Rehab center for video game addicts opens in Amsterdam

If you're worried your World of Warcraft habit might be getting a little out of hand, you might think about checking yourself into the Wild Horses Center in Amsterdam. Their video game rehab program, which was started by addiction specialists Smith and Jones, is designed to help you replace the excitement of the fantasy world with real world experiences such as therapy sessions and group interaction. The 16th century town house, in which the patients reside, has no access to gaming of any kind, making it the perfect place to take in the non-polygonal sights the real world has to offer. Unlike the novelty cellphone addiction program being implemented at a Chicago Hotel, Wild Horses is staffed with certified psychologists and addiction specialists that can offer legitimate help to those unwilling to leave their games to have a social life or even use the bathroom. With impressive next-generation consoles like the Wii and the PS3 promising an even more engrossing gaming experience in the near future, we can't help but think this kind of facility might start popping up in other parts of the world as well. Since there probably isn't one in your area yet, we suggest you follow these instructions for making your own game addiction patch. First, tear off two pieces of duct tape. Second, place one piece of the duct tape over the A/V inputs on your TV and the other over the ASDW keys on your keyboard. Then go outside already, would you?

[Babibu @ Jul 15th 2006 10:44PM]

I'm not surprised they open this kind of 'gamers' rehab in Netherlands. Life so pathetic here. Stores closes at 6 PM on weekdays, 5PM on saturday and most stores closed on sunday. While most of the grocery stores/supermarket closed at 8PM everyday except sunday closed. So no wonder they have nothing to do. By the way public transportation is quite expensive, except you're Dutch and a student!!!

[Big Ed @ Jul 15th 2006 10:45PM]

IT'S NOT AN ADDICTION!, IT'S A CHOICE!!!

[Greg Popwell @ Mar 10th 2007 8:34PM]

it is an addiction big ed because people are addicted to games and im one of those people

[Andrew @ Jul 15th 2006 10:52PM]

@Big Ed
Sort of like how smoking weed is a choice...

...a lot of people are addicted to that too.

I really don't think that game addiction is all that much of a problem, but there is a point when it's too much.

[Coffee Shop Fiend @ Jul 15th 2006 10:55PM]

Note to Babibu (with all due respect): The Coffee Shops stay open all night long. You can always get a cup of Coffee. And, the Coffee is GREAT! They make Great Coffee in Amsterdam. There's Coffee Shops on Every Street Corner. Some streets have 4 or 5 Coffee Shops. Lot's of GREAT Coffee. All different kinds of Coffee too! Plenty of Great Coffee Choices. Try the Coffee. The Coffee is Great!

[Jonathan Zencovich @ Jul 15th 2006 11:18PM]

I'm not addicted, I can stop WHENEVER I want. I just don't want to. :)

@Coffee Shop F'r'iend

Someone likes their coffee.... Also If I'm not mistaken, that's not all that Coffee shops in Amsterdam are famous for....

--Jon Z | http://jzencovich.blogspot.com/

[AndrewNeo @ Jul 15th 2006 11:29PM]

But ho re e uppoe to type if e cn't ue the key?

[Mongoose3687 @ Jul 15th 2006 11:45PM]

h h tht' hilriou ndr nl!!! *removes tape* but seriously, I'm not surprised, there's a guy I know in college who logs probably ten hours a day on WOW.

[Matt @ Jul 15th 2006 11:53PM]

@Andrew

Check your facts. Marijuana has not been proven to be addictive. In fact there is evidence supporting the opposite.

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=3418#question8

[Raider @ Jul 16th 2006 12:36AM]

Go to Amsterdam to get rid of your "gaming addiction" and end up picking up a marijuana addiction.

[Eli @ Jul 16th 2006 1:00AM]

"With impressive next-generation consoles like the Wii and the PS3 promising an even more engrossing gaming experience in the near future"

What the hell? Are you guys working for their marketing departments now? That was a really random plug. Besides, console immersion is crap compared to PC games, and everyone knows it. PC-based MMORPGs will be the addict's game of choice for a long time to come.

[Matt @ Jul 16th 2006 1:28AM]

Use that duct tape to keep your eyes open, not shut off the very fountain of entertainment that sustains us!

[Michael @ Jul 16th 2006 1:54AM]

No gamer is going to admit they are addicted to video games. And if they can't admit, then they don't have a problem and don't need to go to one of those creepy places.

Gee, they are worse than mental hospitals.,

[Revrant @ Jul 16th 2006 2:03AM]

Indeed MMOs are the addict's game of choice, it's a wonderful "drug" for people lacking stability, you can do virtually the Exact Same EQ-standardized-routine things in a plethora of games, over and over again, endlessly, repetitively.

