Once labelled Gaming addiction as mental disorder, WHO now recommends playing games amid coronavirus outbreak

[Rohith_Kumar_Sp]

WHO have put together a #PlayApartTogether campaign which encourages self-isolation, social distancing, and of course, gaming. To push this campaign WHO has enlisted the help of the CEO of Activision Blizzard and the CEO of Riot Games
 

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First, eat a health and nutritious diet, which helps your immune system to function properly. 

Second, limit your alcohol consumption, and avoid sugary drinks.

Third, don’t smoke. Smoking can increase your risk of developing severe disease if you become infected with COVID-19.

Fourth, exercise. WHO recommends 30 minutes of physical activity a say for adults, and one hour a day for children. 

If your local or national guidelines allow it, go outside for a walk, a run or a ride, and keep a safe distance from others. If you can’t leave the house, find an exercise video online, dance to music, do some yoga, or walk up and down the stairs.

If you’re working at home, make sure you don’t sit in the same position for long periods. Get up and take a 3-minute break every 30 minutes.

We will be providing more advice on how to stay healthy at home in the coming days and weeks.

Fifth, look after your mental health. It’s normal to feel stressed, confused and scared during a crisis. Talking to people you know and trust can help.

Supporting other people in your community can help you as much as it does them. Check in on neighbours, family and friends. Compassion is a medicine.

Listen to music, read a book or play a game.

And try not to read or watch too much news if it makes you anxious. Get your information from reliable sources once or twice a day.

https://www.who.int/dg/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---20-march-2020
 

https://gamerant.com/world-health-organization-video-games-coronavirus/
 

 

EDIT : To be clear, not to say gaming addiction is not a mental disorder but WHO just gave gaming a bad stigmatization calling it a mental disorder. what  they didn't say was it was a cure for most people under depression and so many other benefits such as

Jane McGonigal noted in her TEDTalk that gamers are the best out-of-the-box problem solvers. Why? Because, as she claims, gamers spend roughly 80% of their time failing while playing video games

https://learnworthy.net/how-video-games-help-solve-real-world-problems-faster/  

what's my take ? Addiction is a mental disorder. Gamin addiction, alcohol addiction, smoking addiction, crack addiction, porn addiction. The addiction is the problem. Not the gaming.

yes, the title is absolutely clickbait, nevertheless not false. they did assign gaming addiction as mental disorder and they are saying stay home and game, it's a disorder when it suits them.  

Edit 2 : why are the paragraphs are formatting this way ?

[lewdicrous]

That reverse UNO card is doing a lot of heavy lifting..

[Fasauceome]

I don't believe gaming was ever classified as a disorder by WHO, only gaming addiction.

[RejZoR]

Just now, Fasauceome said:

I don't believe gaming was ever classified as a disorder by WHO, only gaming addiction.

Then again isn't it that with everything? It's just easier to stigmatize gaming and "gaming addiction" than with something else. I mean, has anyone ever called a kid that spends all days kicking ball "addicted to football"? No, they call those "dedicated" and "determined". But if you're a "dedicated" and "determined" gamer, you're called addicted. Stupid lame double standards.

[Eschew]

World Health Organization's stance on "gaming disorder":

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Gaming disorder is defined in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as 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.

For gaming disorder to be diagnosed, the behaviour pattern must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.

 

Studies suggest that gaming disorder affects only a small proportion of people who engage in digital- or video-gaming activities. However, people who partake in gaming should be alert to the amount of time they spend on gaming activities, particularly when it is to the exclusion of other daily activities, as well as to any changes in their physical or psychological health and social functioning that could be attributed to their pattern of gaming behaviour.

Source: Gaming disorder by World Health Organization.

 

LTT's views on the topic:

 

I used to think I had a gaming addiction and likened it to a drug (without even knowing what drug addiction feels like). Also due to silly school social stigmas, I felt ashamed of gaming and didn't share my hobbies with my friends (now distant friends). Changed my feelings about gaming now, though, and I feel much better for it.

[Guest]

Self isolation is important in combatting the disease, but wow is this cringe. 

[Master Disaster]

10 minutes ago, RejZoR said:

Then again isn't it that with everything? It's just easier to stigmatize gaming and "gaming addiction" than with something else. I mean, has anyone ever called a kid that spends all days kicking ball "addicted to football"? No, they call those "dedicated" and "determined". But if you're a "dedicated" and "determined" gamer, you're called addicted. Stupid lame double standards.

