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Kim still remembers how it felt to unwrap the Christmas wrapping paper that time and discover what was inside. A Nintendo 64.
– I went completely crazy, that was all I wanted, says Kim.
Interest in video games has followed Kim through the school years. As a child and adolescent, he enjoyed playing games and his interest created social contexts. During high school, Kim himself took the initiative to create game clubs and after-school events.
– It was very successful. People who used to be self-reliant opened up when we played together.
Kim suffers from bipolar disorder, which means that she experiences depressive periods and manic periods from time to time. When he takes the student, everyday life works well, despite the illness. Kim gets a part-time job, has a social life she’s happy with, and time for her interest in gambling.
His interest in video games has followed Kim since he was little.
Photo: Jenny Ingemarsson
But in his 25 Kim suffers from psychosis followed by deep depression. Social contacts are less and less, Kim is on sick leave and is increasingly isolated. Then she meets a guy who has experienced psychosis himself and who understands what Kim has been through. They become a couple.
– It was my whole social life, says Kim.
The boyfriend takes drugs and Kim begins to experiment. Soon he uses amphetamines to stay awake and cannabis to sleep. Hen starts playing computer games, several days in a row.
In other parts of the world, there are other people sitting and playing. Getting in touch with new friends is the only thing that feels normal, says Kim. Hen starts buying things for his characters in the game and for his friends. It costs money that Kim doesn’t have.
– My only joy was buying something in the game. In total, I put more than thirty thousand, he says.
For almost two years Later, the world health organization WHO decided to classify addiction to computer games as a disease. For a person to be considered addicted, according to the WHO, they should no longer be able to control their gambling, leading to other interests and activities being neglected. The game must have lasted at least one year and affect, for example, family life, education and work.
Kim experiences that the game becomes destructive when everyday life no longer works.
– You can feel safe having all your contacts online, but there is also a world you must be able to live in.
For Kim, drug addiction and computer game addiction go hand in hand. He carefully conceals what happens to the few relatives he knows. But for two friends that Kim plays with, she dares to open up. The friends live in the same city as Kim and when the boyfriend suddenly breaks up, they go home with Kim to show their support.
The breakdown of the relationship becomes the turning point. Kim begins struggling to quit drugs. She receives help from social services and psychiatry, and begins seeing a therapist who specializes in drug abuse once a week.
– Now I have been drug free for two years. It feels absolutely amazing. As if I had my life back.
– A “blessing” and a “curse”, says Kim about computer games. Hen says that the blessing is being able to talk to friends through games, and the curse that the game can lead to isolation from the outside world.
Photo: Jenny Ingemarsson
Kim’s living room has a computer with the screen off. It’s been a long time since he played now. The outside world has become less terrifying, the desire to isolate less present.
– I no longer feel like playing myself. On the other hand, I may yearn to gather a group and sit all night, drink coffee, and play together.
Gambling becomes problematic when it leads to isolation, says Kim. Hen advises parents who are concerned that their children are playing unhealthy to encourage them to play with others.
– Let them go to LAN and other game meetings, so they can meet others with the same interest. It is a great way to socialize.
Today, Kim works in a store and has started to pay off her debts.
– I feel great now. It feels like I’ve got my life back.
Read more: The new reception will help against addiction to computer games
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