Drop the joysticks! It is official: since June 18, 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) considers that addiction to video games is a disease, just like cocaine or gambling.

Today, about 2.5 billion people around the world play video games. They exist in various forms: console, smartphone, tablet or computer. They also address different audiences, according to age and gender, and cover different themes (war, adventure, strategy, etc.).

But the addiction disorder does not affect all players. According to a "very approximate" estimate of the WHO, 2 to 3% of the players would be concerned. "We are not saying that any habit of playing video games is pathological," said Shekhar Saxena, director of the WHO Department of Mental Health and Addiction.

The "video game disorder" has entered the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) *, in the category on addiction disorders. As of January 2018, WHO had already issued a draft stating that the disorder referred to "persistent or recurrent use of video games, both online (on the Internet) and offline".

A loss of control of the game

But in the June 2018 version, the WHO estimates that this addiction is "a behavior related to the practice of video games or games on the internet, which is characterized by a loss of control over the game, a higher priority given to to the point that it takes precedence over other centers of interest and activities of daily living, and by the continuation or increasing practice of gambling despite damaging repercussions. "

This means that a person can be considered addict if the video games affect his "personal, family, social, educational, professional activities" and if the dependence is found "over a period of at least twelve months".

"After consulting experts around the world, and having reviewed the literature in a comprehensive way, we decided that this disorder should be added, and the person is playing so much that other interests and activities are being neglected, including sleep and meals, "Shekar Saxena told AFP. Some problem gamblers can also put their lives in danger without realizing it.

Opinions remain divided

WHO remains the only organization to consider addiction to video games as a pathology. Other professionals dispute this decision. On March 1, 2018, the Union of Recreational Software Publishers (SELL), issued a communiqué in partnership with other global players, denouncing the lack of transparency and objective scientific support. In May 2019, the National Assembly should reconsider or validate this classification.

Other specialists are delighted with this WHO decision. This is the case of Dr. Marc Valleur, psychiatrist, who had indicated to our colleagues Figaro in January 2018: "I think this will ensure the care of care in some countries." An idea also defended by WHO.

Today, the most vulnerable "gamers" and "gameuses" are teenagers. According to a study published June 8, 2018 **, a young person between the ages of 14 and 24 years old spends more than five hours a day on his console.

* www.who.int/en/news-room/detail/18-06-2018-who-releases-new-international-classification-of-diseases-(icd-11)
** www.fondapol.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Ipsos_Jeunes-familles_et_addictions_ANALYSES_2018_05_30_web.pdf