Thats not entirely accurate, the main symptom of gaming disorder is when someone prioritises gaming over other, important aspects of their life. Its not meant for the people who live their lives and are dedicated to gaming, its meant for the people who spend 20 hours a day playing without going to the toilet, showering, eating, socialising and/or going to work.

 

I'm damn sure if a football player got that bad about the game they too would be classified as addicted. Something can only be classified as a disorder if it affects a lot of people in a lot of different places.

[3rrant]

You meant the CHO, Chinese Health Organization.

[Tech_Dreamer]

i mean if it's an addiction with an effect of 12-14+ hours a day completely disconnected from reality . then it is still a problem.

[RejZoR]

2 hours ago, Master Disaster said:

Thats not entirely accurate, the main symptom of gaming disorder is when someone prioritises gaming over other, important aspects of their life. Its not meant for the people who live their lives and are dedicated to gaming, its meant for the people who spend 20 hours a day playing without going to the toilet, showering, eating, socialising and/or going to work.

 

I'm damn sure if a football player got that bad about the game they too would be classified as addicted. Something can only be classified as a disorder if it affects a lot of people in a lot of different places.

Press X for doubt. I have yet to see anyone say "oh wow he's really addicted to football". Where this shit is shelled out if you just look at the games every day, even if it's just for 15 fucking minutes...

1 hour ago, comander said:

Games are literally designed to have addictive components to them. At least many of the free to play games are. 

 

Anecdotally, from ages 12-21 I probably would've checked the box for gaming addiction. I didn't have much going for me (relative to my potential) and I used gaming as a cheap distraction from life. 

 

I know people who crunch numbers to up clicks and conversions. Things can go bad. 

 

I've gone for future optimist to somewhat crestfallen as I've seen my passions have negative effects on others. 

 

You want to say they have them "now". They didn't 10, 20 or 30 years ago when I was spending huge amounts of time in them. Why watch a movie where you just sit there like a zombie and wait things to unfold when you can be a part of it and actually interact with it, think how to solve things or get through levels etc. And it didn't get any better today. Back then games were addictive because they were just so much fun and above all other entertainment mediums. I'd probably spend more time with LEGO's in my youth if they weren't so fucking expensive. But games were free thanks to piracy (I did rebuy basically all games from back then now that I have my own income), but we chose what entertains us the most and is available to us.

[Sauron]

Quote

Once labelled a mental disorder, WHO now recommends playing games amid coronavirus outbreak

Yeah, no. Playing games was never labelled a mental disorder. The addiction to games is considered a health problem just like, say, gambling addiction. This has nothing to do with that.

2 hours ago, RejZoR said:

Then again isn't it that with everything? It's just easier to stigmatize gaming and "gaming addiction" than with something else. I mean, has anyone ever called a kid that spends all days kicking ball "addicted to football"? No, they call those "dedicated" and "determined". But if you're a "dedicated" and "determined" gamer, you're called addicted. Stupid lame double standards.

No. The vast majority of people who play videogames, even long hours, are not addicted. People who leave their job despite needing the money, never see family or friends, barely eat and are sleep deprived all because they want to maximize screen time are addicted.

1 hour ago, comander said:

Anecdotally, from ages 12-21 I probably would've checked the box for gaming addiction. I didn't have much going for me (relative to my potential) and I used gaming as a cheap distraction from life. 

I don't think that qualifies - if you don't have much else going on that's unfortunate but not necessarily a consequence of spending too much time on games. I played a lot of games "instead of studying" in high school but honestly if it hadn't been games I would have just spent that time reading or on some other hobby - I doubt I would have spent it studying. Which means my future wasn't really negatively impacted by it. And hey, I got through high school and university just fine.

[Sauron]

10 hours ago, RejZoR said:

Press X for doubt. I have yet to see anyone say "oh wow he's really addicted to football". Where this shit is shelled out if you just look at the games every day, even if it's just for 15 fucking minutes...

There's a big difference between a random person who doesn't know what they're talking about and a medical professional saying you're addicted. As for football I have seen kids be criticized by friends or family for playing too much football or prioritizing watching a game over going to some social event - maybe without using the word "addicted" but the sentiment was basically the same.

[mon1ka]

2 hours ago, Fasauceome said:

I don't believe gaming was ever classified as a disorder by WHO, only gaming addiction.

yes, it was just gaming addiction. they've said gaming in small doses is fine

[LAwLz]

What a dishonest and clickbait headline.

