Game Addiction - Mental Disorder or Not?

The American Medical Association is apparently investigating whether or not to include video game addiction in the mental disorder category. Prof. Dmitri Williams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign spoke to NextGeneration and tapped the issue quite thoroughly. Here are some excerpts of the interview to give you a better picture.

"The literature on addiction in videogames is probably not conclusive yet, but the evidence is growing," said Williams in a phone interview today. The comments came right after the American Medical Association revealed that it would be looking to classify "Internet/videogame addiction" in its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is the standard documentation for mental diseases, NextGen points out.

"The DSM-IV disorder most similar to the pattern of behaviors observed with overuse of videogames is pathological gambling," reads a piece of the report. However, Dmitri Williams added that "Classifying media as harmful is threatening to our free culture," and he's quite right about this one I'm sure. So, basically, can we or can't we say that video games addicts have a mental disorder?

Here's the same man providing the long awaited answer: "[Game addiction] isn't like cigarettes," Williams said. "This ties into our constitution, the notions of free culture and society and the freedom of expression. This can give rise to legislation that can restrict material based on scientific evidence-that sets a dangerous precedent for all media and all free expression." And finally, Williams said that education is the best solution to the issue of behavior and videogames, "not government influence."

So I guess that answers it once and for all. It's all about the education. I'm curious if Jack Thompson (game hating attorney) believes any of this. Even if he does, he can't admit it. At least not now after all the crusades against the "mental masturbation" of teens today. Take that Thompson! In your face!