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    Is 'Gaming Disorder' An Illness? WHO Says Yes, Adding It To Its List Of Diseases

    For the first time, the World Health Organization will list "gaming disorder" as a behavioral addiction, a controversial move for some.
    by Anya Kamenetz May 28, 2019 5 minutes
    Source: Mustafa Hacalaki/Getty Images

    A version of this story was originally published in 2018 and has been updated.

    They are popular. They are controversial. And now, video games have just become an internationally recognized addiction.

    On May 25, the World Health Organization officially voted to adopt the latest edition of its International Classification of Diseases, or ICD, to include an entry on "gaming disorder" as a behavioral addiction.

    This is a move that could alarm parents all over the country. According to Pew, 97 percent of teen boys and 83 percent of girls play games on some kind of device.

    But in order to be classified as having a disease, being a video game fan isn't enough. According to WHO, the criteria doesn't include a certain amount of hours spent playing. Instead, the description is of someone with an inability to stop playing even though it interferes with other areas

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