Gaming disorder may not be real

A recent study suggests that gaming disorder, which was recently added to the International Classification of Diseases, may not be a real thing.
The researchers believe there is no evidence to suggest that the games themselves are the problem in such disorders.
The study comes from the Oxford Internet Institute and was conducted last year on a group of 1,004 children aged 14 to 15 years from across the UK.
Children and their caregivers answered questionnaires about their gaming habits and children's behavior in everyday life.

According to Dr. Andrew Przybylski, co-author of the study and director of research at the institute, the results of the study did not provide any evidence to suggest an unhealthy relationship between games and behavioral or emotional problems.
Differences in the gaming experience are likely to be linked to whether adolescents' basic psychological needs have been met, their social affiliation, and whether they face wider problems.

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Gaming is not the real problem

In other words, games are not the main cause of the problem, and it is as if the games are an escape from the problem as the study attributed to the fact that their basic psychological needs are not met, knowing that the study did not say that games are a direct escape.
The World Health Organization's decision to add “game disorder” to the list of recognized diseases is controversial, and advocates say it is a widespread problem in countries such as South Korea and China and governments are beginning to notice.

On the other hand, opponents of the decision said that classifying gaming addiction as a disorder fails to recognize the underlying causes behind it and reduces other more serious forms of addiction.
This recent study reinforces the position of opponents of the WHO decision, but this raises the question: if playing games excessively are symptoms rather than disease or disorder, is it right to treat it as a game addiction?
In fact, treatment for gaming-centered addiction is emerging in response to the WHO decision, but will it be effective in helping children with gaming disorder as some call it.
Dr. Netta Weinstein, a senior psychology lecturer at Cardiff University and the other researcher involved in the study, answers us about people trying to treat gaming addiction, and in her answer is key.

We urge healthcare professionals to look closely at key factors such as psychological satisfaction and daily frustrations to understand why a minority of players feel they should play games in an "addictive" urgency.

This is also deeply related to the question of whether game makers intentionally use addiction mechanisms that lead to this behavior inadvertently, yes, the old “lootbox” issue again. This whole controversy was driven by the fear that these things would lead to childhood gambling addiction.

One thing this study does not explain is the age difference, while children have their own reason to play for long periods, adults may have a completely different thought process.

A 14-year-old needs different psychological needs from a 20-year-old, and may not necessarily be addicted to toys as a way to escape.

Although there are some serious studies, such as this and others, we have to wait and see more research on this subject.