A gaming disorder, sometimes referred to as “video game addiction ,” is a pattern of game-playing behavior—involving online gaming or offline video games—that is difficult to control and that continues unabated despite serious negative consequences in other areas of the gamer’s life.
The Debate Over Video Game Addiction
Experts debate whether severely problematic gaming is a tech addiction in the same sense as drug and alcohol addictions. But disordered gaming behavior recently received official recognition as a mental health condition by the World Health Organization (WHO), which included “gaming disorder” in the 11th edition of its International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). According to that guide, gaming disorder is marked by “impaired control” over gaming, which leads to it taking priority over other interests and activities. The gaming behavior persists even as it causes “significant impairment” in areas such as personal relationships, school, or work.
While gaming disorder is not officially included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , widely used for behavioral health diagnoses in the U.S., the latest version of the manual—the DSM-5—refers to Internet Gaming Disorder as a condition for further study.
Among the tentative criteria for such a disorder are withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability or sadness, when Internet gaming ceases; tolerance, or an increasing need for gaming; deception about the amount of one’s gaming; and failed attempts to control one’s gaming.
Experts are critical of creating a gaming disorder diagnosis for several reasons. One is the fear of pathologizing normal human behavior, which treatment providers could potentially exploit for profit; some argue that the proposed symptoms of Internet gaming disorder may reflect passion for a hobby rather than a clinical condition.
When Is Gaming a Mental Health Problem?
Online and offline gaming can have social and recreational benefits, and most people who play them will not exhibit clinically problematic use. The kind of gaming behavior that concerns mental health experts involves a prolonged or recurring habit that comes at the expense of a person’s functioning outside of games and that may damage close relationships or interfere with the pursuit of educational or career goals.
A passionate engagement with games or even an extended bout of intense gaming doesn’t indicate a disorder or an addiction if it does not disrupt a person’s life. The ICD-11 advises that hard-to-control gaming that crowds out other aspects of life should typically be evident for a year or longer in order for a diagnosis to be made.
Since gaming disorders are defined and measured in different ways, estimates of their prevalence vary widely. Representatives of the WHO, which established gaming disorder as a diagnosis, have emphasized that those who could be classified as having it make up a small proportion of gamers overall. According to the DSM-5, disordered Internet gaming seems to appear most among male adolescents.
According to the gaming disorder diagnosis in the ICD-11, signs include:
Children and Video Games
About 90 percent of adolescents report playing video games of some kind, according to a 2018 survey by Pew Research Center. With the amount of time children and teens spend gaming, it’s natural for parents to wonder how video games affect their children, if they should implement rules around screen time , and whether they should be concerned about their children’s mental health. It can especially difficult for parents to know how to proceed because children's entire social lives may take place through gaming. Identifying why a child plays video games is often the first step of understanding how to curb video game use and help cultivate balance in children’s lives.
A gaming addiction involves a lack of control despite adverse consequences—if your child can pull themselves away from a game to join the family for dinner, for example, and shows interest in other activities, like sports or socializing, the child doesn’t have an addiction. Kids may be drawn to video games because they satisfy psychological needs such as competence, autonomy, and connection, which are sometimes difficult to find in other places.
Video games are often intentionally designed to capitalize on users’ attention and engagement, such as through patterns of rewards that users receive. But gaming has other qualities that make it appealing as well, especially to children . Users create avatars through which they can remain anonymous while expressing their unique traits and qualities. Friendships and communities form around gaming. Video games also provide positive feelings due to goal achievement and problem solving.
Parents often express concern that their children won’t quit gaming. Parents who want to curb excessive gaming can set limits on their child’s time that emphasize the balance of activities like sleep and schoolwork. Parents can ask children to silence notifications about their games so there are fewer temptations. It can also be valuable to try playing with a child to better understand their interest and to provide positive reinforcement when children do something right, because praise sometimes changes behavior when reproach does not. Helping children develop skills to navigate stress , social situations, and other challenges is also important.
Explore More About Video Game Addiction
For a comprehensive understanding of video game addiction, read our complete guide: