Is Gaming Disorder Legitimate?
Let’s clarify what Gaming Disorder is right off the bat.
You need to have 5 or more of these signs in 1 year to have a problem:
1. thinking about gaming all or a lot of the time
2. feeling bad when you can't play
3. needing to spend more and more time playing to feel good
4. not being able to quit or even play less
5. not wanting to do other things that you used to like
6. having problems at work, school, or home because of gaming
7. playing despite these problems
8. lying to people close to you about how much time you spend playing
9. using gaming to ease bad moods and feelings
What are your personal thoughts on these symptoms? I have mixed feelings. As someone that works with gamers and content creators, I have a greater understanding of the subculture and therefore more insight personally, professionally, and statistically into why certain people and groups are drawn to what can easily become unhealthy levels of game use. Social inclusion, social anxiety, escape for depressed mood, escape from anxiety, social rejection, dopamine thresholds, a lack of openness to experience, introverted behaviors, etc. There are most definitely reasons for why people enter and STAY in the gaming world to the point where it DOES qualify as a type of psychological addiction. The biggest push towards it becoming addictive is the symptoms of decreased interest in other things, ruminating thoughts, lying, problems at work/school, and continuing despite the information. If those are present, I think you have a strong argument that problems are approaching or they are already there. Regarding the 1 year duration, I think that was a good move. More often than not, the problems I see in counseling are environmentally founded, meaning they can be manipulated with time. If we can get on some of the concerns early enough before they reach the 1 year mark, we can circumvent the diagnosis entirely, which is great. Labels can and do create behaviors that often facilitate those labels. It’s real and we want to avoid an improper diagnosis.
However, my problem is that I think some of these are just NATURAL parts of classifying yourself as a gamer. Do you think about gaming a lot of the time? Well, do anyone think about something they love a lot of the time? Of course they do! Using gaming to ease bad moods? Don’t we do the same thing with working out or eating at restaurants? Should we ban those too? My fear going forward is that although I agree with the need to have a gaming disorder diagnosis, to me there are very clear ways that this disorder can become abused. My hope is that as the younger generations become the older clinicians, they will have at least some additional experience and understanding of the culture, as opposed to the much older individuals coming up with the criteria. We have to be careful. So, to answer the question, YES it is legitimate, but I think it falls on the shoulders of clinicians to properly manage the distribution of the diagnosis.
If you feel that your son or daughter is starting to approach these symptoms, reach out. Don’t be afraid to address is BEFORE it does become a problem. Gaming is here to say, but it’s our responsibility as clinicians to understand how to prevent and react to its potential consequences.
