Now, a rehab clinic for computer game addicts
By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 03 November 2009, 21:43 IST   |    2 Comments
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Now, a rehab clinic for computer game addicts
Somerset (England): The surge in popularity of web-based 'fantasy world' games such as World of Warcraft has triggered a wave of addiction among adults and children. According to therapists, surfers spend days at a time glued to their computer screens - going without food, sleep, or any social interaction. As a result, they suffer from malnutrition, relationship breakdown and postural problems. The wave of addiction is apparently triggered by more sophisticated online games where players have to invest significant amounts of time to progress, reports the Telegraph. Broadway Lodge, a residential rehabilitation unit in Weston-super-Mare, treats around 400 addicts a year for a range of issues including, drink, drugs and gambling. Now it has adapted its traditional Minnesota Method twelve step program, which slowly weans addicts off a particular vice, for gamers. Patients undertake group therapy, tapes, videos, therapeutic tasks including vacuuming and washing up, and recreational activities. The emphasis is on communication with peers and a greater understanding of themselves through shared experiences. Brian Dudley, the center's Chief Executive said that they recently treated a 23 year old who was spending up to eight hours at a time at his computer and was brought in by his parents. "We developed a treatment for him which followed the 12 step (abstinence) approach, but you can't tell someone never to use the internet again," said Dudley. "He had eating issues, but he did very well. He has the mechanisms now to cope with it." Dudley believes that treating game addiction needs a different approach to 'conventional' vices like drink and drugs. "Obviously this is the very early stages of researching how many youngsters are affected," he said. "But I would stick my neck out and say between five and ten percent of parents or partners would say that they know of someone addicted to an online game. However, you can't simply say to a 23 year old male 'you should never use the internet again'. It's just not practical. So we go through all the issues surrounding gaming use and ensure there are triggers through which an addict recognizes their usage has become a problem." Behavioral shifts include users becoming aggressive, with chaotic lifestyles that result in irregular eating and sleeping patterns as well as social exclusion. Peter Smith, a Counselor at Broadway Lodge said, "It's not unusual for people to get so obsessed with online gaming that they forget to eat and drift towards an anorexic and undernourished state. You can play online with people around the world, so it can be at odd times of the day - when it's 5 PM in Chicago or evening in Japan." The Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association denies that playing online games could lead to addiction. Its Director General, Michael Rawlinson, said, "Playing video games is becoming increasingly mainstream in the UK and we firmly believe in the positive impact playing games can have."

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