DUBAI, UAE, Aug 26: The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Health Council has unveiled a new campaign titled “La3eb_Laken” aimed at raising awareness about video game disorder and promoting healthy gaming habits. This initiative seeks to guide players and their families on how to engage with video games in a balanced and moderate manner.

The campaign features a series of awareness messages emphasizing the need to balance gaming with other daily activities. It highlights the psychological, physical, and social benefits of maintaining this balance and offers advice on optimal game usage and appropriate playtime limits.

Video game disorder, as defined by Al Jazeera, is characterized by an ongoing pattern of gaming behavior where individuals struggle to control their playing time, often prioritizing games over other life tasks. In 2018, the World Health Organization included gaming disorder in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

The GCC Health Council stressed the importance of recognizing warning signs of excessive gaming, such as considering games the central activity of daily life, experiencing stress, anxiety, or sadness when unable to play, neglecting academic or social responsibilities, and facing tension in personal and family relationships due to gaming.

To promote player health, the Council has provided several tips for safe gaming practices. These include taking regular breaks to alleviate back and neck pain, enhancing focus and performance, reducing muscle and joint strain, protecting the eyes, and incorporating stretching exercises. Recommendations include taking breaks every 20 minutes, focusing on an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds to prevent eye strain, and performing stretches for the neck, shoulders, hands, wrists, and back.

Additionally, the Council has offered advice for parents to support healthy gaming habits in their children. Suggestions include ensuring proper hydration with water and fresh juices, discussing games and personal experiences with their children, setting specific playtime limits, encouraging physical activity, reviewing game content for age appropriateness, and promoting a variety of games to aid skill development.