Take this test to see if you have a video game addiction

Do you think you are addicted to video games? This test can help you tell!

Video game addict

The next time your mom or significant other yells at you for spending too much time playing video games, you might be able to tell them you have a legit disorder.

Researches from various universities across the United Kingdom, Germany, China, and Australia have created this test to determine whether or not you have an addiction to video games. 

The test takes about 20 minutes to complete. Most questions have you rank statements from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.” Once completed, you have the option to see whether you have an unhealthy obsession with watching pornography online or online shopping. 

The test

The test asks questions as to why you play video games, how often you play video games, and also about your mental state. At the end, you are given a percentage total that tells you how open you are. Theoretically, the lower that score, the more likely it is that you are a gaming addict.

Our writer took the test and got the following results:

Gaming motivations

Our writer’s score (70%) was higher than 97% of others who took the test. Although the results say that you should consult a doctor or psychiatrist to determine if you truly have a behavioral disorder, the test suggests that our writer is in the clear. (Whew.)

“The self-report scale only provides you with tendencies towards Gaming Disorder in the context of your own usage and should not be seen as a final diagnosis,” according to the test.

The test shows us why we play video games. According to the results, our writer plays to escape from reality, to enjoy a fantasy experience, and as a coping mechanism for things like stress. 

We also got to get an insight into our writer’s personality:

StabilityAlthough the test determined that we are not as emotionally stable or conscientious as the average test-taker, we are more extraverted and open.

A legit disorder

Believe it or not, the World Health Organization (WHO) actually classifies “gaming disorder” as a legitimate mental illness. Luckily, only a small percentage of gamers actually have the disorder, according to WHO. 

If you have gaming disorder, video games “take precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”

World Health Organization adds ‘gaming disorder’ as an illness, gamers protest

Can you really be addicted to video games? The World Health Organization thinks so.

Gaming addiction

Remember when your mom used to yell at you to get off the darn Nintendo all the time when you were a kid? She might’ve been onto something.

Last weekend, the World Health Organization officially added what it termed “gaming disorder” to its official list – the International Classification of Diseases.

WHO defines gaming disorder as an affliction that causes people to prioritize gaming to the detriment of their everyday lives. On their website, they say that for gaming disorder to be diagnosed “the behavior pattern must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.”

Gamers, never to be outshone in their sensitivity, have been complaining en masse online, seemingly unable to tell the difference between simply enjoying gaming as a hobby and letting it consume every facet of their lives.

The WHO is not saying that every passionate gamer who plays for multiple hours a day is some sort of addict. Addiction, in all of its forms, occurs when someone’s fixation starts to creep into and destroy all other aspects of a person’s life. If you game heavily but still balance it cleanly with your professional, social, and personal life, then the WHO’s verdict does not concern you at all.

Unsurprisingly, many large gaming organizations have protested the WHO’s decision, including the Entertainment Software Association, the Interactive Software Federation of Europe, and the Korea Association of Game Industry. These organizations joined for a press release, saying “The WHO is an esteemed organization and its guidance needs to be based on regular, inclusive, and transparent reviews backed by independent experts. ‘Gaming disorder’ is not based on sufficiently robust evidence to justify its inclusion in one of the WHO’s most important norm-setting tools.”

It’s unlikely that the WHO will reverse its decision, and claims that it’s impossible for video games to be addicted are disputed by mental health researchers. Gaming disorder’s place on the ICD will make it significantly easier for people who are addicted to gaming to receive treatment from medical professionals (and to have their insurance cover it). If anything, gamers should be happy that those who have succumbed to addiction can get the help they need.