Russian Orthodox Church creates prayer for gamers

Members of the Russian Orthodox Church have come out with 39 new initiatives, including a new prayer service for those who are “possessed with computer passion.”

The initiatives were submitted at the end of 2021 to the Synodal Liturgical Commission, the supreme administrative governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church. Among the other proposals were prayer services for such things as successful surgeries, exams, the start of studies for adults, and even job-hunting. If approved by the commission, the services will become part of the liturgical practices of the Russian Orthodox Church, and churchgoers will be able to request these prayers.

This comes as gaming addiction has become officially recognized as a dangerous disorder in Russia since the start of the year, following the controversial 2018 World Health Organization decision to declare video game addiction a mental health condition.

According to the WHO guidelines, however, ‘gaming addiction’ can only be diagnosed by a qualified medical professional, and symptoms must present themselves over the course of a year and must have a negative impact on family, school, work, social skills, and other areas of life.