[PHOTO/the-star.co.ke]
Although many parents in Nairobi welcome the idea of children games especially on electronic devices as a way to keep them occupied, a recent research shows that the games must be dreaded.
According to a study by Oxford University, gaming addiction has now been listed as a mental health condition.
This is the first time the World Health Organisation is making such a classification after adverse effects were recorded in a big number of case studies.
WHO's 11th International Classification of Diseases (ICD) will now include the condition "gaming disorder" in a document that describes it as a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour which is so severe that it takes "precedence over other life interests".
Some countries have in the past identified the condition as a major public health issue, with the UK advancing to create private addiction clinics to "treat" the condition.
Many Nairobi children, especially boys, have picked the gaming trend where they use all means to get money to play at game shops that continue to be established in the areas of residence due to the increasing demand.
The children also use their parents' electronic devices like phones and computers to play the games.