Clinic For Addicted Gamers

Many of our geeks readers will be familiar with all night gaming sessions.  The drive to complete just one more level, defeat the boss or better your previous score can often see us burning the midnight oil, and I myself have even begun to dream myself into a game after a particularly long bout of playing.

Have you ever wondered whether your love of all things game is crossing the line into addiction?  Britain’s very first clinic for addicted gamers has opened in Weston-super-Mare, operating under the belief that many are becoming unreasonably obsessed.

Up until now the clinic has catered to patients with a variety of more traditional addictions including drugs, alcohol and gambling, but according to the directors of the Broadway Lodge, a gaming addiction can be almost as damaging.  Chief Executive Brian Dudley spoke to the Telegraph:

“… I would stick my neck out and say between five and ten per cent of parents or partners would say 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 recognises their usage has become a problem.

”Behavioural shifts include users becoming aggressive, with chaotic lifestyles that result in irregular eating and sleeping patterns as well as social exclusion. I don’t know anybody else who is treating such cases in this country. There’s no helpline.”

Patients are encouraged to share their experiences with one another and a special “Twelve Step” abstinence plan has been developed with a view to weaning the hapless gamers off their addiction.

Other activities include basic life skills such as washing dishes and vacuuming, intended to inject a spot of reality into the addicts’ virtual lives.

As with anything, it’s doubtlessly true that some people take things too far, developing an obsession in the process, but surely the vast majority of gaming enthusiasts are  able to forsake their hobby long enough to force down a packet of crisps and stave off the throes of malnutrition.

If you do find yourself losing weight, forgetting to sleep and losing contact with friends then it’s safe to say that you’re part of the unlucky addicted minority.  Get yourself down to Broadway Lodge before you’re too weak to look up the clinic’s web page.