▲ Korean game committee holding protrait of games

Korean game committees held a portrait of games on black clothes in a press conference. They were depressed because of the decision of WHO that gaming disorder is now an official disease. Now, as a result of WHO's decision, the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Ministry of Health and Welfare began to have a debate, changing the fate of the gaming industry.

▲ Krafton`s chairman Chang Byoung-gyu

WHO announced that gaming disorder is a disease at the World Health Assembly, held in Geneva, Switzerland. Soon, the actual practice will begin in 2026 in South Korea, but the gaming industry is worried already. The chairman of the major game company, Krafton, who made the game 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds', is one of the people who are worrying about the failure of the gaming industry. He said the game is different from drugs or cigarettes. He also said that according to recent studies, game addiction comes from the stress of studying or relationships.

▲ WHO (World Health Organization)

Unfortunately, because WHO is a global united community, changes in our society are inevitable. For these changes, agreed opinion between ministries is important. However, the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Ministry of Health and Welfare are showing different reactions on WHO's decision. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is hurrying up of the practice of gaming disorder becoming a real disease, while the Ministry of Culture and Sports is showing disappointment in WHO's decision. The Ministry of Culture and Sports said there is no clear reason for over-focusing on the game being considered as a disease, so their ministry is not going to agree with the decision.

Because of the different ideas and opinions, the future of showing the certification of gaming disorder and being absent in school because of game addiction is not guaranteed. Now, 70 percent of Koreans, who play games, should wait until the agreement of the two conflicting ministries.

June 2nd, 2019 by Yang Ye-won