For nylig kunne vi her på Gamereactor rapportere, at World Health Organization har i sinde at inkludere det at spille for mange spil som en officiel sundhedsskadelig faktor for mennesker i deres internationale klassifikation og oversigt over sygdomme (ICD-11), som publiceres næste år .
Denne beslutning er blevet mødt med debat, blandt andet blandt brugerne her på siden, men WHO er også blevet mødt med kritik fra mere officielle kilder. ESA, eller Entertainment Software Association, har for nu udgivet en officiel meddelelse, hvor de kritiserer WHO for at "trivialisere" rigtige mentale problemer, ved at klassificere det at spille mange spil som skadeligt for det mentale helbred.
"Just like avid sports fans and consumers of all forms of engaging entertainment, gamers are passionate and dedicated with their time. Having captivated gamers for more than four decades, more than 2 billion people around the world enjoy video games."
"The World Health Organization knows that common sense and objective research prove video games are not addictive. And, putting that official label on them recklessly trivializes real mental health issues like depression and social anxiety disorder, which deserve treatment and the full attention of the medical community. We strongly encourage the WHO to reverse direction on its proposed action."
Derudover kan GamerZone fortælle, at den amerikanske Psychological Association (APA) er enige, og siger at der er for lidt bevismateriale til at understøtte WHO's teori.