Totally Wired: Why Are So Many Young People Addicted to Video Games?

Dee’s worst nightmare came true when she opened the door to find two paramedics standing in her dark hallway at 2am. Her 16-year-old son, Jake, was in crisis, and she had no idea what was happening. Five years later, the memory still fills her with tears. “I didn’t know what was happening,” she recalls. “It’s the worst nightmare a mother could ever think of.”

Jake’s addiction to video games had been spiraling out of control. Dee, an NHS nurse practitioner, had confiscated his laptop after finding him playing late into the night. The next day, Jake sent frantic messages to his girlfriend on Discord, complaining about his mother and expressing suicidal thoughts. His girlfriend feared he was suicidal and called the ambulance.

Dee’s journey to understand her son’s addiction began when she read about the National Centre for Gaming Disorders, a new NHS service. She eventually sent Jake for private counseling and engaged a tutor to help him with his school grades, which were plummeting. However, neither approach worked well, and Dee was losing hope.

It wasn’t until two years later, when Dee reached out to the National Centre for Gaming Disorders again, that she received the news she had been waiting for. The team, led by family psychotherapist Alison Smith, could treat Jake. Dee was overjoyed, knowing that her son’s wellbeing was more important than her own cancer diagnosis.

The story of Jake and Dee is not unique. Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, the founder and director of the National Centre for Gaming Disorders, has seen similar cases. “I remember a boy who walked two miles in the middle of the night to his grandmother’s house to use her wifi,” she says. “He wasn’t, but he could have been run over.”

Bowden-Jones, a renowned expert in addiction, has been studying gaming disorders for years. She founded the first National Problem Gambling clinic in 2008 and has since worked to raise awareness about the dangers of gaming addiction. The pandemic has only exacerbated the problem, with the centre receiving over 700 referrals in the first three years.

Gaming is a key part of life for many young people, with 88% of those aged 16 to 24 in the UK playing video games. However, health professionals are looking for “marked impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning” to diagnose addiction. There is no simple figure at which someone would be described as being addicted.

The National Centre for Gaming Disorders uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles to treat patients. The goal is not to make patients give up gaming completely but to manage and control it. “You can’t remove the gaming completely,” Bowden-Jones advises. “We’ve really learned that, unlike all the other addictions that need to stop, with gaming, because so many young people are gaming, they are finding solace and are finding company in gaming with others. Removing it meant that they really had lost everything.”

Jake’s treatment was challenging, but with the help of the clinic, he began to turn a corner. He started helping with cooking at home and his grades improved. Now 21, he is studying game design and programming at university. Dee credits the clinic with making the breakthrough and advises other parents not to give up. “It’s worth fighting for,” she says. “And it does work. We’re the living proof that it can work.”

For more information, visit cnwl.nhs.uk/national-centre-gaming-disorders. Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org.

Historical Context:

The article mentions the National Centre for Gaming Disorders, which was founded by Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones in 2008. This suggests that the issue of gaming addiction has been recognized as a significant problem for at least the past decade. The pandemic has also exacerbated the issue, with the centre receiving over 700 referrals in the first three years. This highlights the growing concern about gaming addiction and the need for specialized treatment and support.

Summary in Bullet Points:

• The article tells the story of Jake, a 16-year-old boy who became addicted to video games and was in crisis, leading his mother Dee to seek help from the National Centre for Gaming Disorders. • The centre, led by family psychotherapist Alison Smith, uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles to treat patients, aiming to manage and control gaming rather than removing it completely. • The centre has seen similar cases, including a boy who walked two miles in the middle of the night to use his grandmother’s wifi. • The pandemic has worsened the problem, with the centre receiving over 700 referrals in the first three years. • The National Centre for Gaming Disorders uses CBT principles to treat patients, focusing on managing and controlling gaming rather than removing it completely. • Jake’s treatment was challenging, but with the help of the clinic, he began to turn a corner, improving his grades and starting to help with cooking at home. • Now 21, Jake is studying game design and programming at university, and his mother credits the clinic with making the breakthrough. • The article advises parents not to give up and to seek help from the National Centre for Gaming Disorders, which can be contacted through cnwl.nhs.uk/nhs-centre-gaming-disorders. • The Samaritans can also be contacted for support on freephone 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.