Earlier in June, a UK adolescent was placed in rehab for what
her parents described as an excessive addiction to Fortnite. A few weeks later, video game addiction will officially be recognized by the medical community as a health disorder.
Today, video game addiction will be officially classified as a mental health issue as it will appear in the new version of the International Classification of Diseases, the preeminent catalog of medical conditions.
With video game companies deploying increasingly sophisticated algorithms and programs that are designed to keep players gaming as long as possible (and purchasing more microtransations than they should), it's not hard to imagine individuals who are already predisposed to addiction becoming ensnared.
Dr. Shekhar Saxena, director of WHO's department explained that the decision to add gaming disorder was fueled by scientific evidence. However, Dr. Joan Harvey, a UK spokeswoman for the British Psychological Society, cautioned, "People need to understand this doesn't mean every child who spends hours in their room playing games is an addict, otherwise medics are going to be flooded with requests for help."