Author: Trafficblast

Ahead of the release of Borderlands 3 in September, Gearbox Publishing boss John Vignocchi is heading out. The games industry veteran announced on Twitter that he’s left Gearbox for his “dream job” somewhere else.

“Leaving the company was one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make and I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for the love and support of everyone there,” Vignocchi said on Twitter. “They understood and encouraged me to take this role as it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime gig.”

Vignocchi said he had a great time working at Gearbox, where he served as executive producer for Gearbox Publishing for about a year. He specifically praised Gearbox founder Randy Pitchford and head of publishing Steve Gibson, saying they both know “how to bring out the passion and excellence of all the amazing [developers] that work there.”

Vignocchi didn’t say where he’s going after Gearbox, but he noted that he is going on a “bit of a road trip,” which suggests the new job is not close to Gearbox which is in Frisco, Texas.

Vignocchi joined Gearbox in October 2018 after a long run at Disney where he oversaw Disney Infinity and other products and projects. He spent less than a year at Gearbox before leaving. Pitchford said goodbye to Vignocchi in a post of his on on Twitter in which he wished Vignocchi well in his new job.

Gearbox’s next game is Borderlands 3, which is due out in September for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. The company has made headlines recently not always for Borderlands 3, but behind-the-scenes controversy involving Pitchford and former employees.

The World Health Organization, the public health division of the United Nations, has officially added “gaming disorder” to its registry of officially recognized diseases. This happened over the weekend when the WHO officially adopted the 11th revision of its International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11). All 194 members of the WHO voted unanimously to adopt the revision.

According to the WHO, “gaming disorder” is characterized by a “pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour” online or offline. The official description goes on to say that gaming disorders can include the following: “1) impaired control over gaming (e.g., onset, frequency, intensity, duration, termination, context); 2) increasing priority given to gaming to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other life interests and daily activities; and 3) continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.”

People who are deemed to have the “gaming disorder” run the risk of “significant impairment” to their personal, family, social, education, and occupational lives, according to the WHO. The description goes on to say that “gaming disorder” can be a continuous condition or it can be episodic in nature. For it to be suggested that a person has “gaming disorder,” they would display these behaviour patterns for a year or longer.

The “gaming disorder” disease will become officially recognized by the WHO on January 1, 2022. According to GI.biz, the WHO came to its conclusion based on consultations with experts from a variety of backgrounds.

In January, when the WHO first announced it would consider recognizing “gaming disorder,” the US video game industry group, ESA, said the designation “recklessly trivializes real mental health issues.”

“Just like avid sports fans and consumers of all forms of engaging entertainment, gamers are passionate and dedicated with their time,” the ESA–which lobbies on behalf of the video game industry to protect its interests–said in a statement. “Having captivated gamers for more than four decades, more than 2 billion people around the world enjoy video games.”

“The World Health Organization knows that common sense and objective research prove video games are not addictive. And, putting that official label on them recklessly trivializes real mental health issues like depression and social anxiety disorder, which deserve treatment and the full attention of the medical community,” the statement continued.

At the time, the ESA said it strongly encouraged the WHO to reverse the action, but now that it has been officially adopted, it remains to be seen if there are any appeal possibilities.

It’s not just the ESA that’s hitting back at the WHO over this decision. A statement attributed to the global video game industry associations–including the ESA (USA), ESA Canada (Canada), IGEA (Australia and New Zealand), ISFE (Europe), K Games (South Korea), and UKIE (United Kingdom)–says the WHO reached its decision “without the consensus of the academic community.” The consequences could be far reaching and might achieve the opposite of what the WHO is setting out to do, according to the statement.

“There is significant debate among medical and professionals about today’s WHO action. We are concerned they reached their conclusion without the consensus of the academic community,” reads a line from the statement. “The consequences of today’s action could be far-reaching, unintended, and to the detriment of those in need of genuine help.”

It continues: “We encourage and support healthy game play by providing information and tools, such as parental controls, that empower billions of people around the world to manage their play to ensure it remains enjoyable and enriching. As with all good things in life, moderation is key and that finding the right balance is an essential part of safe and sensible play.”

Last week, before the WHO decision came down, Sony’s CEO talked about how the video game industry needs to do more to promote healthy gaming. “We need to take it seriously and adopt countermeasures,” he told reports (via Kyodo News).

Some games are already implementing features to promote healthy gaming behaviors. Recently, PUBG Mobile introduced a new feature that sends pop-ups to young players to remind them to put the game down and take a break.

May has a few more video games to squeeze out before the month ends, and this week brings us two PSVR games, the action-packed Blood & Truth and the bizarre adventure Trover Saves the Universe. Sports fans can take a swing at Cricket 19, and horror fiends can get spooked by Layers of Fear 2. Finally, Outer Wilds makes its debut on Xbox Game Pass this week.

Blood & Truth — May 28

Available on: PS4

Inspired by fellow PSVR shooter The London Heist and British crime films, Blood & Truth puts you in the shoes of Ryan Marks, a soldier whose family has been kidnapped by a London crime boss. Using Move controllers, you’ll shoot and drive your way through the underground to rescue them.

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Cricket 19 — May 28

Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

While it might not be well known in the western world, cricket still gets the video game treatment every year. This year’s entry includes both men and women’s teams and stadiums from all over the world. You can even create your own stadium and team to call it home.

Layers of Fear 2 — May 28

Available on: Xbox One, PC

While the original Layers of Fear featured a painter in a massive manor, the sequel stars an actor filming a project about a cruise ship. As you move through the hallways and cabins, creepy stuff is bound to happen. There’s a reason you were chosen for this film role, after all.

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Outer Wilds — May 30

Available on: Xbox One, PC

Outer Wilds lets you explore an alien planet, unearthing ancient civilizations and discovering secrets. Problem is, the planet is destroyed by a supernova every 20 minutes. Fortunately, you respawn every time, giving you more chances to explore the planet and maybe even avoid death altogether. Xbox One Game Pass subscribers can grab this one for free.

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Trover Saves the Universe — May 31

Available on: PS4, PC

This week’s other PSVR game comes from the mind of Justin Roiland, creator of Rick & Morty. Your dogs have been stolen by an evil alien trying to conquer the universe, and it’s up to you and the purple monster Trover to get them back and stop that evil plot. It’s gonna get weird.

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May is wrapping up, but this week is still loaded–Void Bastards also makes its way to Xbox One and PC on May 29. The next episode of New Releases will take a look at what the month of June brings us. Next week, we’ll take a look at some much-anticipated titles like Super Mario Maker 2 and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.