This sounds like a Theme Hospital disease.

OMG

Okay... so they are just agreeing with most psychiatrists have been saying for years then?

Anyone who thinks it can't be an addiction should consider how gaming works. It gives highs for achieving things, allows to escape the mundanity or depression of life... you know, like gambling or drugs.

Yay! I have a mental disorder!

I am officially disabled...give me my handicapped parking tags!

Seriously though it is about time. Gaming can be an addiction just like anything else. I have ventured into that territory before and it is no joke. I played this MMO called 12 Sky years ago, made a guild, and comanded an entire faction (1/3 of the server), and went down as one of the best faction leaders in the game.

Do you know how I got thay status? Being an unemployed adult squating in a house I had no business being in (toxic relationship) and drinking several 5 hour energies a day for months.

Final Fantasy XIV caused some major problems in my Marraige that is now over (different relationship).

Now I just don't play MMOs. I cannot resist the temptation so I avoid them.  Eventually the urge to become the best of the best destroys any casual intent I may have once had.

Even regular games leave me neesing to get a fix everyday or I get anxious. I am aware of it though and have learned to manage it properly. Gaming addiction is a real thing and not everyone is able to control it like I do now. It is about time this became a thing.

On another note, gaming has done a lot for me. Probably kept my sanity due to gaming in a very dark period of my life. So I by no means see gaming as bad, the opposite in fact. However I know first hand that too much of any good thing can be a bad thing.

I'm fine with them listing Gaming Addiction as a disorder. It's obvious that someone who never bathes, is unemployed, and plays video games 12 hours out of the day has a problem.

What I'm not fine with is the potential for doctors with a bias to misdiagnose.

"What's that? Johnny spends 4 hours a night playing on XBL with his friends, and 16 hours on the weekends?Well Mrs. Johnnyson, as a certified medical specialist I can say that your Johnny has a serious problem playing 36 hours a week on games! What's that? He's a B student, and has plenty of friends at school? Those friends all play with him on XBL every night? Doesn't matter! He's clearly addicted and you should throw his Vidya game Xboxes out right away!"

*Two weeks later the same helicopter parent is complaining that Johnny spends all his time on some other random hobby.

"Doctor all he does is play MTG/DND all day! He's addicted again! Why can't he do something healthy like football? I mean that's a perfectly safe sport right?"