UK newspaper criticized for hinting that video games are “the next global pandemic”

The health effects of video games have been discussed and debated since the dawn of the interactive entertainment industry in the 1970s, and while there have been a large number of studies highlighting the positive impact games have on people, those that focus on the negative tend to have a greater impact in the media.

The most recent example of this comes from the British newspaper The Telegraph, which has published an article titled ‘Spiritual Opium: Could Gaming Addiction Ruin A Generation?’ The article has been incorporated into a recent statement conducted by Chinese state media comparing video games to “electronic drugs”.

The Telegraph argues that children are normalizing themselves to screen use via smartphones, tablets and “iPads in the classroom” and that this could be “potentially damaging to the adolescent brain.” Games are selected as a particularly addictive way to spend time in front of the screen, and the piece says that “it is time that we all woke up to the possibility of ‘opioids’ in games, before teenage addiction to screen from becoming another global pandemic. “

The Telegraph also speaks with author Abi Silver, who recently published a work of fiction: The Midas game – in which two lawyers defend a gamer and YouTube celebrity accused of killing an “eminent anti-gaming psychiatrist.”

In the article, Silver states that her son “became obsessed with the addictive dopamine-releasing game.” Fortnite, adding:

I was shocked and outraged that there was something out there, unregulated and freely available to our children, that was considered very dangerous but that no one was doing anything about it. It was like someone walking into my son’s room at night and injecting him with an addictive drug.

Unsurprisingly, The Telegraph has come under fire for the article, which features potentially misleading figures relating to the number of people suffering from “gambling disorder,” which is now recognized by the World Health Organization as a legitimate problem. that according to Telegraph estimates, some “86 million people” are affected.

However, the figures obtained by The Guardian (Thanks, VGC) through freedom of information requests showed that only 56 people entered treatment for gambling addiction between January and May in the UK this year, out of a gaming population of about 40 million people.

Talking to VGC on the article by Telegraph, a spokesperson for the UK trade body Ukie saying:

It’s disappointing to see pieces like this widely misrepresenting games. Both unfairly demonize the 37 million people across the UK who find gaming a relaxing source of healthy entertainment and undermine evidence-based efforts to support the very small number of people who need help managing the game. play.

We are a responsible and regulated industry that has shown that it takes concerns seriously by running campaigns like our Get Smart About PLAY initiative to support safe and sensible gaming. We will continue to take this responsible approach and continue to educate players and parents on all aspects of the game at www.askaboutgames.com.