Skip to main content
The Morning Star 2026 Conference
Getting played: gaming disorder
The WHO has now recognised the damage that addiction to computer games does as a disease — and thanks to ‘loot boxes’ the problem can also be financial, writes TOMASZ PIERSCIONEK

ADDICTIONS have existed in their myriad forms for as long as humans have had cravings. As science develops and new technologies become embedded into our culture and lifestyles, so too will new virtues and vices emerge.

A new addiction is known as gaming disorder, a condition predominantly affecting children and young adults who grew up surrounded by the internet, computers and gaming consoles in all their various forms.

Some countries have introduced limits on the length of time under-18s are allowed to play video games. China limits children gaming to a maximum of three hours a week and no more than one hour at a time, in an attempt to curb what it refers to as the “spiritual opium” of gaming.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Auckland City's Gerard Garriga cools off under the sprinklers during a water break in the Club World Cup Group C soccer match between Auckland City and Boca Juniors in Nashville, Tenn., June 24, 2025
Men’s football / 18 July 2025
18 July 2025

With climate change, commercial overload and endless fixtures, footballers are being pushed to breaking point. It’s time their unions became a more powerful, unified force, writes JAMES NALTON

MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS: AI Truth Machine / LIT Law Lab,
Features / 12 April 2025
12 April 2025
ANSELM ELDERGILL asks whether artificial intelligence may decide legal cases in the future, in place of human judges, and how AI could reshape the legal landscape