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A UK teenager is among one of the first children to be treated for addiction to computer games, it emerged yesterday. The 16-year-old will undergo a 30-day course at a clinic in Amsterdam, linked to The Priory. He will join twenty-somethings from Holland, France and Germany, before signing on with Online Gamers Anonymous. Every member of the group became hooked on computer games after marathon sessions playing World of Warcraft. “They all looked as white as ghosts when they came through the door,” Keith Bakker, director at the Dutch clinic, Smith & Jones, said in an interview with Contractor UK. “Despite the fact they are all of above average intelligence; they have troubles in school and have isolated themselves completely from the outside world.” Studies published by the respected Stanford University claim it is still unknown if addiction to computer games and the Internet can be classified as a clinical disorder. But experts at Smith & Jones, who have treated ‘lots of kids in the past six months’, suggest such a message could undermine the potential harm of the virtual world. “Most of the teens we have treated for addiction to computer games eventually see that gaming and chemical dependency are very much the same,” Mr Bakker said. “Similar to the sessions our youngsters will undergo, we recently did a national radio experiment in Holland, where six drug addicts shared the airwaves with six gamers. “It was interesting for listeners to realise that the bells start ringing for gamers – once that is, they see there is absolutely no difference between them and a cocaine addict.” For most people dependent on computer games, including the teens in the Dutch programme, the source of their addiction is hereditary. It is estimated that 20% of the planet’s population has a predisposition to an addictive personality, strengthening the findings of Australian researcher Diane James. Her PhD thesis for Queensland’s University found addiction to mobile phones among technology students is on a par with smoking. In the future, the volume of people addicted to mobile phones will surpass the numbers dependent on the internet (via PC), her study concluded. Though academics at Stanford University may dispute whether virtual addictions are actually clinical disorders, their research supports the growing consensus towards ‘contact addiction.’ This is the belief that a number of behaviours can be potentially addictive, such as clicking to surf the Web, pressing buttons on a mobile phone and thumbing the controls of a computer game. Kenneth Woog, a psychologist and designer of the PC Moderator – a device that ‘sets controls not limits’ for PC gamers, recently said that too little research has been done on game addiction. He is most concerned about massive multiplayer online games (MMOG) like World of Warcraft, and EverQuest – dubbed ‘EverCrack’ by its players due to its addictive nature. Some games “are deliberately designed to be addicting,” Mr Woog told California’s Mercury News. “They're very compelling. You do something and get a reward. With enough rewards, you start to feel good about yourself. And you're part of a team of people on a common quest.” When asked whether the makers of MMOGs, like Sony Online Entertainment and Linden Labs, should play a part in protecting their audience from adverse effects, Mr Bakker was insistent. “My feeling is that alcohol doesn’t kill people – people kill people. “There is nothing wrong with computer games ordinarily – recreational online gaming can teach you a lot. They can benefit youngsters’ computer literacy and their ability to multi-task.” But, he hinted, computer games pose a severe risk to youngsters because they can disturb the natural development of a child, while masquerading as a normal activity. “A drug addict normally doesn’t come into contact with his drug of choice until age 16 or 18, so there is some time to develop some social and educational skills before they become addicted. “The problem today is that kids don’t even have to wait until their 12th birthday to walk into a gaming store - mummy and daddy are buying these games for them when they’re age nine. “This leads to a child potentially developing obsessive compulsive behaviour with a game at an early age, while other things that they should be doing for healthy development fall away. The other problem is visibility: with an alcoholic you can see the problem, especially say if their car has ploughed into a tree – but with gamers, it is much more difficult.” Smith & Jones advised that some key questions should be asked in order to identify dependency on computer games at the earliest possible stage. “Can the person always guarantee that as easy as they start; [playing the computer game] they can stop?,” the consultants asked. “Are there negative consequences as a result of the gaming behaviour?” Typically, youngsters being treated for computer game addiction say they’re not addicts – they just enjoy gaming. But the full social status of the gamer should be assessed, such as whether they, attend school, have a girlfriend/boyfriend, socialise with people outside of games, and play for longer than intended. According to his calculations, Mr Bakker said the Netherlands is home to one million under-18s, who theoretically, are getting hold of addictive material at a much earlier age than they would illegal substances. He added:” We’re a small unit with a limited number of beds - we can handle 14 gamers at the most. But we are opening some new camps and doing our part. People worldwide are starting to take computer game addiction seriously. The Priory for example is interested in opening a unit in the UK specifically for gaming.” A spokeswoman for the Surrey clinic said: “There are no special internet addiction or computer addiction treatment programmes currently being run by The Priory.” Nov 1, 2006 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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