The Maharashtra Public Health Department is developing a standard operating protocol (SOP) to tackle health issues related to online gaming with the E-Gaming Federation. This comes after the rise of Internet penetration and per capita income in the state, which resulted in the rise of its gaming industry.
According to a report, Maharashtra is the number one state in India with high Internet consumption especially among children between the age of 6-14. Children and Youth of Maharashtra are unliving themselves due to losses in the game. The current news of the Maharashtra Health Department tackling health issues related to online gaming comes as a relief for the people of Maharashtra.
Commissioner of Health Services, Dheeraj Kumar, publicly announced the department’s partnership with the E-Gaming Federation (EGF) to promote responsible gaming practices and tackle addiction and health risks related to online gaming. The health department is aiming to promote responsible behavior among all age groups according to Kumar.
As part of the mental health program, the health department will develop a standard operating procedure (SOP). The SOP is aimed at the diagnosis, identification of symptoms, and treatment of gaming-related health issues. Although the details are being finalized for the SOP. In the beginning, the SOP will include guidelines for responsible gaming and comprehensive information about gaming-related health issues, education, and communication (IEC) campaigns.
Furthermore, certain state centers will be designated to specialize in identifying and solving game-related health issues, offering assistance as needed. Not only the health department, but even The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges video game addiction as a mental health-related issue.
EGF is a non-profit organization regulating the online gaming industry of India. EGF CEO praised the decision of the health department to tackle health issues caused by online gaming.
As the online gaming industry is expanding, initiatives like SOP are much needed for a country like India to avoid health issues. Although the industry giants use KYC, still some people can bypass it or use illegal methods to participate in online gaming matches. The companies are also evolving themselves and using Artificial Intelligence to detect unorthodox methods by users.
Hope other Indian states take inspiration from Maharashtra to start their initiative to tackle health issues related to gaming.
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