There are people who're "addicted" to gaming, like MMOs, the biggest group are the Asians/Orientals obviously, with cafe's *dedicated* specifically to MMO gaming in *real life* all over so many asian countries.

The thing that ticks me off is how so many things aren't really seen as addictions, coffee, and cell phones(mentioned) are good examples of addictions, people can't PUT the damn cell phones DOWN, and they literally *need* the boost of coffee/caffeine, both mentally and physically, just to function.

[Keaton @ Jul 16th 2006 2:57AM]

Andrew...

I like your comparison.... I laughed for a good 5 minutes...

But don't you think comparing video game addiction to smoking weed is a little....

I dunno off the wall maybe...

Dude keep up the great posts and peace out...

http://thesoggycow.phpnet.us

[Kevin Chapman @ Jul 16th 2006 3:49AM]

I was once a World of Warcraft Addict. I played WoW for over a year and it was quite literally the only thing I thought about. My day consisted of Work, WoW, and Sleep with the occasional splash of something else. I did the math one day and found out that 40% of my life was spent behind the computer. 8 hours at work 5 days a week and the rest was WoW. I have not even removed the time I spend sleeping.

With that said I realised I needed to get out more by either finding a non-computer related job or stop playing World of Warcraft. Needless to say I decided to remove Warcraft and all addictive computer/technology games permanently. For about a week or two I felt withdraw symptoms and longed to play for the game and it was all I could think about but thankfully they eventually went away and with the help of my brother found less addictive and time consuming hobby Paintball. (I can only afford to play about once a week and don’t think about it much until the day I go playing)

It is now over a month later and I no longer think about WoW all day long. I use all that reclaimed spare time doing more important thing such spending time with friends, family, spending time running and of courses about once a week I like to play some Paintball with my brother.

I know lots of people that spend time playing MMORPGS and I know they are an extremely addictive and unproductive. (Seriously how is spending 16 hours state running the same dungeon to get another peace of some epic set for your toon going to help you in real life?) Computer games are intended for entertainment and in them selves are harmless, fun and a grate temporary escape from reality. Yet when it comes to the point where the entertainment takes over a person’s real life that is when a person has a serious issue that needs to be addressed. Many people are addicted to these games and will often quit one MMORPG but pick up a different one a few days later and start the trend all over again.

Now as for my self I would say I had a mild addition to it however it did take several attempts and a fair amount of prayer before I was able to leave the computer game(s) permanently. So I can understand why this sort of thing is needed for the more extreme cases and I for one would recommend anyone that is allowing the game to be there life and not just a little harmless entertainment to quit playing the games and if you cant then consider the above as an option before you destroy your real life.

[kr @ Jul 8th 2007 5:41PM]

Paintball=awesome.

[Matt Hadder @ Jul 16th 2006 4:04AM]

This isn't a bad idea. People get addicted to those video gambling machines, casinos or other things that aren't drug related. Its the natural high these people get while doing these things that they're addicted to.

Going back to the mid 80's I remember hearing about guys ending up with severe RSI (wasn't called that then), crippling their hands from the hours they'd spend on arcade machines.

You can blame gamblers for gambling, or crack heads for smoking crack, but it doesn't do anything to solve the problem.

[Graham @ Jul 16th 2006 4:48AM]

Revrant : drug is another word for medicine.
Its improper use of a drug that makes it illegal to use.
Marijuana has medicinal purposes no shit ..or else they wouldnt call it a drug, the reason why its illegal is because people use it for fun not till their illness is cured..Cocaine in the late 1800 was dubbed the Wonder Drug, because it cured so many illnesses, but then people started using it for Mints, Drinks, Alcahol, foods.

In my opinion, a cure for Gaming is to go on a 2 week holiday or stay away from home...

[RisingSunofNihon @ Jul 16th 2006 8:35AM]

It's about time something like this opened up. There are help centers for every other addiction under the sun, so why not? Seems like China and South Korea should be next, eh?

[James @ Jul 16th 2006 9:13AM]

I'm addicted to owning video games, not playing them. When a new game is released, and it looks and plays great, and everyone is talking about it,.... I must have it. But I rarely play it. I have three 360 games right now that are still in the shrink wrap. I don't know where you MMO addicts find the time. I never have time to play video games, but I love them just the same. In fact, I celebrated my 30th anniversary of gaming this past Christmas.

[cycomachead @ Jul 16th 2006 11:50AM]

@ RisingSunofNihon

really Japan


this is smart, I just hope my parents do't find a computer addiction center-- or or....
(at least I'm programing- or learning about tech most of da time)


@ Michael
um.. you can say your not addicted to some, but that doesn't mean that you aren't
And honest people w/ a mind can admitt when they are addicted
maybe you can't but some can

[Andrew @ Jul 16th 2006 12:16PM]

Yah, I kind of realize that comparing gaming to smoking weed is a bit "off the wall." But I meant to compare it that extremely, I was exagerating to get a point accross. I really don't think it's all that much of a problem, but when people die in internet cafe's playing WoW it's a little much.

