It all started back in 2012 and went up to 2017. A research was conducted in four outpatient clinics in Germany and Austria to study the precarious levels of gaming addiction. The doctors resorted to cognitive behavior therapy rather than switching to psychiatric drugs. After a few months, the results came out and there were very overwhelming. It showed 70% remission rate for patients addicted to video games and the internet.

A total of 143 men were kept under observation. They were divided into two groups. According to the report, 72 of them had received the therapy. The remaining 71 had acted as the control group. Also, the CBT consisted of some 15 weekly classes and eight sessions one-on-one.

To shed more light on the research, Kai W Miller-one of the authors said that it was important to emphasize that it does not automatically mean we are addicted if we are keen on playing computer games. It was important to keep in mind that only a minority was developing addictive behavior towards gaming and other internet activities. Also, he stressed the fact that the methods described in the study were intended to change and not erase the relationship of patients with video games.

The main facet of the research is that it was based on short-term treatment and its potential, in the long run, has to be checked out. The matter had attracted the eyeballs of the brigade of think tanks as WHO had declared video game addiction or Gaming Disorder as one of the recognized illness. It had defined Gaming Disorder as: “a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behavior (‘digital gaming’ or ‘video-gaming’), which may be online (i.e. over the internet) or offline”.

Also, it has specified had that it may surface through impaired control over gaming. It starts when people start placing them at the top of their priority list. They then neglect their life system and activities. If a person’s behavior is on aforementioned lines for at least 12 months then the person is said to be diagnosed with gaming disorder.

But the declaration did not go well with Entertainment Associations in U.S., Canada, South Korea and many countries across the globe. They tried to put the spotlight on the glitches present in the move. They had also issued a statement that said that the Gaming Disorder was not based on sufficiently robust evidence to justify its inclusion in the WHO’s list. But it did not receive much attention from the concerned officials.

All eyes are now on the efficacy level of therapy across the world.

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