Is three hours spent playing smartphone games too much?

More than 9 million people play the game Candy Crush between three and six hours a day, it has been revealed.

Candy Crush makers King have said they acknowledge the seriousness of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) decision to recognise video game addiction as a disease – but fell short of stating whether they agree with it in a grilling from MPs.

“We need to understand where the science is in this area, we absolutely acknowledge the seriousness of the WHO decision, we note that the American Psychiatric Association doesn’t agree with WHO,” said Alex Dale, senior vice president, head of portfolio and new games at King.

Mr Dale told MPs that King used to send an email out when a player’s spend in Candy Crush reached 250 dollars (£197) in a week for the first time, but decided to drop the measure because users complained about it.

Candy Crush attracts 270 million active players every month worldwide. More than 9 million people spend three to six hours a day playing the game.

“Among 270 million players we have between two and three contacts a month from people concerned about having spent too much money or time on the game,” Mr. Dale said. “It is a very, very small number who spend or play at high levels. When we speak with to them they say they are happy with what they are doing.”

During the committee meeting, he also acknowledged that many players of these games are in their 60s, 70s and 80s, with more free time to spare playing games.

What do you think? Is three or more hours spent in a day playing a smartphone game too much? Are these people at risk of addiction, or simply enjoying playing a puzzle game? Share your views at Speakers Corner.