“Gaming Disorder” may be classified as a mental illness

There’s an old saying: everything in moderation. Well, almost everything, but soon gaming may not be an exception to this.
The World Health Organization (WHO) could consider “gaming disorder” in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), but so far it’s only a draft. So far the language of the disorder is as written as such, when the person shows:

1. impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context)
2. increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities
3. continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences

With the popularity of gaming at an all-time high (and still rising), there are always going those that fit in this category, just like people who have an eating disorder or a drinking problem.
However, this isn’t to say that gaming in itself is bad. There many benefits such as “relieving stress, improving problem-solving abilities, and enhancing traits like eye-hand coordination”. It only becomes a problem when gaming significantly impacts a person’s well-being, physically, mentally, and socially. How that would be defined remains to be seen.
Whether the gaming community accepts this or not, it is a reality that there are always going to be people that will play video games in excess. So always game in moderation.
Other source: Business Insider.
Picture credit: WCCF Tech.