South Korea is bending under the weight of an epidemic.
About one in 10.
Thats about a third the size of the US market a country six times larger.
Koreas problem, though, will one day be the US problem.
The issue, perhaps, is one of availability.
This, in Korea, is the preferred method of gaming.
It’s free, every week, in your inbox.
Many frequent bangs daily, with some logging 14-plus hours before dragging themselves out of their chairs.
Once home, addicts face a new set of challenges.
Korea hosts 10 pro gaming leagues, most of which regularly air matches on national television.
At least two networks air wall-to-wall esports coverage, 24/7.
Because, in a public health sense, its a problem that doesnt exist.
The debate has been on-going since 2013, with no end in sight.
Attempting to classify internet addiction had the same uphill battle.
Block wrote:
About 86 percent of internet addiction cases have some other DSM-IV diagnosis present.
In one study, the average patient had 1.5 other diagnoses.
In the United States, patients generally present only for the comorbid condition(s).
Thus, unless the therapist is specifically looking for internet addiction, it is unlikely to be detected.
He submitted this opinion for publishing in 2008.
In South Korea, the country not only has a classification it has a plan.
In 2011, it passed the controversial Cinderella Law, also known as the Sundown Law.
Or, thats how its supposed to work, anyway.
Players can, as you might guess, just use someone elses identification to bypass the ban.
It could also prove highly ineffective for anything other than curbing addiction in school-aged children.
As Cameron Adair, founder of the online support forumGameQuittersnoted, these kids arent the biggest problem.
Counseling might offer the best solution.
Treatment is free and available to anyone who requests it.
In the US, these options simply dont exist.
And where they do, its a mixed bag.
Few therapists are equipped to handle video game addiction, as most still dont recognize it as arealcondition.
These are the snake oil peddlers commonly reserved for daytime television.
So what does that mean for the US?
As he puts it, the issue doesnt have a simple solution.
One of these camps, The Riding Healing Center, even teaches horseback riding and animal husbandry.
One program, Washington-based reSTART offers 45 day intensive program for an eye-popping $26,000.
Its of little help.
In the US, mental health coverage ranges from prohibitively expensive to entirely unavailable.
Welcome to the brink.
Now, watch your step.
Story byBryan Clark
Bryan is a freelance journalist.Bryan is a freelance journalist.
