World Health Organisation Introduces Gaming Disorder
The World Health Organisation has added the term "gaming disorder" to its International Classification of Diseases. It refers to people who are addicted to video and other games and cannot stop. It is the first update in the WHO's catalogue in almost three decades.
According to the WHO, gaming becomes a disorder if you are unable to control how long you play and when to stop. When that happens, it gets control of your life, influences everyday situations and affects your daily routine. WHO officials say that excessive gaming is a serious disorder that must be closely watched.
In order for a person to be regarded as having a gaming disorder, the behaviour must be going on for at least one year, either constantly or in phases. Gamers put their addiction above their family life, meeting with friends and going to school.
On one side studies have shown that playing video games may help with problems like depression and dementia. However, gaming is highly addictive and many people play for a longer time than is healthy. As a result, people get fired for not going to work or miss school classes for a longer period of time.
Many continue with their addiction, even if they see and realize the negative consequences it leads to.
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Words
- according to = as said by ...
- addicted to = not able to stop doing something that may be harmful
- addiction = when you have to and want to do something regularly
- behaviour = here: too much gaming
- classification = when you put people into a group
- consequence = result
- constantly = all the time, without interruption
- daily routine = what you normally do every day
- decade = ten years
- dementia = illness that affects the brain, in which you cannot think clearly and behave in a normal way; you also forget a lot of things
- depression = situation in which you are unhappy, nervous and cannot live a normal life
- disorder = mental or physical illness which stops your body from working the way it should
- excessive = too much
- get fired = lose your job
- highly addictive = here: the will to play a game is so strong you cannot stop
- however = but
- influence = change
- official = person who is in a high position in an organisation
- realize = understand how bad the situation is
- refer = to be about something
- regard as = here: to put a person into this category
- serious = very bad
- studies = work that is done to find out more about a topic
- update = change
- World Health Organisation (WHO) = international organisation that is part of the United Nations, which helps countries improve the health of their population; it also offers information about diseases and provides medicine