Game Addiction

Gaming is one of the most popular pastimes amongst young people. They can play for hours whenever they get the chance. Many parents question whether their child’s gaming behaviour is “normal” or whether a real problem is emerging and a game addiction is on the rise.

Game addiction is a growing problem. More and more young people with this addiction are treated in clinics. Studies estimate that 10 per cent to 15 per cent of gamers exhibit signs that meet the World Health Organisation’s criteria for addiction.

Does my child suffer from a game addiction?

A young person is addicted to gaming when they play a lot and fail to reduce their gaming. Even if they experience firsthand that gaming leads to problems, such as broken friendships, poor school results, or severe fatigue. Instead of decreasing, the youngster will increase game times even more. When limiting play, or even when removing the console, aggressive behaviour can occur.

How to recognise a game addiction?

The life of a young person with an alcohol addiction is dominated by alcohol. A young person with a severe drug addiction often does nothing but use or think about drugs. For people with a game addiction, the process is not much different. All day, they are busy with games or thinking about them. We see more and more young people with a gaming addiction entering our clinic. Young people who were consecutively playing games for up to 15 hours a day, arriving at the clinic, not taken care of themselves in any way.

The Risks of Gaming

Problems for young people who are gaming too much:

• Loneliness
• Shortage of sleep
• Social fear
• Fights
• Negative self-image
• Aggression
• Depression
• Run away from reality
• Poor work/school results
• Not taking care/bad hygiene

School:

• Call in sick
• Absence
• Not doing any homework
• No energy to study
• Going to bed too late

Social life:

• Hardly any friends, except online
• Fights with parents
• Online meetings to game
• Stop sports or all other hobbies
• Isolation (in the bedroom)

Types of Games

There are many types of games, including role-playing games, shooters, sports games, and sandbox games. They all share the common feature of containing one or more addictive elements, such as daily challenges, reward systems (e.g., loot boxes), or tools that notify other gamers when a friend is online. Below are some frequently played games in which the internet is often used as a venue for meeting.

• World of Warcraft
• Fortnite
• League of Legends
• PlayerUnknown's Battleground
• Call of Duty
• Grand Theft Auto (GTA)
• FIFA Football
• Final Fantasy
• Minecraft
• Halo
• Runescape
• Roblox

Treatment of a game addiction

At Yes We Can Youth Clinics, we help teenagers and young adults overcome gaming addiction and live and function in society in a positive way. We help young people with an addiction to slowly demolish the wall they have built around them, to leave their destructive life behind them forever and to face a bright future. Yes We Can Youth Clinics strives to reduce the number of medications the teenager or young adult already receives to zero, or as little as possible, during treatment. Our psychiatrists and medical staff oversee this process. For more information about our treatment method, please visit this page.

Contact us

Yes We Can Youth Clinics can effectively treat teenagers and young adults who are suffering from a wide variety of mental health issues. If you have any questions, any at all, you can always contact us. We cannot stress enough that we are always there for you, whether you sign up for a treatment in our clinic or not. 

You can reach us by phone from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (GMT +1) via phone number: +31 (0)85 02 01 222. After business hours – weekdays after 6:00 p.m. and on the weekends – your call will be forwarded. Please note that it might take longer than usual to answer your call. If we cannot answer the call right away, please leave a message and we will call you back as soon as possible. You can also fill in our contact form.