Industrial initiatives
Coordinate with gaming industries to help prevent video game addictions through proper game designs.
societal support
Promote awareness of video game addiction seriousness and solicit societal support to take measures to help addiction recovery.
technological track
Provide technological solutions to assist video game addiction prevention and treatment.
Alarming Addiction
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. ( Addictive behaviours: Gaming disorder).
According to the American Medical Association, approximately 90% of young Americans play computer games. Furthermore, 15% of these gamers (i.e., over five million children) could be considered addicted ( Understanding Online Gaming Addiction and Treatment Issues for Adolescents).
Video game addiction leads to changes in the brain that are similar to those that occur in substance addiction and gambling ( Symptoms, Mechanisms, and Treatments of Video Game Addiction). Anxiety and depression are common among individuals who are dependent on video games ( The association between online gaming, social phobia, and depression: an internet survey). Video game addiction leads to a sedentary lifestyle which is a risk factor for many medical health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and coronary artery disease ( Effects of Sedentary Lifestyle and Physical Activity in Gaming Disorder).
