[Column] Introducing Disease Code for Game Addiction... Persuasion Comes First

"Researchers have not obtained much information about why and how the World Health Organization (WHO) decided to classify gaming disorder as a disease. Open discussions must continue."

This was stated by Martti Vuorre, a professor in the Department of Social Psychology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, at the 'International Seminar on Gaming Disorder' held on the 5th at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Through his remarks, it was indirectly revealed that the academic community's opinions were insufficiently gathered and discussions were lacking during WHO's decision-making process to classify gaming disorder as a disease.

Many industry officials attending the seminar repeatedly nodded in agreement with Professor Vuorre's comments. An industry representative met at the venue said, "It is difficult to accept WHO's decision as is when the evidence is unclear," adding, "Excessiveness leads to negative outcomes not only in gaming but in anything. It is hard to understand why only gaming is singled out and pathologized."

Earlier, WHO classified gaming addiction (gaming disorder) as a disease in 2019 and registered it under the code '6C51' in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Since then, the gaming industry and medical community have been engaged in a five-year debate over the introduction of the gaming disorder disease code.

The reason why this issue attracts attention not only in Korea but worldwide is due to its significant impact on the related industry. In particular, Korea's gaming sector accounts for a substantial portion of the entire content industry. According to the 'Content Industry Trends for the First Half of 2023' released earlier this year by the Korea Creative Content Agency, gaming accounted for $3.446 billion (approximately 4.5056 trillion KRW) out of the total $5.386 billion (approximately 7.43 trillion KRW) in domestic content exports, representing 64.2%.

In a report titled 'Study on the Ripple Effects of Introducing the Gaming Disorder Disease Code,' commissioned by the Korea Creative Content Agency to Jeonju University's Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation, it was estimated that the damage to the gaming industry over two years following the introduction of the gaming addiction disease code could reach about 8.8 trillion KRW. It was also analyzed that 80,000 jobs could disappear as a result.

In a situation where such concerns arise, if the government hastily decides to introduce the disease code, it could trigger significant social conflicts. So far, our government has reflected international standard classifications directly when drafting domestic standard classifications. Therefore, it is highly likely that the code will be directly incorporated into the 9th Korean Standard Classification of Diseases (KCD-9) to be applied next year. While there are industrial impacts that the industry worries about, the stigma of being labeled a 'gaming addiction patient' could act as a catalyst for social conflict. Furthermore, the claim that gaming causes addiction and various problems could be used as grounds for regulations, spreading a negative perception of gaming throughout society.

Currently, scientific evidence and research supporting both pros and cons regarding the registration of gaming addiction as a disease code are greatly divided. WHO's International Classification of Diseases is merely a recommendation to member countries. If the government intends to accept WHO's decision as is, it must have clear logic and evidence to persuade the industry, academia, and gamers. Of course, the same applies to the opposite case.

Professor Vuorre's remark that open discussions on the classification of gaming addiction as a disease must continue gained much sympathy at this seminar. The government is also expected to have a sufficient deliberation process before making an important decision.