[Stephen Mortensen @ Jul 16th 2006 3:02PM]

Gotta say, this is kinda old news guys

http://www.gamechew.com/article.php?article=468

we reported on it June 1st ;)

I still think it's silly that there is a videogame rehab centre in a country which legalized pot.

(note: I think marijuana should be legal here in the 'states too, just think it's kinda funny).

[Daniel Elmore @ Jul 16th 2006 4:33PM]

A least their taking this epidemic seriously, whatever their reasons are.

[Tim @ Jul 16th 2006 9:24PM]

I think that this rehab center is just another thing for political activists to use against videogames, they need to keep their noses out of it.

Anyway, I believe that if you are truly addicted to video games, you have other, mental, problems, dont blame the video games, if they were really addicting then the majority of people who play them would be addicted, the point is, things that are addicting, like cigarettes, have an addicting substance in them that the body begins to rely on, like caffeine if you drink it daily. Video games are just fun, people need rehab for videogames then they need rehab for sports and watching sports, and reading, and studying, and gardening, and so forth and so on.

[TeddyN @ Jul 16th 2006 11:58PM]

I've come around to being much less annoyed about the rehab clinic; basically it's a choice. If someone decides that they want to stop playing games in all their free time, and they find it overwhelmingly difficult to do on their own, then they can pay someone to help them. As long as people still have the choice to play games as much as they want, there is no problem (and in fact it's maybe even good) that there is a 'clinic' somewhere (although admitedly the concept is slightly weird).

I don't think that there is any contradiction in the fact that the government has legalised pot in that country and that there is a private clinic opening. The dutch are more open then most people, and they distinguish between the governement telling people how to live their lives (as they would be if they had banned pot) and having an open discourse and information available to help people make certain choices.

I play a lot of PC games by the way, during holidays I can play battlefield 2 and other online games for whole days at a time. Usually it's because I don't have any friends around, rather then the games causing me not to have friends; when friends are in town I will usually go out instead.
In fact, since my old friends from school live mostly abroad, I keep in touch with them when we're all playing WoW together. IT works really well and feels very sociable to me.

[James @ Jul 17th 2006 1:09AM]

Just for the record:

- Marihuana has not been legalized in Holland. The authorities just choose to turn a blind eye to recreational use of it.
- Marihuana is not addictive. Just like chewing gum however it can become a habit.

As for kicking the gaming habit, instead of locking themselves up in a 16th century town house in Amsterdam why don't they go dig wells in some third world country?

[CDilla @ Jul 17th 2006 3:57AM]

Wow...I did not think it was this serious. I guess if you're into gaming, go for the gusto.

[Pernacchia @ Jul 17th 2006 6:49AM]

I think this is a brilliant idea! Might have to plan a trip to Amsterdam in the near future and, since I'm anti-drugs, I won't have a problem picking up a new addiction!
Now I just have to find a way to explain to my guild why I won't be able to make the weekly raid..

[diabla @ Jul 18th 2006 3:02AM]

People can be "addicted" to anything anymore...it's called lack of self-discipline in many cases, like shopping addiction. Someone commented that pot is not addictive, but can become a habit. True, true. I get sick of people talking about how benevolent pot is compared to "other stuff". Anything can be bad for you if you're stupid, lazy or desparate enough.

[Chase @ Sep 10th 2006 7:33AM]

I named my son Link does that make me an addict

[Coffee Shop Fiend @ Oct 24th 2006 4:07PM]

@Jon Z

Would you like some fresh baked Brownies with that Coff of Cuppee? Ha ha ha ha ha hee hee ha ha ha ha ha ha ah hee.

@Craig

What a pill. Ha ha ha ha ha hee hee ha ha ha ha ha ha ah hee.

Ha ha ha ha ha hee hee ha ha ha ha ha ha ah hee. I got the munchies. Ha ha ha ha ha hee hee ha ha ha ha ha ha ah hee.

[ross taylor @ Jan 22nd 2008 1:25AM]

dear someone i am a confused man not the normal every day confused that peoople often talk about such as what chlothing to wear or whether to ride to work or walk oh no these are just mild dilemmas, the main problem i have is im an addict i can not get enough world of warcraft i think the days should be longer so i can get more in. i even get up at 4 o'clock before work and play WOW so i can get my fix, i need help my friends say its runining my life am i just an over concerned gamer or do ihave a disease please help me find myslef again i miss the real world. the worst part is my friends tell me im an addict i just brush them off, the way i see it im not hurting anyone but maybe im too blind to see thats its tearing my friendships apart.
yours truly
mr.WOW