Video game addiction has just recently been recognized as a diagnosable disorder. This isn’t meant to reflect day to day gaming or “marathons” for that matter, instead targeting ‘harmful’ behavior that leads to a total disconnect from reality with severe negative effects on day to day living. Following the classification, gamers around the world weighed in and now the latest voice to be added is none other than Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida.
“We need to take it seriously and adopt countermeasures,” Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said in an interview with Kyodo News recently, though he failed to elaborate on what exactly those countermeasures should be in the face of the recent classification. He did add that Sony has been working on many different safety measures for years now, including a ratings system and a total overhaul on the platform’s parental controls.
Though not a monumental stand by any means, it does give this news the spotlight it deserves. When the World Health Organization first announced their plans to classify gaming addiction as a disorder, there was no nuance offered or context provided. Because of that, the media went wild with insults and accusations, many citing it was a “throwaway” disorder meant to make certain groups of people “even lazier.”
Now that the classification has gone live, much-needed context has been added, showing a very strict outline of ‘symptoms’ that will help those who can’t separate their gaming lives from their “real lives” get the help they need while still making sure that the system isn’t being abused.
Needless to say, Yoshida was careful in his brief statement to the news outlet, which does have us curious about what Sony plans to do next.
