[New Wave] Drapetomania and Gaming Disorder

In 1851, a doctor named Samuel Cartwright from Louisiana, USA, claimed to have discovered a new mental illness called 'Drapetomania.' In Greek, 'drapetes' means 'escape,' and 'mania' means 'madness.' Translated, it would roughly mean 'escape disorder.'

According to Cartwright, this disease was a unique mental illness that occurred only in Black slaves. He described the pathology as causing slaves to flee from their merciful masters, leading to disaster. Cartwright added this explanation: "With proper medical advice (treatment), this troublesome situation of many Blacks running away can be almost entirely prevented."

From the current perspective, where the movement 'Black Lives Matter (BLM)' is a major issue in the United States and worldwide, this claim is nothing but laughable. It pathologized the human effort to escape humiliating living conditions as a mental illness.

Normality and abnormality are evaluations reflecting sociocultural perspectives. In an era when slavery was widespread, opposing it or supporting slave escapes was considered abnormal behavior causing social chaos. From the viewpoint of modern human rights, it is natural that those who supported slavery appear abnormal. In this regard, the emergence of diseases like Drapetomania is an example that shows what the values of that society were.

Put differently, societal change means that the boundaries between normal and abnormal are reversed or at least reset. The radical figure who said not to treat slaves to prevent escape but to liberate them so they would have no need to run away, Abraham Lincoln, became the President of the United States in 1861. This was exactly ten years after Drapetomania appeared. It was a symbolic event showing that it was not the abnormal person who gained power, but those who labeled others as abnormal fell behind the changes of the world.

With the abolition of slavery, the disease name and diagnostic criteria of Drapetomania also disappeared. This is truly fortunate. Thanks to this, heroes like Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, and Barack Obama emerged, celebrated not only in the United States but worldwide. If Drapetomania had been recognized as a mental disorder, these individuals would have lived miserably without being able to demonstrate their talents. This would have been a tragedy not only on a personal level but also in human history.

Looking at the case of Drapetomania, I thought it shows a precedent for how 'Gaming Disorder' might develop in the future. The logic of 'providing medical treatment and prevention to gamers who escape reality through games' is no different from Drapetomania 170 years ago.

The diagnostic criterion of 'prioritizing games over other daily activities' is also not aligned with the times. Gaming has long become a daily cultural activity enjoyed by over 2 billion people of all ages and genders. Moreover, gaming technology is integrated into broadcasting, architecture, and luxury brands like BMW and Louis Vuitton have entered games through advertisements or character costumes. The same designs as in-game costumes are sold in stores. Now, gaming is not an escape from reality but a newly emerged other reality and everyday life.

The COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the world into a contactless society. In this context, the role of gaming is growing. The official disease coding of Gaming Disorder should be examined not only from a medical perspective but also seriously from the viewpoint of cultural environment and value changes. This is an important reason to avoid becoming a laughingstock in the not-too-distant future. Just as Drapetomania was.

Lee Jang-ju, Director of Irak Digital Culture Research Institute