-phobia is such a 90s thing. I would think that more people today have an internet surfing compulsion than anything else. I would theorise that In this day and age more people are wasting their time (compulsively) on 4chan and facebook then on gaming. I would go as far as to say that gaming got targeted because it's an older phenomanon, but it's not the most prevalent problem of today's times.

 

My Oculus Rift Game: RaiderV

My Android VR games: Time-Rider& Dozer Driver

My browser game: Vitrage - A game of stained glass

My android games : Enemies of the Crown & Killer Bees

With books like Digital Cocaine in the bestseller list it was inevitable that this would happen. It's not like I even fully disagree with the points made in these books and by these conferences.

What I do disagree with is that one of the key arguments people have for declaring games a addiction is the time factor. Apparently playing 5-6 hours games a day is too much. However watching TV or reading books for 5-6 hours is fine?

 

Yes, there is too much games using skinnerbox to addict players. Yes, creating games that forces players to play, instead of allowing them to live there life is bad.

Hopefully this will lead to less skinner box games and higher standards in games; instead of being used as a tool to define what midea consumers should be using.

2 minutes ago, Scouting Ninja said:

What I do disagree with is that one of the key arguments people have for declaring games a addiction is the time factor. Apparently playing 5-6 hours games a day is too much. However watching TV or reading books for 5-6 hours is fine?

TV is definitely an addiction in my book, and worse than videogames because unlike video games, children pick it up from their parents. ( Although that might change for video games now that gamers are becoming parents).

Books I think are less of a problem because it takes effort to read them. I think there are less people addicted to books, then there are to computers. I think digital addiction is on a scale which merits a discussion much larger than books.

A cool solution might be to establish a digital "etiquette" instead of going straight for treatment.  Just like has happened with Alcohol, Sex, and Drugs.

 

My Oculus Rift Game: RaiderV

My Android VR games: Time-Rider& Dozer Driver

My browser game: Vitrage - A game of stained glass

My android games : Enemies of the Crown & Killer Bees

MMORPG being the root of all evil, they should recognize.

Artificial skills to the max.

 

E-sport however is something different, not whole true,

i heard in sport game FIFA you have to unlock better players, and still they call it E-sport, that is not correct then.

S T O P C R I M E !

Visual Pro 2005 C++ DX9 Cubase VST 3.70 Working on : LevelContainer class & LevelEditor

I guess WHO first have to recognize a "Game Development Disorder" as branch of "Coding Disorder" first :) Really, we spending more time looking to Visual Stidio windows, than bandits, looking to jail windows  :) Also when game developer  looking to real window only his minds is "how to implement lighting and shadows like this one". :)

#define if(a) if((a) && rand()%100)

No i can not program longer then 1 month, else i get no results so fast, then its time to do something else.

And besides not many people can program games, so it is not so important, someone has to make the games.

 

Now take a look at real sporters, they also have no life.

So they have to make a difference between artificial skill games and competitive gaming, or also talk about real sport.

S T O P C R I M E !

Visual Pro 2005 C++ DX9 Cubase VST 3.70 Working on : LevelContainer class & LevelEditor

4 hours ago, jbadams said:

escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences

I think this aspect is key. It's not really about the time people are playing, but the context of usage. 

If someone is playing games for 5 hours a day, but is a teenager with nothing else to do, and gaming has no effect on daily life (studies, socialization and what not), then it is not really an issue. If this same teenager is setting his/her life aside to make time gaming, and this is reducing school performance, creating conflict in the family and the response is more gaming, this already requires some attention, as it does suggest some difficulty in refraining from a behavior. If we consider that this person is an adult, and is risking job or neglecting family family for that, then again it's already a case demanding attention. To add a bit to the mix, there are people that spend a lot of money in gaming. If you have the disposable income, that's fine, but if you don't, and you can't stop despite the negative effects this lack of cash brings you, that's again a compulsive behavior.

 

All in all, I believe those compulsive behavior, to which they have added gaming now, are considered a disorder because at one point it ceases to be a pleasant activity. It's all too possible that those people would stop acting like gaming is fun activity, and get increasingly frustrated or antisocial. This is bad for those people and for the community at large.

