Why the World Health Organization Changed Its Mind About Video Games

The debate over whether video games are good for you or not has been raging for longer than most gamers have been alive. And that debate got some extra juice last year when the World Health Organization declared video game addiction as an official disorder.

Now, though, WHO is actually encouraging people to play games. What made them change their minds, and what can we learn from all of this? We’ve got the full scoop below.

Officially addicted

In 2019, the World Health Organization added “gaming disorder” to their International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. As disorders go, it’s basically adjacent with other non-chemical addictions such as gambling.

WHO’s verdict was very controversial, and not just among the gaming community. Certain health officials and even the American Psychiatric Association worry that WHO made its decision despite not having enough evidence, and that this might further stigmatize people who play video games. Furthermore, they fear this could lead to an increase in false positives — basically, video games being the scapegoat when someone is actually struggling with something else.

However, defenders of this verdict point out that this decision will make it easier to diagnose and treat actual gaming addiction. In some cases, it might make it easier to get insurance to pay for certain forms of treatment.

How do you know if you’re addicted to video games?

So, you’re a gamer reading an article about video game addiction. Your natural question is this: “how can someone know if they’re addicted to video games?”

Here’s some good news: there is no magic amount of gaming hours per week that means you are officially addicted. According to WHO, the biggest warning sign is “increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities… despite negative consequences.”

This is actually the key metric for most kinds of addiction. It’s not a problem to simply play a lot of video games. But if it is causing damage to things like your relationships, your education, and/or your job, then you have a problem. And if you can see the damage but can’t stop playing, that means you’re addicted.