10 Recent Truths About Gaming We've Just Learned

10. Gaming Is A Disease (According To The WHO)

Let's get the negative aspects of the gaming industry out of the way before moving into the gaming truths gamers wouldn't outright dismiss. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared in May of 2019 that gaming is a disease. Specifically, the WHO listed "gaming disorder" as a behavioral addiction.

When the news was released, concerned parents took notice, which isn't surprising given how prevalent gaming has become in our daily lives. According to the Pew Research Center, 97% of teenage boys and 83% of teen girls routinely play video games on one device or another. The problem with gaming disorder isn't so much concerned with casual play, it's with abusive addiction.

There is some merit to the WHO's classification of the disorder. In 2017, a gamer attempted to live-stream a 24-hour gaming session of World of Tanks. Brian Vigneault was 35-year-old when he made the attempt, but 22 hours in, he got up to take a smoke break and never returned.

That's not an isolated incident. In 2015, a 24-year-old man collapsed and died while playing a 19-hour session of World of Warcraft in Shanghai. It doesn't happen often, but people have died. The WHO's classification of the gaming disorder is somewhat offensive to the average gamer, but it does bear some merit when an addiction takes hold.

Like anything else, gaming should be done in moderation.