Games industry responds to BBC One documentary on video game addiction

“There is currently no proven link between video games and addiction, with there being mixed opinion among academics about whether a game can be clinically addictive. There is no official medical diagnosis of video game addiction, either from the American Medical Association or the World Health Organization. Playing games is a hobby - just like reading, listening to music or playing a sport - that millions of people around the world engage in safely every day. We know that most people use games as part of a balanced lifestyle: in the UK, 55% of gamers aged 16-49 play for 1-5 hours a week, with only 12% playing in excess of 10 hours a week.” - UKIE director general Michael Rawlinson,