What the WHO is saying is, stay at home if you can and keep calm. Maybe play some video games or read a book.

But don't spend copious amounts of time playing games to the point where it gets in the way of more important things.

 

 

If you don't understand the difference between "play some game for fun" and "I play games to the point where it's harmful behavior" then you might actually have a problem. WHO is saying the former is good, but the latter is bad. It shouldn't be a hard concept to grasp.

 

 

 

Also, the advice given during a pandemic is not the same as the advice given out during "normal days". Staying at home 24/7 is not typically recommended either, but it is during a pandemic. So there is nothing hypocritical about giving different advice at different times and situations.

 

 

 

"Hurr durr WHO says I should eat food but when I eat 5 chocolate cakes and 2 family sized pizzas for breakfast during a famine they all of a sudden say I shouldn't do it. What a bunch of hypocrites!".

[jiyeon]

3 hours ago, lewdicrous said:

UNO

WHONO, if you will.

[Master Disaster]

2 hours ago, LAwLz said:

"Hurr durr WHO says I should eat food but when I eat 5 chocolate cakes and 2 family sized pizzas for breakfast during a famine they all of a sudden say I shouldn't do it. What a bunch of hypocrites!".

[Dedayog]

5 hours ago, Fasauceome said:

I don't believe gaming was ever classified as a disorder by WHO, only gaming addiction.

Wish you could give negative feedback or reactions to clickbait bullshit.

 

 

[ARikozuM]

It's almost like nuance and context doesn't matter to anyone. 

[Dedayog]

4 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

It's almost like nuance and context doesn't matter to anyone. 

People need attention and drama, even if it's bad.  The OP gets attention even if we report the post and he gets banned.  It will be our fault, we're against him, no one understoood cuz we're dumbies, etc.

 

Oh wait, we have a prime example for him to follow... oops

 

[3rrant]

5 hours ago, Tech_Dreamer said:

i mean if it's an addiction with an effect of 12-14+ hours a day completely disconnected from reality . then it is still a problem.

Whatever you do for 12-14+ a day is an addiction, even sleeping. Doesn't really count

[RonnieOP]

10 hours ago, RejZoR said:

Then again isn't it that with everything? It's just easier to stigmatize gaming and "gaming addiction" than with something else. I mean, has anyone ever called a kid that spends all days kicking ball "addicted to football"? No, they call those "dedicated" and "determined". But if you're a "dedicated" and "determined" gamer, you're called addicted. Stupid lame double standards.

I mean how many people killed themselves over wow back in the day?

 

 

[TechyBen]

11 hours ago, lewdicrous said:

That reverse UNO card is doing a lot of heavy lifting..

Addiction and normal use are not the same thing. Else everyone would say exercise is also bad for you.

[Curufinwe_wins]

Click bait is still shit.

 

And honestly, lets be real here, there has never been less stimga around adults playing video games. (On the whole, at least in the West) I can meet with VPs of multinational corporations for the first time and discuss video game preferences and esports the same way we discuss 'irl sports'. That wasn't a thing 5/10 years ago. At all.

 

Having the ability to recognize it as an actual health issue when addiction goes crazy is absolutely a key part to getting people who need it treatment. Getting governments/insurance/evenparents to actually deal with the issue should it arrise. Does anyone here actually think that labeling gambling addiction a health disorder makes things worse for humans on the whole?

 

People don't seem to understand here that without recognizing and codifying mental health issues, people just get more ostracized in society as a whole, left to be even more abused, degraded, taken advantage of. 

 

Treatments can include socialization all that shit. For addiction, successful treatment almost always does.

 

Quote

What is true is already so.
Owning up to it doesn't make it worse.
Not being open about it doesn't make it go away.
And because it's true, it is what is there to be interacted with.
Anything untrue isn't there to be lived.
People can stand what is true,
for they are already enduring it.

—Eugene Gendlin

 

[mr moose]

I think the problem most people have here is simply they hear the word gaming in the same sentence as addiction and don't know how to process further than making assumptions about what that means.

 

Gaming addiction is not playing games.  It is a unique condition that centers around playing games. Just like gambling addiction is not gambling, it is a serious condition that centers around gambling.

 

[Guest willies leg]

It's good until it's bad.

Then it's bad until it's good.

Just do everything in moderation. Be safe.