The World Health Organization issued a draft today, adding “gaming disorder” to its laundry list of diseases. According to a story in this morning’s New York Times: “The W.H.O. designation may help legitimize worries about video game fans who neglect other parts of their lives. It could also make gamers more willing to seek treatment, encourage more therapists to provide it and increase the chances that insurance companies would cover it.”
The Times story referenced the Entertainment Software Association’s belief that 2.6 billion people in this world play (home) video games, including two-thirds of American households. Their annual review for the industry is expected to grow 31 percent to $180.1 billion globally within three years, said the paper.
“Fortnite, the latest blockbuster. . .recently earned a reported $300 million in a month,” wrote the Times. “The (video game) industry pushed back against the W.H.O. classification, which is expected to be formally adopted next year,” they added.