Update 6/18/2018: The World Health Organization announced Monday that "gaming disorder" will be added to WHO's International Classification of Diseases, based on research and the need for treatment around the world. According to Dr. Vladimir Poznyak of WHO, there are three major criteria required to diagnosis gaming disorder, CNN reports: Gaming takes precedence over other activities, "to the extent that other activities are taken to the periphery," he said.Video games are continued to by played despite negative consequences—i.e. "impaired control of these behaviors," he said.Compulsive gaming leads to significant strain on personal, family, social, educational, or occupational functioning, affecting relationships and health, he said.A WHO representative estimated 2-3 percent of video game players meet the criteria for gaming disorder. But Dr. Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University, who has studied video games for 30 years, estimated that the gaming disorder affects less than 1 percent of gamers, and that many would have other mental health issues like depression, bipolar disorder, or autism.“If are interfering with the expected functions of the person — whether it is studies, whether it’s socialization, whether it’s work — then you need to be cautious and perhaps seek help,” he told The Washington Post.Original 01/03/2018: The World Health Organization has confirmed it is classifying gaming addiction as an official condition.The 2018 edition of the International Compendium of Diseases will list "gaming disorder" as a significant problem, following a huge rise in the popularity of video games since the last ICD was published in 1992.A draft version refers to gaming behavior that takes "precedence over other life interests," suggesting such behavior would continue for at least 12 months before a diagnosis of gaming disorder is made.Speaking to the BBC, Dr. Richard Graham, lead technology addiction specialist at the Nightingale Hospital in London, welcomed the findings."It is significant because it creates the opportunity for more specialized services," Graham, who sees around 50 new cases of gaming addiction each year, said. "It puts it on the map as something to take seriously."In contrast to commonly-voiced fears that children are becoming increasingly addicted to gaming, a recent study by the University of Oxford suggested that although modern kids spend a lot more time glued to their screens, they don't do this "to the exclusion of other activities," instead "spread their digital tech use throughout the day, while doing other things."But when do gamers know that they have crossed the line between casual "Crash Bandicoot" and full-blown "Mario" madness?In South Korea, steps have already been made to prevent gaming-related problems, with children under the age of 16 being banned from online games between midnight and 6 a.m.The argument over gaming addiction has raged for decades, and the WHO's update is only going to make the issue more of a talking point. However, in a year that featured superb, innovative titles like "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," the debate is unlikely to harm an industry as big as gaming.