Question: Chris, what’s your opinion on the WHO including Gaming Disorder in ICD-11? And how do you believe that it will effect awareness of addiction to games?

Chris Fullwood answered on 20 Jun 2019:

Good question. I’m a little divided on this one, because although I appreciate that some people do have a problem limiting their gaming and this can be unhealthy, at the same time the research suggests that it’s only a very small minority of people. Raising awareness could be helpful in terms of identifying ways to support people who are having problems. On the other hand, I also think that video gaming has been singled out because it’s not the only form of technology that people have unhealthy relationships with. By singling it out, this could potentially create stigma and worry parents unnecessarily about the actual risks of video games. I also think that good quality research is lacking around the actual risks and harms and the prevalence of these, so I think the WHO are jumping the gun a little. Video games can have lots of positive benefits and psychologists seem to be focusing on the bad things at the moment which isn’t very balanced.