The World Health Organization will classify video game addiction (VGA) as a mental disorder in their 11th revision of ICD, so this new disorder’s significance and the great need for prevention by health care must be pointed out.1 Playing video games can be interpreted as a non-financial version of gambling,2 so the same dimensions should be considered with both. More and more studies emphasise VGA’s spreading tendencies and seriousness in public health. Though only 5–10% of the population reaches the level of diagnosability, this is not a realistic representation of the ones who are at the subclinical level.3 Because of its economic development, Germany is the most threatened country in Central Europe, with fast and expanded internet access and high-tech digital devices in households.4 In the US, 99% of 2–17-year-old boys and 94% of girls regularly play video games, and are at high risk of developing addiction.5 Moreover, the new generation’s Maslow pyramid might have changed, as at the bottom of it biological needs have been replaced by non-stop online presence as the most important basic need. A great plan to increase prevention comes from the US too. The legislation called ‘SMART Act’ (Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology) would force social media companies to take action and try to reduce the risks of internet addiction and psychological exploitation.6
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