My mother once told me that I was obsessed with video games. I laughed off the comment for two reasons. First, I was too busy playing “Warhawk” to care. Second, it wasn’t true. Obsessed gamers don’t spend 250 hours capturing flags and defending zones. They play for at least 700 hours. Wait, 250 hours is how many days? Almost 10.5? Damn. Well, at least I have never deprived myself of food or sleep to play “World of Warcraft.” Seriously, step away from the keyboard and have a sandwich. I have it on good authority that peanut butter and jelly is delicious.

In an even more ridiculous twist, there is a Vietnamese rehabilitation center that might be able to help the aforementioned 15-year-old gamer.  Unfortunately, he lives in Sweden. Perhaps his dad will splurge for plane tickets.

According to a report that appeared on the Vietnam News Service, the Southern Youth Centre (sic) has opened a facility in Ho Chi Minh City that aims to re-introduce the country’s six million gamers to activities like painting, dancing and sports. Though this rehab center is one-of-a-kind unique in Vietnam, it is just one of many in the Eastern Hemisphere. The article noted that “such centres (sic) are popular in major ‘gaming’ countries like South Korea, Japan and China.”

Huynh Hong Hiep head of training at the Southern Youth Centre – a centre for sport and culture that has set up the rehabilitation facility – says many parents complain they are unable to drag their children away from the computer.

The ‘treatment’ works by developing their personalities through involvement in social work and other activities like music, painting, dancing, and sports, he says.

Fifty addicts aged 13 – 18 are at the centre for an eight-week rehabilitation programme, which also involves counselling by psychologists.

I used to scoff when a so-called physician would suggest that an individual could become addicted to games. However, after giving the issue some thought, I think it deserves some discussion. While I don’t think that most gamers are physically or mentally dependent upon video games, there are certainly some individuals that devote way too much time to interactive entertainment. Though, I do question the necessity of gamer rehab facilities.  It seems like spouses, relatives and friends should be the ones to wrest the controller/keyboard from “addicted” gamers.  Granted, the prevalence of such centers suggests that some individuals are ill-equipped to deal with game “addiction.”

What do you think SGC? Is game addiction a real affliction? Have you ever known someone that was dependent upon interactive entertainment? Should we be sending people to gamer rehab centers or should we expect relatives to handle the issue?

Source: Vietnam News Service via GamePolitics

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