 

4 hours ago, SillyCow said:

Using this as my base assumptions,  my 2 most prevalent questions would be:

1. How are psychologists /psychiatrists planning to help these people, and is the treatment proven?

2. How can this decision negatively impact gamers who are falsely diagnosed with this condition?

I think the official consideration by the WHO brings more possibility (funding) for those question to be scientifically investigated.

 

4 hours ago, SillyCow said:

I would think that more people today have an internet surfing compulsion than anything else. I would theorise that In this day and age more people are wasting their time (compulsively) on 4chan and facebook then on gaming. I would go as far as to say that gaming got targeted because it's an older phenomanon, but it's not the most prevalent problem of today's times.

You're likely not wrong there, and there is a lot of people studying this very issue. Truth is, technology changed human behavior in a drastic manner and we are still trying to catch up with our understanding. We are little by little uncovering the mechanisms of why those new technologies are so addictive and I find it important to add game in the mix. Sure, the majority of us has a healthy relationship with internet, gadgets and gaming, but we really need a better grasp of how our mental relationship with them (if for nothing else, i want to believe that it is a good way to avoid witch hunts like those of the past).

I prefer a different much simpler definition not used by the WTO: If you get withdrawal syndrome when you can not access the games for a couple of days (and it's not profession usage), then it's addiction and a problem. Just saying "when it starts to derail your life" you are already past the critical limit. I think anything generating a withdrawal syndrome is an illness (looking at handy-zombies everywhere).

Life's like a Hydra... cut off one problem just to have two more popping out.
Leader and Coder: Project Epsylon | Drag[en]gine Game Engine

It was already diagnosed by both the WHO's ICD and by the APA's DSM.  In both it could be diagnosed as a compulsive behavior disorder.  Many people with compulsive behavior about game playing have been diagnosed (and successfully treated!) under the diagnostic codes of compulsive behavior disorders or obsessive compulsive behavior disorders.  

What changed is that now this is a specially enumerated compulsion.  The nay-sayers who claim the behavior cannot be an actual disorder now have this against their argument. That includes nay-sayers in the insurance industry who are forced to accept it can be an issue. 

 

People can have nearly any behavior become a compulsive behavior. People commonly think of excessive handwashing and aligning objects when they think of compulsions, but it can be any behavior at all.  Having locked doors at home or thinking about the stove being on are common ones; many people have it trouble them during vacations and long trips, but a few people obsess over the ideas. Mothers repeatedly checking on children is common; most mothers think about their children, but for a few people the thoughts and behaviors interfere with their lives. Obsessive thoughts or compulsive actions about work or school classes is common.  Risk-taking compulsions are common. None are considered a disorder until they start interfering with regular life. When someone hears about them it is easy enough for most people to realize this is not normal and needs help. 

Most compulsive behaviors are never specified in a diagnosis, the person is merely diagnosed to have a compulsive behavior disorder or an obsessive compulsive disorder. Only a few specific behaviors have been specifically enumerated, in part because they are severe yet people don't think they are real health problems. Gambling was controversial when it was added as a named diagnosable item, and many common folk who didn't know better said that people couldn't be hooked on gambling, it was just a bad habit. Hoarding was also controversial when added, many common people struggle to understand that hoarding isn't just that the person doesn't want to throw stuff out, it is that they cannot get rid of things without psychological harm.

A kleptomaniac is another, they cannot stop from taking things even when they know it is wrong and even when they make a concerted effort to stop. They're not taking things because they want to, or because they covet the items, they are incapable of stopping themselves. Telling them not to steal doesn't help because they DO know better. Trying to explain it is wrong doesn't help because they ALREADY know it is wrong. Many times they don't like that aspect of their lives and they would change it if they could. It takes professional help to change the behavior. Relatively few people are affected by the condition and most thieves don't have it, but it is a true medical condition requiring professional help.

 

Sadly there are people who refuse to accept that certain behaviors are actually compulsive, that the person cannot help themselves and cannot stop themselves no matter how hard they try.  

This affects all entertainment. Most common folk don't seem to understand that binge watching, or being a couch potato, or a lounge lizard, or even a gamer, for some people is not just about being lazy or choosing to play before getting the work done, or choosing to play late into the night. For some people it is a behavior they cannot stop, just like the person compelled to wash their hands.  By specifically enumerating it, they're more likely to accept that some people can have it as an actual condition rather than "just being lazy".

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