gaming addiction

Jack Pope says video games nearly ruined his chances of a career in football

Addiction counsellors have told Newsbeat they're seeing more cases of people worried about being hooked on playing video games.

There are now calls for the gaming industry to offer more support to people who can't switch off.

Technology or computer addiction isn't officially recognised as a clinical condition.

But the group representing games companies admits there needs to be more research into the problem.

20-year-old Joe Staley from Nottingham says he didn't know where to go for help when he got hooked on console games.

He ended up hundreds of pounds of debt and dropped out of university: "I know it's an addiction because I can't go a day without gaming.

"Even if it's a flash game on the internet, I can't physically say, 'I'm not going to play anything today'."

Check out Radio 1's Gaming Week and play one of the DJ's games

Treatment

Peter Smith is a counsellor at Broadway Lodge in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset, which started offering residential treatment for computer addiction last year.

He told Newsbeat: "Most of the people that are getting into difficulties tend to be in their teenage years and early 20s.

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The word 'addiction' is quite emotive. If we're talking about clinical addiction, proven to be something that people want as a dependency, then we have
to look at the evidence and the research

block quote end

Andy PayneChairman of UKIE

"As that generation moves through and others come on behind, I think the problem is going to get bigger."

People who stay at Broadway Lodge will normally have to pay, although the Department of Health says GPs are able to prescribe treatment for an addiction
problem if they think it is serious enough.

Peter says some gamers are showing symptoms similar to gambling addicts or alcoholics.

He thinks there could be a video gaming equivalent of GamCare, a charity funded by gambling companies which offers counselling to people who can't stop
betting.

Phillip Hodson, from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, told Newsbeat: "The video games industry, which is worth billions globally,
should research the 'addictive' impact of games playing on the health and social welfare of subscribers while offering counselling support for those who
are clearly adversely affected."

'Emotive'

Andy Payne is chairman of UKIE, the trade organisation for the video games industry.

He insists they're taking the issues seriously but says there's lots of evidence too about the positive effects of playing games.

He told Newsbeat: "The word 'addiction' is quite emotive. If we're talking about clinical addiction, proven to be something that people want as a dependency,
then we have to look at the evidence and the research."

Andy reckons the industry should be willing to pay for more research into the harm that games can cause: "I do think we need more research and we're very
open into receiving that. Let's be open and see what's out there.

"If people are finding they've got problems in their lives, and we can help solve those problems, then we should be able to do something positive about
it."

I believe gaming addiction is a symptom rather than a condition in many cases.

If you can't or for some reason don't want to accept the way our surrounding works e will strive for anything that cause an scape. I think it should checked what make the games, the internet etc so important in their life to the point of neglecting what most people consider important priorities like work (so you can eat properly) eat, discharge, sleep, human contact.

Even in people that used to be okay with its surround may feel the addiction on this new outlet, having all the adrenaline games gives you, the opportunity to do the impossible, and not being in danger. To be in contact with others without worrying for your physical insecurities, etc, it is a great bait whether we talk about videogames or internet communities and networks.

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