<p>“Right, let’s meet at the game!” instead of actual coffee chats or phone conversations, is gaining popularity as a way of socialising. “One of my gaming mates…” has replaced traditional gaming enculturation with real-life connections.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The online gaming industry is now one of the most flourishing and lucrative sectors in India. Research indicates that the gaming industry in India is expected to generate a revenue of 5 billion dollars by 2025, with an approximate compounded annual growth rate of 28-30%. By 2025, the number of Indian gamers is expected to rise to 50 crore, with about 70% of the urban population engaged in casual or professional gaming.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Amidst many conditions requiring further research, such as caffeine use disorder, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) also describes addiction to gaming as one of them. The DSM, which belongs to the American Psychiatric Association, is used as a diagnostic guide by mental health professionals to assist in identifying mental health disorders. The DSM-5-TR refers to addictive gaming as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) defines gaming disorder as a pattern of digital/video gaming behaviour with severely impaired control and excessive precedence over other daily activities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Societal isolation and a growing epidemic of loneliness are spreading widely. With more people feeling isolated and lacking a sense of belonging, gaming provides gamers with a virtual community in which they feel connected. This virtual community allows them to interact without the pressure of social anxiety, yet still offers a sense of online friendship and camaraderie.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Gamers interact with fellow players through gaming and find commonality in completing tasks together. This can also be helpful for individuals with special needs, such as autism, who might otherwise find traditional modes of communication challenging and, in some instances, emotionally draining. Research in this field highlights both advantages and potential drawbacks of gaming. Some studies suggest that gaming can enhance cognitive skills, including attention span and spatial reasoning. However, further research is needed to explore how these benefits translate into real-world applications. Video games can also serve as a useful aid for people with degenerative diseases, helping them improve their sense of balance. Additionally, video games can assist adolescents with ADHD in improving their thinking skills. Alongside these medical applications, gaming can also aid in training surgeons to perform complex, technically demanding surgeries.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, internet gaming also presents its own set of challenges, one of the most prominent being gaming addiction. Excessive gaming can affect an individual’s sleep patterns, as well as their psychological health and overall well-being. Gamers are also at an increased risk of developing conditions like nintendinitis, or gamer’s thumb, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, or stenosing tenosynovitis, where a finger gets stuck in a bent position due to chronic inflammation. Exposure to unfiltered violence in gaming could also potentially desensitise adolescents and young adults emotionally. This desensitisation may impact society, as young people may be at an increased risk of committing crimes of aggravated violence in real life, due to learned insensitivity and impulsivity.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The disorder itself, within its scope, requires further research, which in turn impacts the scope of treatment available. While this remains a work in progress, some steps could help tackle gaming addiction effectively. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has notified the IT Rules 2021 to enhance clarity and streamline regulation in the online gaming sector. Public health departments should leverage approaches such as education and harm reduction to raise awareness about support groups like Computer Gaming Addicts Anonymous.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There are also therapy options, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which work very well for assisting individuals with gaming addiction.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">(The author is a multidisciplinary professional who works in the UK.)</span></p>
<p>“Right, let’s meet at the game!” instead of actual coffee chats or phone conversations, is gaining popularity as a way of socialising. “One of my gaming mates…” has replaced traditional gaming enculturation with real-life connections.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The online gaming industry is now one of the most flourishing and lucrative sectors in India. Research indicates that the gaming industry in India is expected to generate a revenue of 5 billion dollars by 2025, with an approximate compounded annual growth rate of 28-30%. By 2025, the number of Indian gamers is expected to rise to 50 crore, with about 70% of the urban population engaged in casual or professional gaming.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Amidst many conditions requiring further research, such as caffeine use disorder, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) also describes addiction to gaming as one of them. The DSM, which belongs to the American Psychiatric Association, is used as a diagnostic guide by mental health professionals to assist in identifying mental health disorders. The DSM-5-TR refers to addictive gaming as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) defines gaming disorder as a pattern of digital/video gaming behaviour with severely impaired control and excessive precedence over other daily activities.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Societal isolation and a growing epidemic of loneliness are spreading widely. With more people feeling isolated and lacking a sense of belonging, gaming provides gamers with a virtual community in which they feel connected. This virtual community allows them to interact without the pressure of social anxiety, yet still offers a sense of online friendship and camaraderie.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Gamers interact with fellow players through gaming and find commonality in completing tasks together. This can also be helpful for individuals with special needs, such as autism, who might otherwise find traditional modes of communication challenging and, in some instances, emotionally draining. Research in this field highlights both advantages and potential drawbacks of gaming. Some studies suggest that gaming can enhance cognitive skills, including attention span and spatial reasoning. However, further research is needed to explore how these benefits translate into real-world applications. Video games can also serve as a useful aid for people with degenerative diseases, helping them improve their sense of balance. Additionally, video games can assist adolescents with ADHD in improving their thinking skills. Alongside these medical applications, gaming can also aid in training surgeons to perform complex, technically demanding surgeries.</p>.<p class="bodytext">However, internet gaming also presents its own set of challenges, one of the most prominent being gaming addiction. Excessive gaming can affect an individual’s sleep patterns, as well as their psychological health and overall well-being. Gamers are also at an increased risk of developing conditions like nintendinitis, or gamer’s thumb, carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, or stenosing tenosynovitis, where a finger gets stuck in a bent position due to chronic inflammation. Exposure to unfiltered violence in gaming could also potentially desensitise adolescents and young adults emotionally. This desensitisation may impact society, as young people may be at an increased risk of committing crimes of aggravated violence in real life, due to learned insensitivity and impulsivity.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The disorder itself, within its scope, requires further research, which in turn impacts the scope of treatment available. While this remains a work in progress, some steps could help tackle gaming addiction effectively. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has notified the IT Rules 2021 to enhance clarity and streamline regulation in the online gaming sector. Public health departments should leverage approaches such as education and harm reduction to raise awareness about support groups like Computer Gaming Addicts Anonymous.</p>.<p class="bodytext">There are also therapy options, such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which work very well for assisting individuals with gaming addiction.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">(The author is a multidisciplinary professional who works in the UK.)</span></p>